Satellite Captures the First Detailed Look At a Massive Tsunami 10
NASA and CNES's SWOT satellite captured the first high-resolution, wide-swath image of a major tsunami in the open ocean after the July 2025 Kuril-Kamchatka quake. "Instead of a single neat crest racing across the basin, the image revealed a complicated, braided pattern of energy dispersing and scattering over hundreds of miles," reports Earth.com. "These are details that traditional instruments almost never resolve. They suggest the physics we use to forecast tsunami hazards -- especially the assumption that the largest ocean-crossing waves travel as largely "non-dispersive" packets -- need a revision." From the report: Three takeaways emerge. First, high-resolution satellite altimetry can see the internal structure of a tsunami in mid-ocean, not just its presence. Second, researchers now argue that dispersion -- often downplayed for great events -- may shape how energy spreads into leading and trailing waves, which could alter run-up timing and the force on harbor structures. Third, combining satellite swaths, DART time series, seismic records, and geodetic deformation gives a more faithful picture of the source and its evolution along strike.
For tsunami modelers and hazard planners, the message is equal parts caution and opportunity. The physics now has to catch up with the complexity that SWOT has revealed, and planners need forecasting systems that can merge every available data stream. The waves won't get any simpler -- but our predictions can get a lot sharper. The findings have been published in the journal The Seismic Record.
For tsunami modelers and hazard planners, the message is equal parts caution and opportunity. The physics now has to catch up with the complexity that SWOT has revealed, and planners need forecasting systems that can merge every available data stream. The waves won't get any simpler -- but our predictions can get a lot sharper. The findings have been published in the journal The Seismic Record.
Re: (Score:2)
btw, the real link is not paywalled.
Did they see longitudinal waves? (Score:1, Funny)
Was Tesla vindicated?
Re: Did they see longitudinal waves? (Score:4, Insightful)
Are you responding to yourself? Rhetorical question, because obviously you are, but I am wondering why? Just impatient for someone to respond so that you can then post what you actually wanted to post in reply? Why not just post what you actually wanted to post to start with?
Re: Did they see longitudinal waves? (Score:1)
Is it hard to imagine how an old man might post a thought and then think of something to add, but slashdot has no editing posts feature?
Re: (Score:2)
I have replied to myself in the past to add to posts, but usually either because I hit the length limit for a post, so had to split it in two, or because I needed to correct an error. The asking a question then apparently trying to answer yourself thing that you seemed a bit different. I suppose I didn't really need to reply to it myself though.
Re:If we extract the newspeak: (Score:4, Insightful)
Remember that models used from a decade or more ago always make simplifying assumptions, and that those tend to be unquestioned until data shows that they must be. Even now climate models can't handle all the variables known to be needed. Turbulence is *extremely* difficult to handle. And there probably is some "butterfly effect". The way that's normally handled it to run an ensemble of models with slightly different conditions, but they may all make some of the same simplifying assumptions.