Recently, the South Pacific island country of Tonga undersea volcano erupted violently caused a tsunami, affecting the entire Pacific Ocean, and the follow-up situation in Tonga has also attracted global attention.
Will Tonga volcanic ash drift to China?
Experts said that in addition to the tsunami, another major disaster caused by the volcanic eruption on the tonga seabed was volcanic ash. After the disaster, the mainland's Fengyun meteorological satellites have been continuously monitoring.
From the cloud image animation produced by the latest FY-4B volcanic ash cloud synthesis scheme provided by the National Satellite Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration yesterday (January 18), it can be seen that most of the mineral particulate matter in the volcanic ash cloud hovers around the volcanic eruption point and gradually settles, while the volcanic cloud is gradually separated by light green clouds and gradually spreads westward, which has now affected the Australian mainland.
After analysis, this part of the light green cloud is mainly composed of acid gases (such as sulfur dioxide) in volcanic ash clouds.
Liao Mi, senior engineer of the Remote Sensing Application Office of the National Satellite Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration, said that from the monitoring situation, the current volcanic ash cloud is mainly active in the southern hemisphere, "to float to our country, it is unlikely in the short term." ”
Volcanic ash disasters are mainly divided into four categories
First, volcanic ash looks like ash, but it is actually delicate rock that, when thick accumulates to a certain extent, can crush buildings.
Second, volcanic ash may cause crop particles to be confiscated.
Third, volcanic ash can affect the respiratory system of humans and animals.
Fourth, volcanic ash has a lethal effect on aero engines.
On January 17, 2022 local time, satellite imagery showed the area of Tonga covered by volcanic ash after the eruption.
What's the latest situation in Tonga?
On January 18, local time, the Tongan government issued its first statement since the eruption of the Hon Aha Apay Island volcano.
The statement said the eruption of the Hong Aha Apay Island volcano and the widespread tsunami had brought "unprecedented disaster" to the country, while the statement also confirmed that three people had died in the tsunami. In addition to an earlier identified British woman, there is a 65-year-old woman living on Mango Island and a 49-year-old woman living on Nomuka Island.
The statement said that the Tongan Navy has delivered relief materials such as drinking water, food, tents and other relief materials to the residents of Apai Island, Mango Island, Nomuca Island and other islands that have been seriously affected. The statement also said that all houses on Mango Island were destroyed in the tsunami, and fonoifua and Nomuca islands were also badly affected. The Tonga government has begun to evacuate the inhabitants of Mango Island, Fornoy Fua Island and Atata Island.
Victim of the volcanic eruption in Tonga Angela Glover
Angela, a 50-year-old British woman, married and settled in Tonga with her husband. When the tsunami struck on the 15th, Angela and her husband were rushing home to rescue their dogs. Angela's husband managed to climb a tree to save his life, while Angela and her dog were swept away by the waves.
Before and after the eruption of the Tonga volcano, Source: United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT)
Aerial photos show that after suffering a "double pinch" of submarine volcanic eruptions and tsunamis on the 15th, the land and trees on Tonganomuka Island have been covered with thick volcanic ash, and houses have been seriously damaged.
The west coast of Tongatapu, Tonga's largest island, was also severely damaged, with resorts and coastal areas almost "razed to the ground". Unosat imagery also shows that the same image was seen on Tonga's Kolomotua island and fafaa village.
At Tonga Fua Amottu International Airport, the airslide appears to have been flooded by seawater or covered in volcanic ash and mud. Other satellite images show that the seawater spreads all the way to places just a few blocks beyond the coastline.
Cao Xiaolin, Chinese envoy to Tonga, briefed Tonga on the situation via satellite phone on the 18th. He said that on some small islands, all the houses were engulfed by the tsunami, volcanic ash polluted the water supply throughout Tonga, all families faced difficulties in drinking water, and crops suffered devastating damage.
He also said that on the main island of Tonga, there are more than 1,000 Chinese citizens and company employees, and they are safe at present.
In addition, Wang Xuguang, Political Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji, pointed out in an exclusive interview with CGTN reporters that the Tonga volcano has affected the sea, and at present, Tongan shops, retail personnel and farmers have been the most seriously affected, and Tonga will face a shortage of fruits and vegetables in the next 1-2 months.
The signals were interrupted, the volcanic ash at the airport, and the epidemic made it more difficult to rescue
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) previously said that in Tonga, which has a total population of 105,000 people, the number of people affected could be as high as 80,000.
At present, many countries, including China, have expressed their willingness to provide assistance to Tonga. However, the signals interrupted, the volcanic ash that covered the airport runway and the epidemic have made international relief efforts difficult.
According to the Associated Press reported on the 17th, the New Zealand military said that because the runway of Tonga Airport was covered with a thick layer of volcanic ash, they could only delay the delivery of relief materials such as drinking water. The airport is expected to open by the 19th.
Covid-19 has also brought complications to the Tongan rescue.
"There is no outbreak in Tonga, and we don't want another tsunami, a new coronavirus tsunami." Tonga's Australian diplomat, Kurtis Tuiharanjingi, previously said. He said the Tongan government was very concerned about the risk of the spread of the new crown virus to the island, so all relief supplies delivered to Tonga would need to be quarantined and foreign personnel might not be allowed to get off the plane.
In particular, due to the damage of submarine communication cables caused by volcanic eruptions, Tonga is still "isolated from the world". Analysts say it could take weeks for Tonga to resume external communications.
The eruption of a volcano in Tonga is impossible to cause a "year without summer"
This is the world's most violent volcanic eruption in nearly 30 years, and there are many "summerless years" on the Internet.
A "summerless year" refers to the sulphides spewed out by volcanoes, which are converted into sulfate aerosols throughout the atmosphere and block heat radiation from the sun, causing global cooling and possibly even June snowfall. According to historical records, the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia (VEI7) directly led to the "year without summer" in 1816.
However, experts from many countries believe that the impact of this volcanic eruption on the global climate is very slight. At present, the sulphide produced by the volcanic eruption in Tonga is only about 400,000 tons, and the cooling effect is very limited, and it is basically impossible to make this year a "summerless year".
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Editor: Chen Li
Editor-in-Charge: Min Chen