The SWOT L3_LR_SSH product provides ocean topography measurements obtained from the SWOT KaRIn and nadir altimeter instruments, merged into a single variable. The dataset includes measurements from KaRIn swaths on both sides of the image, while the measurements from the nadir altimeter are located in the central columns. In the areas between the nadir track and the two KaRIn swaths, as well as on the outer edges of each swath (restricted to cross-track distances ranging from 10 to 60 km), default values are expected. SWOT L3_LR_SSH is a cross-calibrated product from multiple missions that contains only the ocean topography content necessary for thematic research (e.g., oceanography, geodesy) and related applications. This product is designed to be simple and ready-to-use, and can be combined with other altimetry missions. The SWOT L3_LR_SSH product is a research-orientated extension of the L2_LR_SSH product, distributed by the SWOT project (NASA/JPL and CNES). SWOT L3_LR_SSH is managed by the SWOT Science Team project DESMOS. The ['Unsmoothed'] version of SWOT L3_LR_SSH (the "Basic" and "Expert" versions are the subject of separate metadata sheets) includes each algorithm, correction, or external model incorporated into the SWOT L3_LR_SSH product as a separate layer. This ['Unsmoothed'] version which includes the MSS, MDT and geostrophic currents (absolute and anomalies) in addition to the SSHA and MDT on the 250 m KaRIn native grid. Like the Expert subproduct, it also integrates a quality flag, corrections and external models as separate layers.

This product contains weekly salinity field, based on SMOS satellite data, and ISAS (In-Situ Analysis System). The L4OS SMOS-OI product contains global Level 4 analyses of the of the Sea Surface Salinity (SSS), Sea Surface Density (SSD) and Sea Surface Spiciness (SSSp), along with Sea Surface Absolute Salinity (SSA), Conservative Temperature (SCT), surface thermal expansion coefficient (alpha) and haline contraction coefficient (beta). The SSS product is obtained using an optimal interpolation (OI) algorithm, that combines ISAS in situ SSS OI analyses and Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite image to reduce large scale and temporally varying bias. The SSS L4 product outcome is then combined with satellite SST products to compute thermodynamic sea water parameters using TEOS-10 (Kolodziejczyk et al., 2021). Products from reprocessing RE07 are available for the period 01/2011 - 05/2021. Products from operational (OPER) processing are available since 06/2021. Reprocessed products and operational products are derived using the same algorithm and configuration, hence ensuring the temporal continuity. The base products, for all the CATDS-PDC (Centre Aval de Traitement des Données SMOS - Production & Dissemination Center) processing chains, are the SMOS L1B products from ESA (European Space Agency). From these, brightness temperatures at various incidence angles are reconstructed. The Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) are retrieved from multi-angular brightness temperatures through a maximum likehood Bayesian approach in which measured Tb and Tb simulated using a forward direct model are compared (see Zine et al. 2008 for a general description of the retrieval method, and pro_con table for a summary of the similarities/differences with respect to ESA level 2 ocean salinity processing).