Sharma et al. (2026) How Well Can the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Satellite Mission Observe Irrigation Canals?

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Geophysical Research Letters
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-30
• Authors: Mridul Sharma, Faisal Hossain, Sarath Suresh, Tamlin M. Pavelsky, Sanchit Minocha, Shahzaib Khan
• DOI: 10.1029/2026gl124090

Research Groups

• Hydrology Laboratory (University of California)
• Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)
• International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM)

Short Summary

This study assesses the capability of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite to observe irrigation canal networks across 22 Asian countries, using a new confidence level metric. The results show that SWOT can meaningfully support irrigation canal water monitoring in many intensively irrigated regions.

Objective

• Investigate the potential of the SWOT satellite for observing irrigation canal networks and assessing their observability

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Continental scale, covering 22 Asian countries
• Temporal Scale: Long-term assessment, using historical data from various sources

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None specified (in situ gauge observations used for validation)
• Data sources: In situ gauge observations, satellite data (SWOT)

Main Results

• Approximately 795,110 km of canals analyzed showed high confidence (37.5%), moderate confidence (46.9%), and low confidence (15.6%) of observability
• Observability is highest in the Indus Basin, Indo-Gangetic Plain, Bangladesh delta, North China Plain, and parts of Myanmar, the Philippines, Nepal, and the Mekong delta

Contributions

• This study provides a new confidence level metric for assessing SWOT's capability to observe irrigation canal networks
• The results highlight the potential of SWOT for supporting irrigation canal water monitoring in many intensively irrigated regions

Funding

• Not specified

Citation

@article{Sharma2026How,
  author = {Sharma, Mridul and Hossain, Faisal and Suresh, Sarath and Pavelsky, Tamlin M. and Minocha, Sanchit and Khan, Shahzaib},
  title = {How Well Can the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Satellite Mission Observe Irrigation Canals?},
  journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026gl124090},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026gl124090}
}