NASA’s Satellite Captures Giant Flood Waves Moving Across U.S. Waterways. This Could Revolutionize Flood Prediction
A team of researchers has found a way that could limit the damage brought on by possible forthcoming floods. They have gathered data from NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite and managed to spot and analyze for the first time large-scale waves in certain rivers of the United States of America, stated The Daily Galaxy. These flood waves could turn out to be potentially hazardous in the future, and therefore, keeping an eye on them could help officials be better prepared for them.
Details about this analysis have been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The study showcases how space radar technology can be used to analyze the height and speed of flood waves. The waves focused on in this study are believed to have been triggered by factors like heavy rainfall or ice jams. The examination of these waves could prove to be hugely beneficial for authorities, as it could help them control the consequences of floods in many regions.
These waves stretched around 47 to 166 miles long in length, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These waves mainly travelled through rivers in Montana, Texas, and Georgia. The flood waves are temporary surges that are essential for moving nutrients and organisms down a river. However, in its extreme form, when stimulated by prolonged downpour or a dam break can result in floods.
The SWOT satellite was launched in 2022 to monitor the elevation of nearly all of Earth’s surface waters. The data gathered by the satellite allowed the experts to understand the changes brought into lakes and rivers by different phenomena. In the past, the insights had been used to track rising sea levels near the coast, create seafloor maps, and detect tsunami slosh. These actions made experts associated with the study think that the data could also reflect height differences of a flood wave on the move.
The study noted that the data had captured three US flood waves in total. The earliest one erupted on the Yellowstone River in Montana in April 2023. Researchers observed that while toward the Missouri River in North Dakota, this particular wave had a height of 9.1 feet. In the Missouri River, it transformed into a 6.8-mile-long (11-kilometer-long) peak. The images showcased that the wave likely originated because of the breaking apart of an ice jam.
The second wave was spotted on January 25, 2025, and it took place on the Colorado River south of Austin, Texas. According to the analysis done by the study, this wave was associated with the largest flood produced in this section of the river in 2024. The wave was 30 feet (9 meters) tall and 166 miles (267 kilometers) long. Data indicates that it travelled for 250 miles (400 kilometers) at a speed of 3.5 feet (1.07 meters) per second before ending in Matagorda Bay.
The last wave was detected in the Ocmulgee River near Macon, Georgia, in March 2024. It had an elevation of 20 feet (6 meters) and traveled for around 124 miles (200 kilometers). Researchers believe that insights on these waves will help experts in understanding how these phenomena transform themselves in the river. Such information will help officials in predicting "how fast could a flood get here and is infrastructure at risk,” as per lead author Hana Thurman of Virginia Tech.
Currently these waves are monitored by traditional river gauges, according to The Daily Galaxy. Such data can complement the information gathered from these gauges, as well as help researchers gain more information about waves in places where these gauges are not present. “If stream gauges are like toll booths clocking cars as they pass, SWOT is like a traffic helicopter taking snapshots of the highway,” George Allen, hydrologist and remote sensing expert at Virginia Tech, said. Understanding the height and variations of these waves can help experts in gaining the important early warnings regarding impending floods.