SWOT satellite, has profound implications for our understanding of climatic and geological phenomena. These waves, which persisted for nine days in September 2023, were triggered by landslides resulting from glacier melting due to climate change . The SWOT satellite employs a Ka-band Radar Interferometer that allows for precise mapping of water levels and the cross-channel slopes associated with these extraordinary waves. This technology revealed height differences of up to two meters, indicating significant standing wave formations .
Dickson Fjord in East Greenland. These enormous standing waves—or seiches—sloshed back and forth inside the fjord and triggered small movements within the Earth’s crust, they posited. 
It was an intriguing possibility, and both studies presented compelling evidence to support their claims. But, “there were some big uncertainties that made it difficult to fully corroborate that this was actually the root cause,” Thomas Monahan, a Schmidt AI in Science fellow at the University of Oxford, told Gizmodo.
Now, the theory has been confirmed by a new satellite that tracks water on the surface of the ocean. The findings were published Tuesday (June 3) in the journal Nature Communications.
"Climate change is giving rise to new, unseen extremes," study lead author Thomas Monahan, a graduate student in engineering science at the University of Oxford, said in a statement. "These extremes are changing the fastest in remote areas, such as the Arctic, where our ability to measure them using physical sensors is limited. This study shows how we can leverage the next generation of satellite Earth observation technologies to study these processes."
Oxford researchers used novel analysis techniques to interpret satellite altimetry data. This measures the height of the Earth’s surface (including the ocean) by recording how long it takes for a radar pulse to travel from a satellite to the surface and back again. Up to now, conventional satellite altimeters were not able to capture evidence of the wave due to long gaps between observations, and the fact that they sample data directly beneath the spacecraft, producing 1D profiles along the sea-surface. This makes them incapable of depicting the differences in water height needed to spot the waves.
Moreover, the seismic signals generated by these mega-tsunamis were detected globally, suggesting a complex interplay between oceanic events and Earth's crust movements . The findings challenge previous assumptions about tsunami mechanisms and underscore the necessity for continuous monitoring of glacial regions. As climate change progresses, understanding such phenomena is critical for predicting future environmental impacts and mitigating risks associated with extreme weather events .
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