NASA satellite just gave us the clearest look yet at a tsunami
NASA and France's SWOT satellite pulled off something big: it captured the first-ever high-resolution, wide-area track of a tsunami after a massive 8.8 earthquake hit Kamchatka, Russia in July 2025.
The data, published later that year, not only validated NOAA's tsunami forecast for this event but also revealed new details about how these waves actually behave.
Tsunami models get a reality check
SWOT spotted one big wave out front with smaller ones trailing behind—something current models didn't predict.
Turns out, when scientists added "dispersion" (basically, how waves spread out) to their simulations, the results finally matched what SWOT saw from space.
Teamwork made forecasting better
By combining SWOT's satellite view with readings from DART ocean buoys, researchers realized the quake rupture was even longer than they thought—about 400km instead of 300km.
This updated model could help improve the accuracy of future tsunami forecasts and warnings.