In a groundbreaking achievement, NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite has completed its first year of data collection, revealing previously undetected underwater mountains and volcanic structures. Launched in December 2022 in collaboration with the French space agency CNES, SWOT's high-resolution measurements have produced a detailed topographic map of the ocean floor, offering insights into the Earth's geological history.
SWOT's capabilities allow for a resolution of 8 kilometers and a comprehensive 21-day orbital path, generating more precise data in one year than has been amassed over 30 years by older satellites and ships. This new satellite measures ocean surface height, which varies due to gravitational influences from underwater topography, creating distinct features in the water's surface.
The map produced by SWOT reveals abyssal hills—parallel ridges formed by tectonic movements—and highlights shifts in tectonic plate directions, suggesting significant geological changes over time. Additionally, scientists have identified thousands of previously unknown underwater mountains, each less than 1,000 meters in height, which play crucial roles in ocean currents and biodiversity hotspots.
Dr. Yao Yu, a co-author of the study and geographer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, emphasized the potential impact of these discoveries on scientific advancements, particularly in marine currents, nutrient transport in seawater, and the geological history of Earth's oceans. This unprecedented level of detail promises to enhance our understanding of ocean dynamics and the interactions between geological features and marine ecosystems.