With every detail that becomes known, it is confirmed that the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai on January 15, 2022 was one of the most tremendous people who have ever recorded people. It not only triggered tsunamis that devastated the surroundings, but also caused the tallest ash cloud that were previously measured. Measurements by Simon Proud from the University of Oxford and his team show that it has even penetrated into the mesosphere of the earth, as reported in »Science«.
So far, it was known that the consequences of the eruption were felt up to the stratopause at an altitude of about 50 kilometers. With the help of the data from three geostationary weather satellites, Proud and Co were able to follow the path of the eruption cloud even better. During the eruption itself, the satellites recorded images every ten minutes, so that the working group could very accurately track the rapid changes in the spread of the cloud.
The scientists were able to show that the cloud even reached its highest point up to 57 kilometers - and thus significantly higher than with comparable volcanic eruptions at least for the past 50 years: the cloud reached a maximum height of 40 kilometers in the Philippines in 1991 , At the outbreak of El Chichón in Mexico in 1982 it was 31 kilometers. The ash cloud of Hunga Tonga is the first proof that volcanic eruption material can get through the stratosphere directly into the mesosphere.
“This is an extraordinary result, because we have never seen such a high cloud. In addition, with our good satellite coverage, it is only now possible to appreciate the height using the parallax method. A decade ago or that would not have been feasible, «says Proud. The apparent change in the position of an object is referred to as parallax by different positions of the observer. Since the weather satellites are positioned differently, the researchers can then use this data and derive the height of the cloud.
As one of the next questions, the scientists want to clarify which factors have contributed to the fact that the cloud could even penetrate so high. On the other hand, it has not yet been proven to have a greater influence on the weather or even the climate. The estimated 400,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, which came into the atmosphere, obviously not enough. The Pinatubo, for example, released 50 times more sulfur dioxide and then ensured somewhat lower global average temperatures. Contrary to expectations, the Ozonloch 2022 was not negatively influenced.
