Largest atmospheric explosion on record?

On January 15, 2022, a huge eruption occurred in an underwater volcano, with part of its structure out of the water in the form of two small uninhabited islands in the South Pacific. The volcanic eruption in the ensemble, now named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, was one of the most powerful on record, with an audible sound detected more than 10,000 kilometers from the focus.

Now, the international team of Rachid Omira, from the Dom Luiz Institute, dependent on the University of Lisbon in Portugal, has publicly presented the results of a study according to which this eruption probably produced the largest atmospheric explosion of its kind in the world since There are scientific records of the most notable volcanic eruptions.

The researchers believe that the tsunami that followed the colossal explosion caused by the volcano was exceptional: it had a global reach, faster propagation than any other known, reached unexpected wave heights and had an unprecedented duration.

The violent explosion was also a source of notable atmospheric waves.

This was the first time that a tsunami triggered by a volcano had been recorded on a global scale by modern and abundant instrumentation, thus providing a unique opportunity to investigate the role of air-water coupling processes in the generation and propagation of tsunamis.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption probably produced the largest atmospheric explosion to date of any of its kind recorded by scientific instruments. (Photo: NASA / GOES / NOAA / NESDIS)

In this study, Omira’s team analyzed satellite, sea-level and atmospheric data from around the world and has shown through numerical and analytical modeling that the tsunami was driven by an acoustic and gravity wave.

Gravity waves from fluid mechanics (not to be confused with gravitational waves from astrophysics) are produced when a fluid is displaced from its equilibrium position.

The acoustic and gravity wave caused by the explosion of the volcano traveled around the globe several times.

The tsunami had completely different characteristics than ordinary tsunamis. It jumped from one ocean to another and reached the coast of Portugal 10 hours ahead of schedule. Omira and his colleagues believe this is because the very fast-moving atmospheric wave was able to excite the ocean surface and pump energy into it.

The study is titled “Global Tonga tsunami explained by a fast-moving atmospheric source.” And it has been published in the academic journal Nature. (Font: NCYT by Amazings)