Researchers recently estimated that this eruption ejected 50 million tons of water vapor into the atmosphere, as well as large quantities of ash and volcanic gases. This will increase the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere by 5% and will have negative consequences in the long run.

The consequences of the explosion

The eruption of the volcano near the Tonga Islands began on January 13 and reached its peak two days later. In recent years it has become the most powerful on Earth. The explosion spanned 260 kilometers and created columns of ash, steam and gas that rose more than 20 kilometers into the air.According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Large volcanic eruptions cool the planet by spewing sulfur dioxide and ash into the upper atmosphere, which often filters out solar radiation. However, in this case, everything was a little different. Although this underwater volcano releases about 441,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, it also raised a significant amount of water into the stratosphere. Within 24 hours of the explosion, a cloud of vapor and water droplets spread 28 kilometers. to the atmosphere

The researchers analyzed the amount of moisture in the plumes by evaluating data collected by radiosondes attached to weather balloons and sent into volcanic clouds. As these instruments rise in the atmosphere, their sensors measure temperature, atmospheric pressure, and relative humidity and transmit that data to a receiver for scientists.

Explosion of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano / Photograph by Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory, using GOES-17 imagery courtesy of NOAA and NESDIS

Why is this bad?

• Atmospheric water vapor absorbs solar radiation and re-radiates it in the form of heat.
• As tens of millions of tons of moisture drift in the stratosphere, the Earth’s surface will warm.
• It’s not clear how much, but this warming effect will take longer to dissipate as the vapor is lighter than other volcanic aerosols and less affected by gravity. Surface warming ‘could continue over the coming months’‘, say the experts.
• Previous studies of the blast had shown that Tonga ejected enough water vapor to fill 58,000 Olympic swimming pools, and that massive amounts of atmospheric moisture could potentially weaken the ozone layer.
• Additionally, these large amounts of water vapor can alter the chemical cycles that control stratospheric ozone.