A multi-university team of scientists analyzing data from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) oceanographic satellite has detected the presence of forces on and below the surface, including currents and eddies, that may have a much more dramatic impact on the world’s oceans than previously realized.
“We’re building on work that started two decades ago,” said Dr. Shari Yvon-Lewis, head of the Texas A&M Oceanography Department. “Many people who helped design this satellite and the science have since retired. It’s a tribute to long-term vision, teamwork, and dedication.”
The study detailing the team’s findings, featured on the cover of Nature, is the culmination of over two decades of work by scientists from Texas A&M University, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), France’s space agency, CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), and Caltech.
Satellite Oceanography and the Unusual Forces Shaping the World’s Oceans
While several ocean forces, including waves and currents, shape the world’s climate, a team of oceanographers led by Texas A&M University Department of Oceanography Associate Professor Jinbo Wang has taken a closer look at the circular movement of water known as eddies.
Described by the research team as a mini whirlpool in the ocean, some eddies can stretch for hundreds of miles. These larger eddies can help move nutrients and energy across the world. As such, the team says they are “vital for climate, weather, and marine life.”
Although several studies have tried to unlock the mechanics of these mysterious forces, that work has mostly focused on larger eddies due to the difficulty in detecting the smaller ones. According to Wang and colleagues, these types of currents “have been the ‘missing pieces’ of the ocean’s puzzle — until now.”
Fortunately, JPL, CNES, and Caltech scientists started the groundwork for a more detailed analysis of these unusual forces over twenty years ago. Wang was part of the effort for the past nine years before leaving JPL and joining Texas A&M. Now, he is leading a team using data from the new SWOT satellite to get the first close-up look at smaller ocean eddies and how they shape the world’s climate.
“For the first time, we can directly observe small-scale ocean processes across the globe,” Wang said. “And it turns out they are a lot stronger than we thought.”
Submesoscale Motions and the Worldwide Food Web
According to the team’s statement, the breakthrough in imaging and analysis of ocean eddies came from a Ka-band radar interferometer. Mounted aboard the SWOT, the instrument measures subtle changes in the ocean’s surface height down to the millimeter.
After analyzing these changes, Wang and colleagues unearthed a treasure trove of data. That’s because, unlike ground and ocean-based systems, measuring ocean activity in the Ka-band offers an unprecedented scale that is only available from space.
For example, the analysis showed how submesoscale motions caused by smaller eddies were far more frequent and more powerful than previously believed. According to the team, that’s because these small, spinning currents and long internal solitary waves “stir up” the ocean, helping to mix warm and cold water. This mixing can transport energy over long distances, affecting everything from the ocean’s circulation to surface weather and planet-wide climate.
“These smaller currents carry surprisingly large amounts of energy,” Wang explained. “They play a huge role in moving heat between the upper and deeper parts of the ocean and shaping how the ocean sustains its ecosystem and interacts with the atmosphere.”
Wang said that motion can directly influence “marine food webs” and weather events “like how hurricanes form and where they go, or how events like El Niño and La Niña develop. These are not just ocean features — they connect directly to the climate systems that impact all of us.”
New Tools for Studying What’s Been ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’
In the study’s conclusion, Wang and colleagues highlight the critical role played by NASA and the CNES and the contributions made by the U.K. and Canadian space agencies. The professor also admits he was initially skeptical that the SWOT would be able to track the mysterious forces of ocean eddies before it proved its immense value.
“I was pessimistic about the expected outcome before the satellite launch,” Wang said. “But the satellite performed four times better than expected. That surprise is what made this breakthrough possible.”
Next, Wang will employ his experience on this project and its findings to a NASA Ocean AI working group exploring the limits of satellite-based ocean current analysis. Based on the success of SWOT, the professor believes the effort will reveal an even deeper understanding of the world’s ocean and their influence on everything from the climate to the food web.
“This is just the beginning,” Wang said of his team’s findings. “We finally have the tools to see what’s been hiding in plain sight.”
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.