The main objective of the SWIM Level 3 (L3) product is to provide global gridded wave statistics from the along-track directional wave spectra measures, as observed with SWIM instrument onboard CFOSAT. CFOSAT (Chinese French Ocean SATellite) is a french-chinese mission launched in 2018, whose aim is to provide wind (SCAT instrument) and wave (SWIM instrument) measurements over the sea surface.

The processing uses the integrated parameters (wave length, significant wave height, direction) of the wave systems associated with the individual partitions retrieved from SWIM wave spectra, computing monthly statistics such as distribution, min, max, mean and median over a global 2 degree resolution grid. Three sub-products are generated separately for each SWIM beam (from 4° to 10°) from respectively the SWIM Level 2 spectra produced by the CWWIC center (CNES), the SWIM Level 2S spectra produced by the IWWOC center (Ifremer) and forecast spectra produced from WaveWatch3 wave model at Ifremer as an independent source for comparison.

The SWIM level 3 dataset is generated in delayed mode. It is currently mainly meant as a validation dataset aiming at inter-comparing the different SWIM Level 2 between each other, with an independent model (here WaveWatch3) or other external similar wave statistics products.

The SWIM L3 dataset is generated and distributed by Ifremer / CERSAT in the frame of the Ifremer Wind and Wave Operation Center (IWWOC) co-funded by Ifremer and CNES and dedicated to the processing of the delayed mode data of CFOSAT mission.