The SWOT KaRIn Level-3 Wind Wave product (L3_LR_WIND_WAVE) is an innovative product derived from the Unsmoothed L3_LR_SSH product (https://doi.org/10.24400/527896/A01-2024.003), which is based on the algorithm presented by Ardhuin et al. (2024; https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109658 ). L3_LR_WIND_WAVE takes advantage of the KaRIn Low Rate (LR) chain's ability to resolve waves with wavelengths greater than 500 meters (approximately 18 seconds) and provides detailed information on the characteristics of these wave regimes. This includes significant wave height (SWH), dominant wavelength, and wave propagation direction. These regimes are associated with long-period swells and extreme events that play a critical role in ocean dynamics, coastal processes, and maritime operations. The SWOT L3_LR_WIND_WAVE product is organized into two subproducts, "Light" and "Extended". The L2_LR_SSH "Light" product is described in this metadata sheet.

The "Light" L3_LR_WIND_WAVE (also known as the "lightweight" product) includes the SWOT L3_LR_SSH 250-m SSHA spectrum, corrected for instrumental effects and expressed in both Cartesian and polar coordinates. It also includes the swell partition of the spectrum and the wave parameters integrated over this partition, for both the WW3 model and the KaRIn model (significant wave height, wavelength, and direction).

The "Extended" L3_LR_WIND_WAVE includes the aforementioned variables plus the WW3 spectrum in the same frequency grid as the KaRIn spectrum and the KaRIn transfer functions used for correction, as well as some parameters derived from KaRIn observations (e.g., coherence, mean backscatter).