Latest news with #SurfaceWaterandOceanTopography
Euronews
2 days ago
- Science
- Euronews
Google's newest AI model acts like a satellite to track climate change
Satellites orbiting Earth to gather images and measurements of land, forests, cities, and coastal waters have helped scientists understand our planet. However, since these images come from many different sources, it can be difficult to combine them into a single picture. Google's artificial intelligence (AI) unit, DeepMind, recently announced an AI model called AlphaEarth Foundations that can create highly detailed maps of our world in nearly real time. AlphaEarth Foundations functions like a 'virtual satellite' that maps the world 'at any place and time,' Christopher Brown, a research engineer at Google DeepMind, said at a press briefing in July. 'Whether they are monitoring crop health, tracking deforestation, or observing new construction, [researchers] no longer have to rely on a single satellite passing overhead. They now have a new kind of foundation for geospatial data,' Google DeepMind wrote in a statement last month. The system combines trillions of images from dozens of public sources, including satellite images, radar scans, laser-based 3D mapping, and climate simulations. It maps the entire planet's terrestrial land and coastal waters. Google said the model can generate accurate enough data about an ecosystem down to an area of 10 square metres. Data from AlphaEarth Foundations takes up far less storage space than similar AI systems, which makes large-scale analysis more practical, the company said. During AlphaEarth Foundations's initial testing of data from 2017 to 2024, it beat similar AI models in identifying land use and estimating surface properties, with an average error rate that was 24 per cent lower, according to a paper published by DeepMind. Google hopes it will help researchers study changes across the planet for food security, deforestation, urban expansion, and water resources. Why scientists want this level of detail and how AI can help AlphaEarth Foundations is part of a growing trend in environmental science where AI turns the constant stream of satellite observations into practical tools for studying the Earth. High-resolution, regularly updated data help researchers measure environmental changes precisely and understand what is driving them. They can be used to track the effects of climate change, plan conservation, and manage resources like water and farmland. For example, in 2020, scientists at NASA and the University of Copenhagen mapped 1.8 billion individual tree canopies in the Sahel and Sahara regions of west Africa, using AI trained to recognise trees in satellite images. Without AI, this would have taken millions of people years to complete, according to the study authors. Since 2022, NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite has been taking high-definition measurements of oceans, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers over 90 per cent of the world's surface. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said it could observe water on Earth's surface with 10 times greater resolution than existing technologies. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency (ESA)'s EarthCARE satellite launched in 2024. It is studying how clouds and airborne particles in the atmosphere impact the Earth's temperature. Much of Google DeepMind's data also comes from long-running missions from NASA and ESA, such as the Landsat and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellites and the Sentinel fleet, all of which monitor vegetation, coastlines, water bodies, snow, and ice. Google says its model has already been tested by more than 50 organisations around the world for ecosystem monitoring and urban planning. For example, an environmental initiative in Brazil known as MapBiomas is using AlphaEarth Foundations' data to better understand agricultural and environmental changes, including in the Amazon rainforest. The model's annual datasets have given the team 'new options to make maps that are more accurate, precise and fast to produce, something we would have never been able to do before,' said Tasso Azevedo, the founder of MapBiomas, in Google's statement. Google says it is releasing the dataset through Google Earth Engine, Google's environment data platform, to encourage further research.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Satellite Image Shows Tsunami Triggered by Massive Russian Earthquake
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The 8.8 Kamchatka earthquake in Russia has prompted a collaborative scientific effort to improve tsunami warning systems. The massive earthquake off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30 triggered a tsunami that was successfully measured by a joint U.S.–French satellite, a technological first that is already being used to improve early warning systems The event, which occurred amidst a series of powerful aftershocks, is helping scientists at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to validate and enhance their tsunami forecast models. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a collaborative effort between NASA and the French space agency CNES, captured the leading edge of the tsunami approximately 70 minutes after the initial 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the satellite recorded a wave height exceeding 1.5 feet in the open Pacific Ocean, east of Japan. While a wave of that size might seem small, oceanographer Ben Hamlington of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory emphasized the potential danger: "What might only be a foot or two in the open ocean can become a 30-foot wave in shallower water at the coast." Satellite map of the tsunami's leading edge (red), with the epicenter depicted by a red star. Satellite map of the tsunami's leading edge (red), with the epicenter depicted by a red star. NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA's visualization showed the wave's height, shape and direction of travel—offering a multidimensional look at the tsunami. The data captured by the satellite is a crucial breakthrough for disaster prediction. "The power of SWOT's broad, paintbrush-like strokes over the ocean is in providing crucial real-world validation, unlocking new physics and marking a leap towards more accurate early warnings and safer futures," said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, NASA Earth lead and SWOT program scientist. Aftershocks in the Region The 8.8 magnitude quake, which struck at a depth of about 12 miles, has been followed by a series of powerful aftershocks. As Newsweek previously reported, dozens of aftershocks were recorded in the days following the initial event. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) warned that the likelihood of additional magnitude seven or larger earthquakes remains high. A magnitude seven earthquake on Sunday near the peninsula triggered short-lived tsunami warnings for three Russian coastal areas. Newsweek's report on Wednesday noted that a recent 5.8 magnitude tremor had also struck the region. A visualization of the tsunami's leading edge. A visualization of the tsunami's leading edge. NASA/JPL-Caltech Improving Tsunami Forecasts The primary purpose of the SWOT data is to help improve the accuracy of forecast models, a long-sought-after ambition. The NOAA Center for Tsunami Research, which sends out alerts to coastal communities, tested its model with SWOT's tsunami data. The results were exciting, according to Vasily Titov, the center's chief scientist. He said that the results suggest that "SWOT data could significantly enhance operational tsunami forecasts—a capability sought since the 2004 Sumatra event." The devastating 2004 Sumatra quake killed thousands, highlighting the critical need for more advanced and accurate early warning systems. The ability of the SWOT satellite to capture and measure resulting tsunamis is a leap forward in protecting coastal communities around the world from future seismic events. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about tsunamis? Let us know via science@
Mint
07-06-2025
- Science
- Mint
Mega tsunamis in Greenland reached 650 feet height, had left scientists puzzled. The mystery is now solved
Scientists have decoded an unusual incident that unfolded in September 2023, when seismic stations across the world began to pick up a steady but unusual signal, repeating every 92 seconds. This steady pulse lasted nine full days and returned for a brief period after a month. It was too faint for people to feel but strong enough to make its presence felt across Alaska to Australia – an unusual behaviour for a typical earthquake. While scientists were baffled at first but the source was later traced to the remote Dickson Fjord in East Greenland – a narrow inlet that is bordered by 3,000-feet high cliffs. New satellite images have now shown a fresh scar where a section of the mountain had vanished – indicating something something massive had struck the water and set the fjord in motion. The answer lies in a colossal natural disaster that hit the area on September 16, 2023. On that day, over 25 million cubic yards of rock and ice – enough to fill 10,000 huge Olympic-sized swimming pools – collapsed into Dickson Fjord from the mountain side. This set in motion a mega tsunami, with waves reaching heights of 650 feet. These waves surged along the two-mile corridor of the fjord, crashing against cliffs and bouncing back, creating a seiche – a prolonged, sloshing motion. Unlike tsunamis, water in seiches go back and forth in an oscillating motion in an enclosed space repeatedly, sending low-frequency seismic energy for days through the earth's crust in a steady rhythm. The credit of solving the puzzle goes to the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) – a joint mission launched by NASA and French space agency in 2022. Using this data, scientists observed water elevation changes that were subtle, with slopes of up to two metres, and hitting across the fjord. These waves were a match to the oscillation expected from seiches. Scientists used machine learning to simulate wave behaviour over time to fill the gaps. 'It was exciting to be working on such a puzzling problem with an interdisciplinary and international team of scientists,' said Robert Anthony of the US Geological Survey. 'Ultimately, it took a plethora of geophysical observations and numerical modeling from researchers across many countries to put the puzzle together and get a complete picture of what had occurred,' he added.
Hindustan Times
07-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
‘Mega' tsunami of Greenland in 2023 echoed for 9 days, shook sensors worldwide: NASA
A massive rockslide in Greenland in 2023 triggered a rare and persistent 'mega' tsunami that ricocheted within the steep walls of a remote fjord for nine days, according to new satellite data released by NASA and international researchers. The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission, a collaboration between NASA and France's CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales), detected the tsunami's contours. The event, which unfolded in the Dickson Fjord in eastern Greenland, was captured by the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite — a joint mission between NASA and France's CNES — revealing never-before-seen details of how water surged and tilted inside the fjord after the impact. The landslide, which occurred in mid-September 2023, sent over 880 million cubic feet (25 million cubic meters) of rock and ice plunging into the Dickson Fjord, generating a tsunami that lacked space to dissipate. Instead, it bounced back and forth within the confined waterway — rising and falling every 90 seconds. The impact was so powerful that seismic sensors around the world detected the tremors. 'Far from the open ocean, in a confined space, the energy of the tsunami's motion had limited opportunity to dissipate, so the wave moved back and forth about every 90 seconds for nine days. It caused tremors recorded on seismic instruments thousands of miles away,' the article read. Using its high-resolution Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), the SWOT satellite measured changes in water elevation from its orbit 560 miles (900 kilometers) above Earth. A flyover on September 17 — just a day after the landslide — showed dramatic tilting in water levels, with the north side of the fjord standing up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) higher than the south. These results were compared with baseline measurements taken weeks earlier, on August 6. 'SWOT happened to fly over at a time when the water had piled up pretty high against the north wall of the fjord,' the article quoted Josh Willis, a sea level researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The Dickson Fjord, about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) wide and 1,772 feet (540 meters) deep, lies along a remote network of channels on Greenland's rugged east coast. Its towering walls — more than 6,000 feet (1,830 meters) high — helped trap the 'mega' tsunami's energy and keep it churning for more than a week.
Economic Times
07-06-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Dickson Fjord's 650-foot mega-tsunami: How a giant wave sent shockwaves worldwide
Mega-tsunamis rock Greenland's Fjord Seiches vs. Tsunamis: The science behind the waves Live Events How advanced satellites and machine learning solved the puzzle Climate Change: The silent driver A breakthrough in Earth monitoring (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In September 2023, seismic stations worldwide began picking up an unusual, rhythmic signal repeating every 90 seconds. This steady pulse continued for nine days and returned briefly a month later. It was faint, unlike a typical earthquake, but strong enough to register across continents—from Alaska to Australia. Scientists were baffled. No known earthquake, volcanic eruption, or explosion had caused source was traced to the remote Dickson Fjord in East Greenland, a narrow inlet bordered by towering cliffs. But what exactly had triggered this steady, global beat?The answer lay in a massive natural disaster: on 16 September 2023, more than 25 million cubic metres of rock and ice—a volume large enough to fill 10,000 Olympic swimming pools—collapsed from the mountainside into Dickson Fjord. This triggered a mega-tsunami with waves reaching 650 feet high, about half the height of the Empire State waves surged along the two-mile-long fjord, smashing against cliffs and bouncing back, creating a prolonged sloshing motion known as a seiche. Unlike tsunamis, which travel outward as single giant waves, seiches occur when water oscillates repeatedly in an enclosed space. This ongoing motion produced rhythmic seismic pulses detectable around the are caused by sudden, large displacements of water—usually due to earthquakes, landslides, or volcanic eruptions—and travel as single massive waves. Seiches, however, are standing waves formed in enclosed or semi-enclosed bodies of water, like lakes or fjords. They can be triggered by landslides or strong winds, causing the water to rock back and forth in a steady Dickson Fjord, the narrow, enclosed shape trapped the tsunami energy. The waves couldn't escape, so they kept bouncing, sending low-frequency seismic energy through the Earth's crust for mystery was unraveled thanks to the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a joint NASA and French space agency mission launched in December 2022. Unlike traditional satellites that scan narrow lines, SWOT uses Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) technology to map wide swaths of ocean surface in high SWOT data, researchers observed subtle water elevation changes—slopes of up to two metres—sloshing across the fjord. These shifts matched the oscillations expected from fill gaps, scientists employed machine learning to simulate wave behaviour over time. They also analysed crustal deformation data from sensors thousands of kilometres away, plus weather and tidal records, ruling out other causes like researcher Thomas Monahan, a University of Oxford engineering student, said, 'Climate change is giving rise to new, unseen extremes. These changes are happening fastest in remote areas like the Arctic, where our ability to monitor them has historically been limited.'The underlying cause of the landslide was the rapid melting of Greenland's glaciers. As glacier ice shrinks, it removes the natural support holding mountainsides in place. This weakening triggers massive rock and ice explained, 'Climate change is shifting what is typical on Earth, and it can set unusual events into motion.' Past disasters, like a deadly tsunami in Karrat Fjord in 2017, show how these events can devastate local Fjord lies near popular cruise routes, raising concerns about future risks as Arctic tourism grows. Authorities are now exploring early-warning systems combining satellite data and real-time seismic monitoring to protect people in vulnerable event represents a turning point in how we observe and understand Earth's dynamic processes. Professor Thomas Adcock of Oxford said, 'This study is an example of how the next generation of satellite data can resolve phenomena that have remained a mystery in the past.'He added, 'We will be able to get new insights into ocean extremes such as tsunamis, storm surges, and freak waves. To fully harness these data, we need to innovate using both machine learning and ocean physics.'A Danish military vessel patrolled the fjord three days after the first pulse but observed nothing unusual. This shows how even massive natural events can leave little trace without sophisticated monitoring are now searching through historical seismic data for similar slow, rhythmic pulses. Carl Ebeling from UC San Diego said, 'This shows there is stuff out there that we still don't understand and haven't seen before.'Every new discovery will improve forecasts of how landslides, fjord shapes, and water depth interact. The hope is to provide early warnings that could save lives in remote, high-latitude silent, powerful waves in Greenland's fjord prove one thing: the most isolated places on Earth are changing fast—and we must listen carefully to what they tell us.
