Large Drifter Experiment in the Western Mediterranean Sea reveals Dynamical vs Noise contributions in SWOT-KaRIn Sea Level

Large Drifter Experiment in the Western Mediterranean Sea reveals Dynamical vs Noise contributions in SWOT-KaRIn Sea Level | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 3 April 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Large Drifter Experiment in the Western Mediterranean Sea reveals Dynamical vs Noise contributions in SWOT-KaRIn Sea Level Authors : Margot DEMOL 0009-0000-6267-9766 [email protected] , Aurelien L.S. Ponte 0000-0002-0252-6028 , Pierre GARREAU 0000-0001-7544-750X , Marco Bellacicco 0000-0002-0477-173X , Maristella Berta 0000-0001-5428-9741 , Luca Raffaele Centurioni , Andrea Doglioli , Aude Joel 0009-0007-6009-5346 , Baptiste Mourre 0000-0002-5056-0423 , and Ananda Pascual 0000-0001-9476-9272 Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177524465.56190522/v1 84 views 79 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract The wide-swath altimeter SWOT provides unprecedented two-dimensional sea-level observations, whose ability to capture upper-ocean dynamics requires assessment. The dynamically balanced signal and noise contributions in SWOT-KaRIn Level-3 (L3) sea level products are here originally quantified and contrasted with those from Level-4 (L4) gridded nadir-only products, combining sea level data, 137 trajectories from drifters deployed in the Western Mediterranean, ERA5 winds, and the framework of Demol et al. (2025). The filtered L3-2km product, or interestingly the unfiltered L3-2km product with a 25 km Gaussian filter, offers the best compromise for fine-scale studies, though residual noise still accounts for about one-third of total variance. L4 products contain less balanced signal but are noise-free and better suited for large-scale analyses. SWOT KaRIn adds value mainly at scales smaller than ∼100 km and shorter than ∼10 days. This studies provides a benchmark for global sea-level assessments. Supplementary Material File (manuscript_envoi2.pdf) Download 1.31 MB File (si_document.pdf) Download 901.58 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 03 April 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords altimetry drifters mediterranean sea mesoscale oceanography surface dynamics swot Authors Affiliations Margot DEMOL 0009-0000-6267-9766 [email protected] Laboratoire d'Oceanographie Physique et Spatiale View all articles by this author Aurelien L.S. Ponte 0000-0002-0252-6028 Ifremer View all articles by this author Pierre GARREAU 0000-0001-7544-750X Ifremer View all articles by this author Marco Bellacicco 0000-0002-0477-173X National Research Council of Italy (CNR) - Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) View all articles by this author Maristella Berta 0000-0001-5428-9741 CNR-ISMAR View all articles by this author Luca Raffaele Centurioni Scripps Institution of Oceanography View all articles by this author Andrea Doglioli Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) View all articles by this author Aude Joel 0009-0007-6009-5346 Institut Mediterraneen d'Oceanologie View all articles by this author Baptiste Mourre 0000-0002-5056-0423 Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avancats View all articles by this author Ananda Pascual 0000-0001-9476-9272 IMEDEA View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 84 views 79 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Margot DEMOL, Aurelien L.S. Ponte, Pierre GARREAU, et al. Large Drifter Experiment in the Western Mediterranean Sea reveals Dynamical vs Noise contributions in SWOT-KaRIn Sea Level. Authorea . 03 April 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177524465.56190522/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); Cited by Charly de Marez, Arne Bendinger, Ahmad Fehmi Dilmahamod, High-latitude eddy statistics from SWOT compared with in situ observations, Ocean Science, 22 , 3, (1515-1528), (2026). https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-1515-2026 Crossref Loading... View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. Share Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Bluesky LinkedIn email View full text | Download PDF {"doi":"10.22541/au.177524465.56190522/v1","type":"Article"} Now Reading: Share Figures Tables Close figure viewer Back to article Figure title goes here Change zoom level Go to figure location within the article Download figure Toggle share panel Toggle share panel Share Toggle information panel Toggle information panel Go to previous graphic Go to next graphic Go to previous table Go to next table All figures All tables View all material View all material xrefBack.goTo xrefBack.goTo Request permissions Expand All Collapse Expand Table Show all references SHOW ALL BOOKS Authors Info & Affiliations About FAQs Contact Us Directory RSS Back to top Powered by Research Exchange Preprints Help Terms Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences $(document).ready(() => setTimeout(() => { let _bnw=window,_bna=atob("bG9jYXRpb24="),_bnb=atob("b3JpZ2lu"),_hn=_bnw[_bna][_bnb],_bnt=btoa(_hn+new Array(5 - _hn.length % 4).join(" ")); $.get("/resource/lodash?t="+_bnt); },4000)); (function(){function c(){var b=a.contentDocument||a.contentWindow.document;if(b){var d=b.createElement('script');d.innerHTML="window.__CF$cv$params={r:'9fdf06ceda1006db',t:'MTc3OTE1MDk3OA=='};var a=document.createElement('script');a.src='/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/scripts/jsd/main.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(a);";b.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d)}}if(document.body){var a=document.createElement('iframe');a.height=1;a.width=1;a.style.position='absolute';a.style.top=0;a.style.left=0;a.style.border='none';a.style.visibility='hidden';document.body.appendChild(a);if('loading'!==document.readyState)c();else if(window.addEventListener)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',c);else{var e=document.onreadystatechange||function(){};document.onreadystatechange=function(b){e(b);'loading'!==document.readyState&&(document.onreadystatechange=e,c())}}}})();