Surface-to-space atmospheric waves from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption.

ABSTRACT: The January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption was one of the most explosive volcanic events of the modern era^1,2, producing a vertical plume that peaked more than 50 km above the Earth³. The initial explosion and subsequent plume triggered atmospheric waves that propagated around the world multiple times⁴. A global-scale wave response of this magnitude from a single source has not previously been observed. Here we show the details of this response, using a comprehensive set of satellite and ground-based observations to quantify it from surface to ionosphere. A broad spectrum of waves was triggered by the initial explosion, including Lamb waves^5,6 propagating at phase speeds of 318.2 ± 6 m s^-1 at surface level and between 308 ± 5

SUBMITTER: Wright CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9492537 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature