A new study by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have discovered that tsunamis moving across the open ocean darken the water surface along the edge of the wave, and that this leading ‘shadow’ can be observed via satellite-based radar sensors. The new research was performed using imagery from NASA’s Jason-1 satellite, and the data revealed clear evidence of increased surfac roughness along the leading edge of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. These findings could lead to improved detection and better forecasting of tsunami intensity and direction.
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