The Potential for Leveraging SWOT-Mapped Uneven Water Surface Elevations to Enhance ICESat-2-Derived Lake Levels

Spatial variability in water surface elevation (WSE) within a lake can impact the accuracy of satellite-derived WSE time series. In this study, we analyzed WSE differences resulting from spatial variability across 81,133 global lakes and reservoirs using eight cycles of SWOT imagery. We compared these spatial WSE differences with temporal WSE fluctuations to estimate their influence on time series accuracy. Additionally, we evaluated the seasonal variation of spatial WSE differences across the eight cycles and performed an uncertainty analysis for each lake. For detailed structure and format information, please read the "README" file included in the repository. For detailed methodology and validation, see Huang (2026)*.