The explosive event increased atmospheric water vapor by 5%.
More than eight months after the underwater volcano near Tonga erupted on Jan. 14, scientists are still analyzing the impacts of the violent blast, and they're discovering that it could warm the planet.
Tonga's eruption, which began on Jan. 13 and peaked two days later, was the most powerful witnessed on Earth in decades. The blast extended for 162 miles and sent pillars of ash, steam and gas soaring more than 12 miles into the air, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
Tonga expelled approximately 441,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, about 2% of the amount spewed by Mount Pinatubo during the 1991 eruption. But unlike Pinatubo , underwater Tonga's volcanic plumes sent"substantial amounts of water" into the stratosphere, the zone that extends from around 31 miles above Earth's surface down to around 4 to 12 miles , according to the National Weather Service .
The researchers analyzed the amount of water in the plumes by evaluating data gathered by instruments called radiosondes, which were attached to weather balloons and sent aloft into the volcanic plumes. As these instruments rise through the atmosphere, their sensors measure temperature, air pressure and relative humidity, transmitting that data to a receiver on the ground, according to the NWS.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ Tonga blast could warm the Earth temporarilyThe eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano shot millions of tons of water vapor into the atmosphere, according to a new study.
Read more »
Tonga eruption boosted the amount of water vapor in the stratosphere by over 5%Volcanoes send significant amounts of gases and ash into the atmosphere. But the Tonga eruption was rare in the amount of water vapor it sent.
Read more »
A new 6-acre island has emerged in the Pacific OceanA new baby island has emerged after the eruption of an underwater volcano in the Central Islands of Tonga, according to NASA's Earth observatory
Read more »
Volcano Blast in Tonga Was Unusual and Could Even Warm the Earth, Scientists SayResearchers estimate the eruption raised the amount of water in the stratosphere — the second layer of the atmosphere, above the range where humans live and breathe — by around 5%.
Read more »
Tonga volcano blast was unusual, could even warm the EarthNEW YORK (AP) — When an undersea volcano erupted in Tonga in January, its watery blast was huge and unusual — and scientists are still trying to understand its impacts. The volcano, known as Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, shot millions of tons of water vapor high up into the atmosphere, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science.
Read more »
Tonga volcano blast was unusual, could even warm the EarthScientists are still trying to understand the effects of the Tongan volcano eruption earlier this year.
Read more »