waves <\/a>near shorelines, can travel across thousands of miles, maintaining their energy for days or even weeks. The study of these waves\u2014once dismissed as just large ripples\u2014reveals intricate details about their behavior and how they affect the world\u2019s oceans, even if the storm itself never made landfall.<\/p>\n![\"Image\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-48-scaled.png.webp.webp\")
The Copernicus Sentinel-6 Poseidon-4 dual-frequency (C- and Ku-band) radar altimeter uses an innovative interleaved mode that has improved performance compared to previous satellite altimeter designs. Credit: ESA<\/p>\n
Understanding the Energy of Ocean Swells<\/p>\n
Ocean swells are born from the winds of powerful storms, but what sets them apart from typical waves is their ability to travel vast distances without losing much of their energy. These swells often act as a time capsule, revealing the intensity of the storm that generated them. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt the coast, seabed conditions also shape waves, for example, and these very large storms are rare \u2013 occurring roughly once a decade \u2013 which makes it hard to prove trends,\u201d said Fabrice Ardhuin, a scientist at the Laboratory of Physical and Spatial Oceanography in France, who led the study. <\/p>\n
The long-range energy these swells carry can have significant impacts on coastal erosion and the stability of marine structures, even if the storm itself has passed far into the horizon.<\/p>\n
One of the most striking findings of this study was the way wave energy is distributed. Previously, scientists believed that the longest ocean waves carried the majority of the energy as they traveled. However, the recent satellite data has shown that the storm\u2019s dominant peak waves, rather than the longest swells, are the real energy carriers. This discovery is crucial for improving our predictions of storm damage, coastal safety, and even shipping hazards. By mapping the distribution of wave energy, scientists can better understand how storms affect the coastline long after they have dissipated.<\/p>\n
A Journey Across the Globe<\/p>\n
The true impact of these giant waves becomes apparent when considering their vast journey across the oceans. Storm Eddie\u2019s swells traveled over 15,000 miles in just 15 days, stretching from the North Pacific, through the Drake Passage near Antarctica, and reaching the tropical Atlantic by January 6, 2025. This long-distance travel is not just a display of nature\u2019s power\u2014it\u2019s an essential part of the Earth\u2019s climate system. As these waves propagate, they interact with other oceanic forces, providing valuable data on how ocean currents and wind patterns are evolving in real-time.<\/p>\n
Such extensive measurements were made possible by the combination of cutting-edge satellite technology, including SWOT\u2019s innovative wide-swath radar and the Sentinel-6 satellite\u2019s dual-frequency radar altimeter. These tools have significantly enhanced our ability to monitor not only the height of waves but also their length, energy, and frequency. As new satellite missions like SWOT continue to provide more detailed data, the understanding of how these massive ocean swells work will further improve, enabling more precise predictions and better global preparedness.<\/p>\n
Connecting the Dots: Waves and Climate Change<\/p>\n
The role of climate change in shaping the intensity and frequency of ocean storms is an ongoing subject of research. Scientists have long suspected that rising global temperatures may contribute to the amplification of extreme weather events, but the evidence remains complex and difficult to quantify.<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate change may be a driver, but it is not the only one,\u201d said Fabrice Ardhuin. \u201cAt the coast, seabed conditions also shape waves, for example, and these very large storms are rare \u2013 occurring roughly once a decade \u2013 which makes it hard to prove trends.\u201d <\/p>\n
The rarity of such extreme waves, occurring approximately once every ten years, complicates efforts to establish definitive links between climate change and storm intensity.<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges in drawing firm conclusions, these recent findings offer a glimpse into how satellite technology can be used to track long-term changes in storm patterns. By combining decades of historical data with real-time satellite observations, researchers can begin to detect shifts in storm behavior and wave intensity. This type of analysis is crucial not just for understanding the future of our oceans, but for protecting coastal populations and infrastructure from increasingly erratic weather events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In December 2024, satellites captured an extraordinary phenomenon in the heart of the ocean\u2014waves that soared to nearly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228870,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":{"0":"post-228869","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}