The satellite captured a unique signature of the giant Pacific earthquake

In the future, satellites may become an important tool in efforts to improve models used to assess and predict tsunamis around the world. This has been shown in a new study published in the scientific journal Science, co-authored by a PhD student from DTU Space.

The SWOT satellite, launched in 2022, can measure sea surface height with very high precision while covering a wide area of ​​ocean, allowing it to detect tsunami wave signals in the open ocean. Illustration by NASA.

The study describes how measurements from climate satellites provide new insight into the early stages of tsunami formation. The observations come primarily from the French-American SWOT satellite, which provided unique measurements of tsunami waves caused by a powerful underwater earthquake on July 29, 2025 near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in the North Pacific Ocean. The earthquake’s magnitude reached 8.8.

“We contributed by processing data from SWOT and other satellites for analysis,” says Bjarke Nilsson, a PhD student at DTU Space and second author of the study. “This enables other researchers to improve models of how tsunamis spread and develop. In the long term, this could lead to strengthening tsunami warning systems in vulnerable coastal areas.”

The results suggest that satellite-based measurements could complement existing sensors, leading to more accurate models and improved tsunami prediction.

In the right place at the right time by chance

As it orbited Earth, the SWOT satellite passed directly over the North Pacific region where the powerful earthquake occurred.

“We were lucky because the SWOT satellite was over the area at exactly the right time,” says Bjarke Nilsson. “If it had passed just 15 minutes earlier or later, we would not have obtained this unique data.”

Here, the satellite captured wave motion at a level of detail that was previously unattainable from space.

Satellites like SWOT cannot be used for direct warnings, because they do not monitor the same locations continuously. However, when the satellite passes through the right place and time, its data can help improve tsunami models and enhance risk assessments – especially in areas of the Pacific Ocean that are frequently affected by underwater earthquakes.

Satellite altimetry – precise measurements of sea surface height from space – could thus become an important complement to existing methods of tsunami modeling and prediction.

“Ten years ago, only a few satellites could detect short-lived tsunami signals in the Pacific Ocean,” says Bjarke Nilsson. “Today, there are about a dozen of them, which greatly increases the chances of spotting them.”

The SWOT satellite, launched in 2022, measures sea surface height with unprecedented accuracy.

Researchers find tsunami ‘fingerprint’

The earthquake occurred along the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, one of the most active seismic areas in the world. This event triggered a tsunami, but it wasn’t just the leading wave that made satellite observations noticeable.

SWOT detected a series of short-length waves, so-called scattered tsunami waves that follow the main wave. These waves act as a kind of “fingerprint” of the tsunami and can be used to more accurately model its origin and propagation.

In the scientific article “SWOT detects a dispersive tsunami associated with a near-trench source in the 2025 Kamchatka earthquake,” researchers show that these waves can reveal whether earthquake rupture has extended to areas near the deep-sea trench — a critical but difficult-to-measure area for generating the most destructive tsunamis.

Be better prepared for earthquake and tsunami risks

Typically, an underwater earthquake is first detected through seismic measurements, while the tsunami itself is only recorded when it passes through sensors in vulnerable areas. This data is used to estimate where and when waves are expected to reach coastlines.

By complementing these methods with satellite data, predictions can become more accurate. Using altimetry from SWOT and similar satellites helps scientists detect tsunami wave patterns very close to the earthquake source.

“We highlight characteristics of earthquakes that advance our knowledge and clarify scientific questions,” says the study’s lead author in an article in the journal Science, Assistant Professor Ignacio Sepulveda of San Diego State University.

“This helps us improve our understanding of earthquakes that occur near the trench and helps coastal communities better prepare for the earthquake and tsunami risks they face.”

The study collects data from 11 satellites, including SWOT and several European satellites launched by the European Space Agency. Although they are designed primarily for climate research, their high resolution also makes them well-suited for detecting subtle signals of tsunamis in the open ocean.

Source: DTU

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