The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, utilizing its advanced wide-swath imaging capabilities combined with radar altimetry data from other Earth-observing satellites, has provided unprecedented observations of ocean swells. This data has led to the recording of the largest ocean swells ever measured from space and new insights into how storm energy is distributed across the oceans.
Record-Breaking Waves and Storm Eddie
Satellites recorded open-ocean waves reaching nearly 65 feet (20 meters) high during the peak of Storm Eddie in the North Pacific in December 2024. This measurement is the highest average wave height ever measured from space, roughly equivalent to the height of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Storm Eddie served as a natural laboratory for the study.
Swell as a Storm Messenger
The study confirmed that the ocean surface acts as a “messenger,” with massive waves carrying a storm’s power across entire oceans.
- Travel Distance: The swells from Storm Eddie traveled over 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometers), crossing the Drake Passage and entering the tropical Atlantic over two weeks.
- Impact: Even though the storm never made landfall, its waves reached distant coasts with significant force, causing erosion and flooding.
- Measuring Strength: Researchers can estimate a storm’s size and strength by measuring the wave period (the time between crests) of large swells. For instance, a 20-second period means a large wave arrives every 20 seconds.
Data Combination and New Insights
The global picture of wave movement was created by combining SWOT’s wide-swath imaging with radar altimetry data from a constellation of Earth-observing satellites.
- Partner Satellites: This combined data includes observations from SARAL, Jason-3, Copernicus Sentinel-3A and -3B, Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, CryoSat, and CFOSAT.
- Challenged Assumptions: The observations revealed that shorter, high-energy storm waves carry much of the ocean’s transported energy, challenging the long-held assumption that energy was primarily carried by long, slow swells.
- Refining Models: This critical insight will help scientists refine global wave models, leading to better protection for coastal communities against related hazards.
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Source: Space
