Underwater Volcano Explodes, waves flood island of Tonga
A tsunami has hit Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu, and reportedly sent waves flooding into the capital after an underwater volcano in the South Pacific exploded in a violent eruption on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash and gas steam into the air.
(CNN): Satellite imagery shows a massive ash cloud and shockwaves spreading from the eruption. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano was heard across the South Pacific, and eventually as far away as the US.
BBC: Many parts of Tonga, whose capital is just 65km south of the eruption, are experiencing a near-total blackout of power, phone lines and internet services. The extent of any injuries or damage is still unclear.
1.14.2022: (correction on date) Large volcanic eruption near Tonga (Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano) today as seen from outer space. Shown on visible imagery using the Himawari satellite. #hiwx #tsunami #earthquake pic.twitter.com/Y18W7wvXl9
— NWSHonolulu (@NWSHonolulu) January 15, 2022
More chilling images out of #Tonga, as the country reels from the intense Volcanic eruption today 🌋
— Sanya Ruggiero (@Sanya_Ruggiero) January 15, 2022
Electricity & Telecommunications lines are currently down, with the entire South Pacific Kingdom effectively ‘offline’ from the rest of the 🌍 at present
📸 Laviniah Tupou pic.twitter.com/Q6TqOOqcgl
Tsunami videos out of Tonga 🇹🇴 this afternoon following the Volcano Eruption. pic.twitter.com/JTIcEdbpGe
— Jese Tuisinu (@JTuisinu) January 15, 2022
The scene at the Santa Cruz Harbor as a tsunami generated tidal surge causing damage Saturday morning #TsunamiAdvisory pic.twitter.com/9ijKU9ZVaK
— Vern Fisher (@VFisher45) January 15, 2022
The pressure wave from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption arrived here in Anchorage at 3:30 a.m. AKST. This is exactly 7 hours after the eruption. The volcano is 5,820 miles away (9,360 km). That means it travelled at 830 mph (1,340 kmh). pic.twitter.com/R3rgzAbo6r
— Brian Brettschneider (@Climatologist49) January 15, 2022
Bill McGuire (2014): Modelling suggests that as the ice cap continues to melt, so there will be a measurable increase in volcanic activity.
Active volcanos appear to trend somewhat upwards. However, it is probably still too early to make precise predictions and attributions. But, we know that deglaciation drives a gemorphological response from the Earth crust.
At this point, the Tonga eruption is unlikely to have any significant climate impact. SO2 emissions, at this point, are dwarfed by those from Mt. Pinatubo and El Chicon.
— Prof Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) January 15, 2022
Via @DrJeffMasters: https://t.co/YLfqKjQeWv
You can see the observed & modeled global surface cooling from the '82 El Chichon & '91 Pinatubo eruptions in this plot from my 2014 @SciAM article (https://t.co/3kqdc4TMxB). On the scale of projected human-caused warming, these events are modest in amplitude & short in duration: pic.twitter.com/Z0Riht5Jut
— Prof Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) January 15, 2022
The role volcanoes play in climate change, global warming – is highlighted in this video:
One of the impacts of climate change is increased volcanism, earthquakes & tsunamis — as massive amounts of ice melt, the pressures on magma chambers and tectonic plates shift and ease, destabilizing them.https://t.co/l3R3xYCMnr
— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) January 15, 2022
Could Tonga Volcano Give Climate a Breather? https://climatecrocks.com/2022/01/15/could-tonga-volcano-give-climate-a-breather/
Related
- Fire and Ice: Why Volcanic Activity Is Not Melting the Polar Ice Sheets https://climate.nasa.gov/ask-nasa-climate/2982/fire-and-ice-why-volcanic-activity-is-not-melting-the-polar-ice-sheets/
- The eruption of an undersea volcano in the South Pacific nation of Tonga caused an oil spill on the Peruvian coast https://apnews.com/article/oil-spills-business-spain-europe-peru-922d27e029e27effbf8c037468f068f3
About the Author: Chris Machens
