Tonga Volcanic Eruption Assists Scientists in Climate Change Prediction

Scientists can now predict how the changing climate will affect future weather thanks to the volcanic eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in Tonga, which has helped them gain a better understanding of how the atmosphere functions.

The underwater volcano first showed signs of activity in December 2021, and on January 15, 2022, it finally erupted. The volcano started to spew a thick plume of black ash, steam, and sulfur dioxide in the weeks before the eruption.

Modern History's Largest

In one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recent history, the volcanic eruption destroyed numerous homes on nearby islands. A pressure wave that encircled the entire planet several times was released by the eruption, which was said to have 100,000 times more energy than the Hiroshima nuclear bomb. In addition, a cloud of ejecta over 30 miles high was created by the eruption.

The magnitude of the force generated by the eruption has been demonstrated by published research. The initial explosion, according to the paper, caused a broad spectrum of atmospheric waves, including gravity waves up to 600 mph in the stratosphere and Lamb waves traveling at the speed of 715 mph along the suirface level in the stratosphere.

This is the first observation of gravity waves moving at these speeds at altitudes below the ionosphere.

Sending Waves

Corwin Wright, the study's lead author from the Centre for Space, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Bath in the UK, said that this explosion was genuinely large and unlike anything that had previously been seen by science. Atmospheric waves have never been observed traveling the entire globe, let alone at this speed, which was very close to the theoretical maximum.

While the Lamb waves created by the eruption were atmospheric pressure pulses, a type of acoustic wave trapped at the Earth's surface and only moving in one direction. The gravity waves move up and down, which oscillated the stable atmospheric layers, much like a pebble dropped in a pond.

Climate-Cooling Eruptions

According to a video made public by Cathy Clerbaux, a co-author of the paper from France's Sorbonne University, these gravity waves were visible to the unaided eye through their effects on the clouds. They were also reportedly captured on camera at an observatory in Hawaii, Science Daily reports.

Mathew Barlow, a faculty member in UMass Lowell's Climate Change Initiative, stated that the ability to create accurate computer models for weather forecasting and climate projections and to understand how the atmosphere functions depends on some of the wave types that the Hunga Tonga produces. He also stated that some powerful eruptions can also cool the climate by ejecting particles into the high atmosphere. Barlow later pointed out that, unlike other volcanic eruptions over the past century, such as the Pinatubo eruption in 1991, the amount produced by Hunga Tonga does not appear sufficient for a noticeable climate effect.

Volcanoes

Throughout geological time, volcanoes have had a significant influence on the climate of the planet, lowering the surface temperature, Newsweek reports. Additionally, it raises stratospheric temperatures at the same time, inhibiting the global water cycle and weakening monsoon circulation. The Hunga Tonga eruption, which they intend to use in weather and climate models in the future, is viewed by the researchers as an ideal case study into how the atmosphere reacts to a sudden point-source-driven state change.