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Tonga's submarine volcano on Hun'aha A'apai Island erupted twice on the 14th and 15th local time, triggering a global atmospheric shock wave. Satellite imagery shows that the shock wave effect released by the eruption is like a small pebble thrown into a pond, and the ripples produced travel outward at an alarming speed.
From neighboring countries such as Fiji and New Zealand, to distant countries such as China, Japan, the United States, and even the United Kingdom 10,000 kilometers away, weather stations in many countries have recorded fluctuations in air pressure. Global water level monitoring data also shows that the eruption triggered a tsunami across the ocean, affecting almost the entire Pacific coast.
The shock wave of this volcanic eruption was so powerful that it spread to an area 10,000 kilometers away, and the air pressure fluctuated abnormally. According to Chinese weather enthusiasts, this is the first time that humans have detected the shock wave caused by a volcanic eruption on a weather satellite. The first shock wave swept nearly 8,000 miles to southern New England, while the second moved in the opposite direction, traveling more than twice as long as the first, approaching 17,000 miles and averaging speeds of up to 680 mph.
Jenny Kripner, a volcanologist at the Smithsonian Institution, pointed out that the ash eruption caused amazing effects, including volcanic lightning and tsunamis, and brought nightmarish conditions to an isolated community. The electrostatic discharge in the ash plume is twice as strong as the most violent thunderstorm on Earth, producing more than 60,000 lightning bolts in just 15 minutes after the volcano's first eruption, equivalent to nearly 70 lightning bolts per second.
Unlike ordinary thunderstorms, this ash plume can penetrate the tropopause and enter the stratosphere, releasing large amounts of volcanic ash, gas and water vapor to form huge clouds. Satellite imagery shows that the shock wave "ripples" outward from where the ash plume penetrates the tropopause, creating ripples like ripples stirred up by stones thrown into a pond. Fluctuations in air pressure have been detected by weather stations around the world, including Hong Kong, China, about 9,000 kilometers from Tonga, Alaska, USA, more than 9,300 kilometers away, and Slovenia more than 17,000 kilometers away.
At the same time as the shock wave swirled rapidly, a tsunami followed, particularly affecting the Pacific Rim. The tsunami wave traveled across the vast Pacific Ocean and rushed to the west coast of North America, causing tsunami effects in several regions, including Alaska, Washington and British Columbia, Canada. China's coastal waters also monitored tsunami waves in the early morning of the 16th.
Volcanologist Jackie Auerbach said that although the shock wave is not the main cause of the tsunami, the eruption of this relatively small submarine volcanic island can cause such a violent tsunami, showing its amazing power. In New Zealand, about 2,400 kilometers from Tonga, people in several areas heard the loud roar of the eruption, which spread very far away.
Richard Easter, a professor of physics at the University of Auckland, explained that the eruption injected huge amounts of energy into the atmosphere, and the louder the explosion, the louder the sound. The sound, he says, is like a pulse centered on a volcano, spreading outward. East said the pulse of sound traveled at three kilometres per second, so New Zealanders were able to hear it two hours earlier, while North Island residents heard it earlier than South Island residents.
The eruption may have produced a sonic boom at the source, but by the time the pressure wave reached New Zealand, it had become a regular sound. Historically, large volcanic eruptions were often seen and heard from far away, such as the eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia in 1883 and the eruption of Mount Tarawira in New Zealand in 1886.
In addition to the direct effects of volcanic eruptions, some have speculated that volcanoes may have an impact on Earth's climate. Volcanic eruptions typically release large amounts of sulfur dioxide and aerosols, which, if large enough, could cause the planet to cool down, killing La Niña patterns. However, some experts believe that the scale of the eruption's release is relatively small enough to produce significant gas
Weather impact. Simon Kahn, a professor at Michigan Technological University, noted that the magnitude of sulfur dioxide released from this eruption does not appear to be large enough to cause extreme climate change. Typically, 5 to 10 times more sulfur dioxide concentrations need to be released to begin to have a measurable impact on the climate. Alan Robock, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Rutgers University, said that in order to cool the planet, huge amounts of sulfur dioxide need to be released, at least 1 million tons or more.
According to satellite measurements, the eruption released about 400,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, which may have had only a small impact on the climate, equivalent to about 1/50 of the 1991 Pinatubo eruption, or about 0.01 degrees Celsius on average.
Despite caution about climate impacts, experts stressed the need to continue monitoring volcanic eruptions and collecting data. Volcanologist Kripuna said the biggest unknown now is about the situation of the people of Tonga. The eruption could have been devastating to the country, but it is still uncertain whether the eruption is over.
Tonga is an island nation of only 100,000 people, with about a quarter of the population living in the capital, Nuku'alofa. Tonga is reportedly isolated due to damage to undersea communication lines due to volcanic eruptions. Communications companies say it could take up to two weeks to resume external communications in Tonga. Although ash has settled in some areas, large amounts of ash are still suspended in the air and even drift to Australia.
The global impact of this volcanic eruption reminds us that the forces of nature are unpredictable. While scientists can monitor and study volcanic activity, volcanic emergencies can still have a significant impact on human society. Therefore, the prevention and response to natural disasters remains a global challenge that requires the joint efforts of the international community to reduce their potential harm. At the same time, we should also cherish the earth's natural environment and strive to protect and maintain the ecological balance to reduce the impact of disaster events on human beings.
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