A powerful tsunami has been seen from space, changing what scientists understand about how these waves move. This tsunami was caused by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in late July.
The Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, which measures ocean heights, tracked the tsunami in detail. It showed that the wave pattern was more complicated than expected, with energy spreading across the ocean. Researchers believe this could help them understand how tsunamis affect coastlines better.
Angel Ruiz-Angulo from the University of Iceland and his team combined the satellite data with readings from DART buoys in the ocean. They discovered the earthquake was the sixth-largest recorded since 1900. Ruiz-Angulo described the satellite data as a “new pair of glasses” for studying tsunamis.
Scientists had thought large tsunamis did not break apart. However, the new data showed that the wave energy scatters into smaller waves. This finding may change how researchers model tsunami behaviour.
The research team also found differences between earlier tsunami forecasts and what was actually recorded. They updated their models based on new data, which could improve tsunami predictions in the future.
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