The volcano, known as Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, spewed millions of tons of water vapor high into the atmosphere, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science. Researchers estimate that the blast, which reduced the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, increased the amount of water in the stratosphere – the second layer of the atmosphere, above the area where people live and breathe – by about 5%. Now, scientists are trying to figure out how all that water could affect the atmosphere and whether it could warm the Earth’s surface in the coming years. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said lead author Holger Voemel, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. The eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga is seen in an image from a NOAA GOES-West satellite taken on January 15, 2022. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS Large eruptions usually cool the planet. Most volcanoes emit large amounts of sulfur, which blocks the sun’s rays, explained Matthew Tohei, a climate researcher at the University of Saskatchewan who was not involved in the study. Tonga’s eruption was much wetter: The eruption started under the ocean, so a plume of much more water than usual was thrown up. And since water vapor acts as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, the eruption would likely raise temperatures rather than lower them, Toohey said. It is not clear how much heating it can store. Karen Rosenloff, a climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who was not involved in the study, said she expects the effects to be small and temporary. “This amount of increase can warm the surface a small amount for a short period of time,” Rosenlof said in an email. In August, scientists said it broke “all records” for water vapor injection since satellites began recording such data — enough water vapor to fill 58,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Water vapor will hang around the upper atmosphere for a few years before entering the lower atmosphere, Toohey said. Meanwhile, the extra water may also accelerate the loss of ozone in the atmosphere, Rosenlof added. But it’s hard for scientists to say for sure, because they’ve never seen an explosion like this. The stratosphere extends from about 7.5 miles to 31 miles above Earth and is usually very dry, Voemel explained. Voemel’s team estimated the volcano’s plume using a network of instruments suspended from weather balloons. Typically, these instruments can’t even measure water levels in the stratosphere because the amounts are so low, Voemel said. Another research team monitored the explosion using an instrument on a NASA satellite. In their study, published earlier this summer, they estimated that the eruption was even larger, adding about 150 million metric tons of water vapor to the stratosphere—three times more than Voemel’s study found. In this study, the scientists also concluded that the unprecedented plume could temporarily affect Earth’s global average temperature. Voemel acknowledged that the satellite imaging may have seen parts of the plume that the balloon’s instruments could not pick up, making his estimate higher. Either way, he said, the Tonga eruption was unlike anything seen in recent history, and studying its aftermath may hold new insights into our atmosphere. An image from the ISS from January 16, 2022, shows the ash plume from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption that occurred the previous day. NASA

title: “Tonga Undersea Volcano Eruption Was A Once In A Lifetime Event That Could Heat Earth S Surface Scientists Say " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-18” author: “Marguerite Perez”

The volcano, known as Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, spewed millions of tons of water vapor high into the atmosphere, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science. Researchers estimate that the blast, which reduced the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, increased the amount of water in the stratosphere – the second layer of the atmosphere, above the area where people live and breathe – by about 5%. Now, scientists are trying to figure out how all that water could affect the atmosphere and whether it could warm the Earth’s surface in the coming years. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said lead author Holger Voemel, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. The eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga is seen in an image from a NOAA GOES-West satellite taken on January 15, 2022. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS Large eruptions usually cool the planet. Most volcanoes emit large amounts of sulfur, which blocks the sun’s rays, explained Matthew Tohei, a climate researcher at the University of Saskatchewan who was not involved in the study. Tonga’s eruption was much wetter: The eruption started under the ocean, so a plume of much more water than usual was thrown up. And since water vapor acts as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, the eruption would likely raise temperatures rather than lower them, Toohey said. It is not clear how much heating it can store. Karen Rosenloff, a climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who was not involved in the study, said she expects the effects to be small and temporary. “This amount of increase can warm the surface a small amount for a short period of time,” Rosenlof said in an email. In August, scientists said it broke “all records” for water vapor injection since satellites began recording such data — enough water vapor to fill 58,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Water vapor will hang around the upper atmosphere for a few years before entering the lower atmosphere, Toohey said. Meanwhile, the extra water may also accelerate the loss of ozone in the atmosphere, Rosenlof added. But it’s hard for scientists to say for sure, because they’ve never seen an explosion like this. The stratosphere extends from about 7.5 miles to 31 miles above Earth and is usually very dry, Voemel explained. Voemel’s team estimated the volcano’s plume using a network of instruments suspended from weather balloons. Typically, these instruments can’t even measure water levels in the stratosphere because the amounts are so low, Voemel said. Another research team monitored the explosion using an instrument on a NASA satellite. In their study, published earlier this summer, they estimated that the eruption was even larger, adding about 150 million metric tons of water vapor to the stratosphere—three times more than Voemel’s study found. In this study, the scientists also concluded that the unprecedented plume could temporarily affect Earth’s global average temperature. Voemel acknowledged that the satellite imaging may have seen parts of the plume that the balloon’s instruments could not pick up, making his estimate higher. Either way, he said, the Tonga eruption was unlike anything seen in recent history, and studying its aftermath may hold new insights into our atmosphere. An image from the ISS from January 16, 2022, shows the ash plume from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption that occurred the previous day. NASA