NASA Satellite Shows How Hunga Tonga Volcanic Eruption Released Water to Stratosphere; Trapped Vapor in Atmosphere Warms the Earth

NASA satellite observations revealed that the powerful volcanic eruptions of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai ejected massive amounts of water vapor into the atmosphere, likely warming the Earth's surface temporarily. The explosion created a large plume of water vapor in the stratosphere, about eight and 33 miles above the Earth's surface. According to NASA satellite data, there was enough water to fill 58,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Volcanic Eruption Effect on the Stratosphere

On Jan. 15, a tsunami and a sonic boom reverberated around the world twice when the undersea Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, 40 miles north of Tonga's capital, erupted.

The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on NASA's Aura satellite, which measures water vapor, ozone, and other atmospheric gases, had water vapor readings after the eruption. The data surprised the scientists as it provided an estimated 146 teragrams of water to the stratosphere. One teragram is one trillion grams, and it was equivalent to 10% of the water already present in the stratosphere in this case. This is almost four times as much water vapor as was released into the stratosphere after Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991.

MLS can detect natural microwave signals from Earth's atmosphere, even through thick ash clouds. The data can be used to learn more about the causes of ozone depletion and upper tropospheric pollution.

Luis Millán, NASA JPL scientist, explained that MLS was the only instrument with dense enough coverage to capture the water vapor plume as it happened. It was also the only instrument that wasn't affected by the ash the volcano released.

"We've never seen anything like it. We had to carefully inspect all the measurements in the plume to make sure they were trustworthy," he said.

Large volcanic eruptions have impNASA satellite observations revealed that the powerful volcanic eruptions of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai ejected massive amounts of water vapor into the atmosphere, likely warming the Earth's surface temporarily. The explosion created a large plume of water vapor in the stratosphere, about eight and 33 miles above the Earth's surface. According to NASA satellite data, there was enough water to fill 58,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

(Photo : Adrian Malec/Pixabay)
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Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Volcanic Eruption Versus Mount Pinatubo and Krakatoa

Powerful volcanic eruptions, such as Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines or the Krakatoa event in Indonesia in 1883, typically cool the Earth's surface temperature by reflecting sunlight into space.

However, the Tonga eruption was unique in that the water vapor it released into the atmosphere could trap heat, potentially leading to warmer surface temperatures.

According to the researchers, the excess water vapor could remain in the stratosphere for several years. The additional water vapor in the stratosphere may also cause chemical reactions that temporarily deplete the Earth's protective ozone layer.