Essential Insights
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Vertical Currents & Heat Transfer: Submesoscale eddies facilitate the transfer of heat and nutrients between the deep ocean and surface, impacting atmospheric warming and marine food webs.
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Advanced Monitoring with SWOT: The SWOT satellite provides unprecedented resolution and multidimensional data on ocean water levels, enabling accurate assessments of currents and their dynamics.
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Understanding Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction: By measuring the force driving fluid motion, researchers can better grasp how the ocean interacts with the atmosphere, enhancing predictions of climate-related changes.
- Global Impact of Submesoscale Features: SWOT’s capability to analyze vertical circulation speeds in submesoscale eddies worldwide significantly advances understanding of energy and nutrient transport in ocean systems.
NASA, French SWOT Satellite Offers Big View of Small Ocean Features
NASA and French scientists recently launched the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, which promises to revolutionize our understanding of the ocean’s smallest features. This satellite captures detailed images of submesoscale eddies and currents, enhancing our grasp of ocean dynamics.
The SWOT satellite measures water height across nearly all of Earth’s surface every 21 days. Researchers benefit from this capability, as they gain insights into the movement of water and the forces driving those changes. “Vertical currents move heat between the atmosphere and ocean,” a coauthor explained. These currents can even bring warm water from the deep ocean to the surface, affecting climate. They also transport essential nutrients that support marine life.
Previously, scientists relied on ships and sensors to study submesoscale features, limiting their observations Both time and space constrained such studies. In contrast, SWOT provides a broader, continuous view, as astronauts first observed these small-scale eddies 50 years ago from space. Armed with new data, researchers can now ascertain how energy and materials flow through ocean systems.
With SWOT’s help, scientists recently identified a submesoscale eddy associated with the Kuroshio Current in the western Pacific. Here, vertical circulation measured between 20 to 45 feet daily, marking an important finding. Although this amount seems small, it allows researchers to enhance their models for global energy transport and nutrient cycling.
SWOT also captured an internal solitary wave in the Andaman Sea, demonstrating its power to unveil complex ocean phenomena. By measuring this wave, researchers calculated it contained energy double that of typical internal tides in the region.
The advancements brought by SWOT don’t just advance academic knowledge. They hold practical implications for addressing climate change and improving weather forecasting. As scientists connect the dots between ocean behaviors and atmospheric conditions, they can create more accurate models. This could lead to better prediction systems for extreme weather events, ultimately aiding communities worldwide.
In summary, the collaboration between NASA and French researchers through the SWOT satellite stands to deepen our oceanic insight, fostering advancements that benefit society and the environment alike.
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