The SWOT orbit has an average revisit time on the order of approximately 11 days at low latitudes. This temporal sampling is similar to that obtained by previous ocean altimeter missions. It also allows appropriate sampling of river dynamics in the tropics. At high latitudes, the sampling will produce shorter revisit periods, compatible with arctic river dynamics. This temporal sampling choice is a trade-off for maintaining global coverage including the high-latitude regions and for minimizing the tidal aliasing.

SWOT will allow global measurements even in remote areas that are not easily accessible, which is not feasible with ground surveys. Measurements of the the global storage change in terrestrial water bodies at sub-monthly, seasonal, and annual time scales will provide insight into important questions such as the temporal and spatial scales of the hydrologic processes controlling fresh water storage and transport across the world's continents, as well as the impacts of humans on fresh water resources.
(EP)