SYSU_Topo: a 1-arc-minute global bathymetry from SWOT-derived gravity using the gravity-geological method

Area of Science:

• Oceanography
• Geophysics
• Geodesy

Background:

• The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission offers new insights into Earth's water bodies.
• Accurate global bathymetry is crucial for ocean modeling and geophysical studies.
• Existing bathymetric data has limitations in coverage and precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel global bathymetric product named SYSU_Topo.
• To leverage SWOT mission data and gravity anomalies for enhanced bathymetric mapping.
• To provide openly accessible data and processing codes for scientific reuse.

Main Methods:

• Utilized gravity anomalies from the SWOT_02 model and the gravity-geological method (GGM).
• Employed a sliding-window strategy for partition inversion to determine optimal density contrast.
• Developed a fusion method with boundary-constraint points to mitigate splicing effects.

Main Results:

• The SYSU_Topo model provides global bathymetry data (80°S to 80°N) at 1-arc-minute resolution.
• Validation against extensive bathymetric points and GEBCO_2024 data confirmed model reliability.
• SYSU_Topo demonstrated superior performance in the South China Sea, outperforming other models by 8%-26%.

Conclusions:

• SWOT data shows significant potential for improving bathymetry in data-sparse regions.
• The SYSU_Topo product offers a valuable resource for ocean modeling, geophysics, and seafloor mapping.
• Openly available data and codes facilitate further research and applications.