On January 15th, 2022, the Hunga-Honga Hunga Ha'apai volcano in the nation of Tonga produced
its most powerful eruption ever recorded.
Depending on which volcanologist you ask, this may have been the largest eruption in
a decade, or the largest since 1991 when Mount Hudson erupted in Chile.
The beginning of this distinct eruption occurred on January 14th, when a large section of the
volcano slid into the ocean, generating a 28-centimeter-high tsunami.
While the island looked like this on January 2nd, the landslide carved the island in two,
separating two previously distinct islands for the first time since 2015.
A day later, a more powerful explosive eruption occurred, which destroyed more than 95% of
the volcano, leaving behind only two small remnants of the prior islands.
Although the eruption is over for the moment, I want to highlight a number of details not
covered in my previous video which shows just how exceptional this event was.
Speaking to a group of meteorologists, they were fascinated by this chart which shows
weather related information from the inside of the eruption plume.
The eruption was so powerful that is created its own weather system, which could be correctly
identified as a supercell.
Also, this eruption plume was unusually energetic and ash dense, as shown by the amount of volcanic
lightning which occurred.
Over the course of the eruption's first hour, 200,000 lightning strikes were detected.
This is equivalent to 55 lightning strikes per second.
For context, volcanic lightning occurs when particles of ash in an eruption column collide
with one another, which generates electrical charge.
If the charge builds up to a high enough level, then lightning is generated.
Although I am not sure how energetic the explosion was, the shockwave released by it was powerful
enough to cause a pressure increase at weather stations in the United States, and then passed
around the globe a second time, causing another pressure spike.
Several of my viewers have asked if this eruption was large enough to affect the planet's climate.
On rare occasions, large volcanic eruptions can release such large volumes of sulfur dioxide
gas that it reflects a percentage of sunlight in the atmosphere, causing the planet to cool
by several degrees for a period of several years.
The most famous example occurred due to the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, which caused
the so called "year without a summer" alongside snowfall in New York State on June 6th.
Luckily, this week's eruption was too small to greatly affect the planet's climate.
While the 400,000 tons of sulfur dioxide released high into the atmosphere was significant,
it will only lower global temperature by an insignificant 0.011 degrees Celsius.
In terms of the eruption's plume height, it may have reached far higher into the atmosphere
than first reported.
It was reported that the plume of ash reached 20 kilometers in height and that parts of
water vapor in the plume reached 30 kilometers in height.
New data now shows that the eruption column may have reached an impressive 39 kilometers
or 128,000 feet into the atmosphere.
This number, if verified, would place the eruption column generated by Hunga Tonga's
eruption among the highest ever recorded on the planet.
While the damage from the eruption and tsunami in the nation of Tonga is severe, there is
still a lot which we do not know.
The eruption severely damaged a submarine cable which provides internet access for the
majority of Tonga's population, severing it in two locations.
Repair crews have estimated that it will take at least two weeks to bring internet and phone
lines back to operation on the islands.
This lack of communication has led to several incorrect reports.
On January 16th, one such incorrect report was made and claimed that the Hunga Tonga
volcano produced another eruption.
This inaccuracy was caused by a misunderstanding of the issuance of volcanic ash advisories.
In terms of who issues these advisories, there are 9 different centers around the globe which
monitor distinct swaths of the planet.
Since the Hunga Tonga eruption was so large, the ash cloud drifted from the area monitored
from Wellington to the area monitored from Darwin.
Thus, the center based in Darwin issued a new volcanic ash advisory which was misinterpreted
as meaning a new eruption.
Thanks for watching.
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