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On the 16th, a number of news about the volcanic eruption in Tonga rushed to the Weibo hot search.
According to Xinhua News Agency, an undersea volcano in the South Pacific island country of Tonga erupted again on the 14th and erupted again on the 15th, and the capital Nuku'alofa observed a tsunami. Neighboring countries Fiji, Samoa and even New Zealand issued tsunami warnings, and even Japan, which is 10,000 kilometers away, also issued tsunami warnings. However, the latest news shows that at 2 p.m. local time on the 16th, the Japan Meteorological Agency lifted the warning.
Tonga undersea volcano erupts
Located about 65 kilometers north of Nuku'alofa, the Hon Aha Apai Island Volcano began to erupt on the morning of the 14th and erupted for the second time on the afternoon of the 15th. It is reported that the second eruption of the volcano on the 15th lasted about 8 minutes, and the ash column was about 5 kilometers in diameter and 20 kilometers high.
Pictured: Where Tonga is located
As of night 15th, volcanic ash was still falling, and the local communication network was disturbed.
According to the Associated Press, Tonga obtained internet through a submarine cable from Suva, Fiji, which may have been damaged. Doug Madory, head of internet analytics at cyber intelligence firm Kentik, said all internet connections to Tonga were interrupted at around 6:40 p.m. local time.
According to the United Nations website, due to the serious disruption of Tonga's communications network, there are no reports of casualties or the extent of the damage.
Satellite imagery showed large eruptions of volcanic ash and gases rising like mushroom clouds from the blue Pacific Ocean.
There are indications that the eruption is likely to have reached the upper end of VEI5 or even VEI6, which may be one of the world's strongest eruptions since Pinatubo, Philippines, in 1991.
According to the Tonga Meteorological Authority, the entire territory of Tonga is at risk of tsunamis, torrential rains, floods and strong winds. It is reported that there was a 1.2-meter-high tsunami in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga.
Videos on social media showed large waves pouring into residential homes. Some People in Tonga described it as saying, "Our home is shaking, and then the waves come." My brother also thought there was a bomb explosion nearby. ”
New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern said at a press conference on the morning of the 16th local time that the Tonga volcano does not rule out the possibility of another eruption. At present, the New Zealand side is ready to send aircraft to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the disaster in Tonga, but because a large amount of volcanic ash has not yet settled, the aircraft is temporarily unable to carry out reconnaissance missions in the air. Ardern expressed concern about volcanic ash contaminating water sources and noted that there may be a shortage of supplies for related domestic supplies. In addition, according to overseas network news, a spokesman for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that due to communication restrictions, there have been no official casualty reports so far. New Zealand has formally offered to provide assistance to Tonga.
Tsunami warnings were issued in several countries
Tsunami warnings have been issued in most of the Pacific Rim, including Japan and Fiji, as well as most of the Pacific Rim, including Japan and Fiji, as well as the U.S. Hawaii, Alaska and the Pacific rim.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a series of tsunami warnings in the early morning of the 16th. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings for the Amami Islands and the Tugala Islands, and at the same time issued tsunami alerts to the Pacific coastal areas of the Japanese archipelago. At 2:26 a.m., a 1.1-meter tsunami was observed in Kuci Harbor, Iwate Prefecture, and the tide level was still rising, and the Meteorological Agency subsequently issued a tsunami warning for Iwate Prefecture before 3:00 a.m. This is the first time Japan has issued a tsunami warning since November 2016.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said at a press conference held in the early morning of the 16th that at 23:55 on the 15th, a tsunami of 1.2 meters was observed in Amami City, Kagoshima Prefecture, and then a tsunami of less than 1 meter was observed in a large area on the Pacific side. The Meteorological Agency warned of repeated arrivals and called on local residents to stay in safety until the alarm was lifted.
The Prime Minister's Residence of Japan has set up an information liaison office at the Crisis Management Center. As of now, the exact losses are unclear. According to Japan's Asahi Shimbun, affected by the change in tide level after the large-scale volcanic eruption on the tonga seabed, a total of 19 fishing boats have capsized or sunk in the harbors of Kochi Prefecture, Japan, and 5 boats in Tokushima Prefecture have also sunk, and there are no reports of injuries.
In addition, the Chinese Consulate General in Osaka issued a message reminding Chinese citizens in Japan to avoid going to dangerous areas.
However, the latest news shows that at 2 p.m. local time on the 16th, the Japan Meteorological Agency has lifted the warning.
New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency issued a warning on the 15th that the northern and eastern coastal areas may be hit by huge waves, and the country's military is on standby at any time.
According to the analysis of the latest monitoring results, the tsunami warning center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China monitored tsunami waves in the early morning of the 16th, of which the largest tsunami wave amplitude at Shipu Station in Zhejiang Province was about 20 centimeters, and the tsunami amplitude at the rest of the tide stations was less than 15 centimeters. The process had no disastrous impact on China's coast.
United Nations Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement on the 15th, expressing concern about the tsunami and volcanic ash affecting Tonga, as well as the tsunami warning issued by many countries. The statement also noted that the United Nations office in the Pacific is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide support upon request.
Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator at the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, USA, said the spectacle of volcanic eruptions affecting entire ocean basins was "shocking and frightening."
Tsunami waves wreaked havoc on ships as far away as New Zealand and Santa Cruz, California, but did not appear to cause any widespread damage. Snyder said he expects the tsunami situation in the U.S. and elsewhere to continue to improve.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the eruption caused a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. Scientists say tsunamis produced by volcanoes rather than earthquakes are relatively rare.
Will the eruption continue? Experts caution Tonga to be vigilant
It is reported that Tonga has a population of about 104,000, and the country is composed of three archipelagos of Tongatabe, Wawau and Hapai and small islands such as Eva and Niua, with a total of 173 islands, of which 36 are inhabited.
Hon Aha Apay Island is part of the volcanic arc of the highly active Tonga-Kmadek Islands. The capital of Tonga, located 65 kilometers south of the eruption, is said to have been covered in volcanic ash.
Shane Cronin, a volcanologist at the University of Auckland, noted that the eruption was one of the largest in Tonga in the last 30 years. "The lateral spread is widespread and produces a lot of ashes."
Cronin also said studies of historical eruptions of the same volcano suggest that current eruptions could last for weeks or months.
He also cautioned that the people of Tonga must remain vigilant against further volcanic eruptions, "especially tsunamis that occur in a short period of time, and should avoid low-lying areas." ”
Will the eruption of a volcano in Tonga affect the global climate?
In 2010, Iceland's Eyjafjalla erupted, and the light volcanic ash event paralyzed the European route for many days, causing a serious impact.
Earlier, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, Japan Airlines revealed that due to the impact of the tsunami warning, 27 domestic flights taking off and landing on Amami Oshima island and other places in Kagoshima Prefecture are expected to be grounded, and about 530 people will be affected.
In addition to the current suspension of flights caused by tsunamis, volcanic ash, etc., will it have an impact on the future climate?
According to Chinese meteorological enthusiasts, historically, the Tambora eruption in 1815 was the strongest volcanic eruption since the 19th century. In the following 1816, Europe and North America appeared the famous "year without summer", and there are also records of climate anomalies in China's history books; and the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 also had an impact on global temperatures, making it 0.3-0.5 degrees lower than normal. When Mount Pinatobo erupted, just as Taifeng Yunya passed by, the image of the volcanic eruption "hand tearing typhoon" completely disordered its cloud system also impressed many people.
Chinese meteorological enthusiasts believe that although the eruption of the Tonga volcano is also very strong, the impact on the global climate, especially the impact on the northern hemisphere, should be weaker than the Pinatubo volcano, and it is not as good as the Tambora volcano, and the northern hemisphere is unlikely to have a "summerless year".
However, as one of the strongest volcanic eruptions in the new century and in the past 30 years, the volcanic eruption of Tonga will still have some climatic effects. The climate of southern Australia, southern Brazil, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and South Africa in the middle and high latitudes of the southern hemisphere will bear the brunt of the climate; volcanic eruptions are near the ENSO monitoring area, and vigilance is that volcanic eruptions affect wind and sea currents through the remote correlation of sea and air, and even add fire to the trend of La Niña's neutralization, spawning El Niño; volcanic eruptions If they continue for a long time, aerosols enter the stratosphere too much, and extreme weather such as staged cold events in the northern hemisphere and related strong convection, may increase this year.
Introduction to Tonga
According to the Chinese Consular Service Network under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kingdom of Tonga is located in the western South Pacific, on the west side of the International Date Line, and borders Fiji to the west. It is composed of the three archipelagos of Tongatab, Wawau and Hapai and the small islands of Ewa and Niua, with a total of 173 islands, of which 36 are inhabited. In 1998, China and Tonga formally established diplomatic relations.
Tonga's economy is dominated by agriculture, fisheries and tourism, with underdeveloped industry, low productivity levels, backward economic development and heavy dependence on foreign aid. According to the International Monetary Fund, in 2020, Tonga's GDP will be about $500 million, and the GDP per capita will be about $5,020. Affected by the epidemic, Tonga's GDP fell by 2.5% in 2020.
In terms of mineral resources, Tonga has basically no mineral resources on land. In May 2008, Nautilus Mining Company of Canada began mineral exploration in the waters off Tonga. In February 2010, Modulus Energy of the United States signed an agreement with Tang to be allowed to carry out oil and gas resource exploration in the Tang Sea. In order to protect domestic resources, in August 2014, Tang promulgated the "Seabed Minerals Law".
In terms of tourism resources, tourism is one of the economic sectors vigorously developed by the Tonga government, and is regarded as a new economic growth point to increase people's income and solve employment. Tonga has characteristic historical and cultural traditions and tourism resources, but its development capacity is limited, and the tourism industry has not yet achieved rapid development. At present, there are more than 110 hotels, motels and inns in the country, with more than 1,100 rooms. In 2019, the total number of foreign tourists to Tang was about 94,000.
In terms of transportation, there are 6 airports in Tonga, and flights from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji fly through Tonga.
Some of the content comes from China News Network and Chinese meteorological enthusiasts
Editor: Wan Jianyi
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