Paragraph 2
The SWOT satellite is about the
of an SUV (sports utility vehicle). It took 20 years to develop, at a
of $1.2 billion. High-
radar equipment will measure the height of water on more than 90 per cent of Earth's
. It will survey millions of lakes, as well as 2.1 million kilometres of rivers. Scientists will identify
areas of water loss that could threaten
populations and coastlines. NASA said SWOT is a marked technological upgrade from its
. A spokesperson said: "SWOT will give us a ten-fold
in the [accuracy] and spatial resolution of our measurements of water
." It will help scientists to better understand, "the critical
the oceans play in climate change".