Tonga Volcano Eruption Among
the Most Powerful Ever
It triggered
atmospheric gravity waves that reached the edge of space
From: University of Bath
June 30, 2022 -- The
eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai submarine volcano in January 2022 was
one of the most explosive volcanic events of the modern era, a new study has
confirmed.
Led by researchers from
the University of Bath and published today in Nature, the study
combines extensive satellite data with ground-level observations to show that
the eruption was unique in observed science in both its magnitude and speed,
and in the range of the fast-moving gravity and atmospheric waves it created.
Following a series of
smaller events beginning in December 2021, Hunga Tonga erupted on 15 January
this year, producing a vertical plume that extended more than 50km (30 miles)
above the surface of the earth. Heat released from water and hot ash in the
plume remained the biggest source of gravity waves on earth for the next 12
hours. The eruption also produced ripple-like gravity waves that satellite
observations show extended across the Pacific basin.
The eruption also
triggered waves in our atmosphere that reverberated around the planet at least
six times and reached close to their theoretical maximum speeds -- the fastest
ever seen within our atmosphere, at 320m per second or 720 miles per hour.
The fact that a single
event dominated such a large region is described by the paper's authors as
unique in the observational record, and one that will help scientists improve
future atmospheric weather and climate models.
Dr Corwin Wright, a
Royal Society University Research Fellow based at the Centre for Space,
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Bath, is the paper's lead
author. He said: "This was a genuinely huge explosion, and truly unique in
terms of what's been observed by science to date. We've never seen atmospheric
waves going round the whole world before, or at this speed -- they were
travelling very close to the theoretical limit.
"The eruption was
an amazing natural experiment. The data we've been able to gather on it will
enhance our understanding of our atmosphere and will help us improve our
weather and climate models."
Co-author Dr Scott
Osprey from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, based within the
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, expects to see further impacts
from the Hunga Tonga eruption: "Our study nicely shows how the striking
display of global waves is driven by the huge amounts of seawater vaporised
during the eruption. However, my gut feeling is that there is more to come from
this eruption. As the exceptional amount of water vapour spreads throughout the
stratosphere, eyes will turn to the Antarctic ozone hole and just how severe it
will be in the spring."
Researchers from the
University of Bath, Oxford University, North West Research Associates,
University of Massachusetts Lowell, Forschungszentrum Juelich, AIRES, Sorbonne
Université, Virginia Tech, Raytheon Technologies, University of Colorado and
NASA worked on the study.
The researchers
received funding from the Natural Environment Research Council, Royal Society,
NASA, and European Research Council.
The Bath researchers
are now focusing on working with colleagues at weather and climate forecasting
centres to see how the information gathered from the eruption can be used to
make predictions better in future.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220630114447.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment