On 29 July 2025, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake<\/a> struck the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone, off the southeastern coast of Russia. That sent a tsunami racing<\/a> through the Pacific Ocean \u2013 just as SWOT happened to pass overhead.<\/p>\n Related: Skyscraper Tsunami Unleashed by Seismic Anomaly Never Seen Before<\/a><\/p>\n Using data from the satellite, as well as three buoys floating in the area as part of the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) project, researchers were able to capture a pattern of propagation and scattering that was more complex than previously thought.<\/p>\n One major factor differed from existing models. It has long been assumed that big tsunamis are non-dispersive, meaning they mostly hold together as a single wave as they travel.<\/p>\n But the SWOT data suggest the tsunami broke up, forming a relatively large leading wave followed by smaller trailing waves.<\/p>\n “I think of SWOT data as a new pair of glasses,” says<\/a> Angel Ruiz-Angulo, first author of the study and physical oceanographer at the University of Iceland. “Before, with DARTs we could only see the tsunami at specific points in the vastness of the ocean. There have been other satellites before, but they only see a thin line across a tsunami in the best-case scenario.<\/p>\n “Now, with SWOT, we can capture a swath up to about 120 kilometers [75 miles] wide, with unprecedented high-resolution data of the sea surface.”<\/p>\n With some fortunate timing, SWOT and other satellites could be useful for spotting and tracking future tsunamis<\/a> in real time as well, allowing for as much warning as possible for coastal communities that may be affected.<\/p>\n![\"First](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Visualization_depicts_the_leading_edge_of_the_tsunami_-642x500.png\")
The leading edge of the tsunami visualized from sea surface height data from SWOT. (NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"Satellite](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SWOT-tsunami-642x644.png\")
SWOT data on the tsunami. The star is the hypocenter of the event. The leading wave of the tsunami, shown in red, exceeded 45 centimeters (1.5 feet) in height. (Ruiz\u2010Angulo et al., TSR, 2025<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"Win](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mid-Article-Promo-Astro-642x272.jpg\")
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