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Washington. A huge tsunami in the Pacific Ocean has been recorded from space for the first time with such clarity that even scientists are astounded. NASA’s state-of-the-art satellite has captured such pictures of these waves, which show that a tsunami is not a straight and uniform wave, but takes the form of complex energy changing along the way.

According to information published in ‘The Seismic Record’, this important observation was made possible through the joint mission Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) of NASA and CNES. The satellite recorded in detail the tsunami generated by the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone near the Kamchatka Peninsula on July 29. This earthquake is considered to be the sixth most powerful earthquake since 1900.

According to NASA, the SWOT satellite is designed to measure the surface elevation of Earth’s water sources. Earlier, scientists received information to tsunami mainly from marine instruments like the DART system, which provided data only from limited locations. Now this satellite can simultaneously scan the ocean surface over an area about 120 kilometers wide, making it easier to understand the entire structure of a tsunami.

Indications of changes in forecast models

Newer simulations, which include wave scattering, have been found to be closer to the real data. This indicates that existing tsunami prediction models need improvement.

New understanding of tsunami

According to University of Iceland scientist Angel Ruiz-Angulo, this technology gives an opportunity to see the ocean from a new perspective. It was previously believed that large tsunamis moved as a single wave, but new data has proven this assumption wrong.

Satellite data has shown that the tsunami’s energy spreads in different directions and is divided into many small waves. This process is called dispersion. In simple words, tsunami is not a static wave but a constantly changing dynamic system.

When scientists compared this new data with traditional computer models, they found that the old models were not able to fully reflect the real situation. This discovery may prove helpful in developing better tsunami prediction and warning systems in future.