On July 29, 2025, a violent earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone off the southeastern coast of Russia. As a result, a tsunami wave was unleashed across the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately, the passage of the “SWOT” satellite over the area coincided with this crucial moment, allowing it to capture accurate data on how the wave propagated.
Analysis of the data collected by “SWOT” in conjunction with readings from three smart buoys belonging to the DART system showed that the wave did not propagate as a single homogeneous mass as traditional models assume. Rather, it was found to have split into a large main wave followed by smaller waves.
Ángel Ruiz-Angulo, the study leader from the University of Iceland, emphasized the importance of this discovery, saying: “SWOT data is like a new pair of glasses that shows us what was hidden. Now we can observe a 120-kilometer-wide strip with unprecedented high precision.”
Scientists emphasize that this superior ability to monitor accurately can be used in the future to track tsunami waves in real time. This will provide coastal communities with the maximum possible warning and greatly enhance their safety. (Russia Today)
