SWOT-based water surface elevation observations improve flood modeling of the 25·7 Miyun reservoir basin extreme rainfall event
Floods are destructive, yet quantifying 3D dynamics remains challenging for traditional satellites. The SWOT mission provides Water Surface Elevation (WSE) measurements for flood monitoring. We assessed the catastrophic Miyun flood (July 2025) where rainfall was extreme. We developed the SWOT-FVE framework to reconstruct hydrographs and volumes, revealing level rises up to 3.2 m and volume increases of 1.54 billion m³. These findings demonstrate SWOT’s unique capability to resolve 3D flood responses, advancing flood assessment and resilience planning.
Authors
- Ming Pan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8072-4548)
- Jiaqi Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1449-7671)
- Tong Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2160-5901)
- Hui Lu
- Yuan Yang
- Nan Xu
- XUE LI
- Zimeng Zhao
- Zhen Wen
Institutions
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- Tianjin Normal University (CN)
- Shenzhen University (CN)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping (CN)
- Nanjing Surveying and Mapping Research Institute (China) (CN)
- Shandong University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj natural hazards.
- Published
- 2026-02-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00176-w
- Primary Topic
- Flood Risk Assessment and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Government of Jiangsu Province
- Tsinghua University
- Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province
- National Key Research and Development Program of China