When a volcano exploded out of the Pacific Ocean near Tonga on Jan. 15th, scientists immediately realized they were witnessing something special. Little did they know how special.
A new analysis of images from Earth-orbiting satellites shows that the plume punched a hole in our atmosphere all the way up to the mesosphere.
“The intensity of this event far exceeds that of any storm cloud I have ever studied,” said Kristopher Bedka, an atmospheric scientist at NASA Langley who specializes in studying extreme storms.
Bedka and colleagues combined images from two satellites: NOAA’s GOES-17 and Japan’s Himawari-8, both of which observed the eruption using similar infrared cameras from different points in geosynchronous orbit. Using the simple math of stereo geometry, the team calculated that the plume rose to 58 kilometers (36 miles) at its highest point.
For comparison, the largest known volcanic plume in the satellite era before Tonga came from Mount Pinatubo, which spewed ash and aerosols up to 35 kilometers (22 miles) into the air above the Philippines in 1991. The Tonga plume was 1.5 times the height of Pinatubo.
The extreme height of the Tonga plume means it could affect space weather phenomena such as sprites, airglow, and noctilucent clouds, which also occur in the mesosphere. Tonga was truly out of this world.
Meanwhile, Tonga’s sunsets continue
A month and a half after the Tonga volcano erupted, southern hemisphere sky watchers are still seeing unusual sunsets. Helio C. Vital took this picture from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 26th:
“This spectacular sunset was possibly caused by the return of the plumes of aerosols launched into the high atmosphere by Tonga,” says Vital, who has seen several episodes of colorful sunsets since the eruption. “Their timing is consistent with a 2-week circumnavigation period at Rio’s latitude.”
Aerosols from the volcano’s plume have persisted in the stratosphere for more than a month after the eruption and could stay for a year or more, according to atmospheric scientist Ghassan Taha of the Goddard Space Flight Center.
More Tonga sunsets: from Fabiano B. Diniz of Pontal do Paraná, Brazil; from Cassiano Macedo of Sao Paulo, Brazil; from Peter Lowenstein of Mutare, Zimbabwe; from Daniele Gasparri of Atacama, Chile; from Ray Pickard of the Bathurst Observatory, NSW Australia; from Tara Williams of Pottsville NSW Australia;
The blood red sky pictured in South Africa a few days ago, was also maybe related to the devastating eruption.
What do you think?
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I think the real question is “what will happen to our weather”? We are already facing a “Maunder minimum” which led to the global cooling of 1815-1835 and in the early 1600’s So just how will this extraordinery eruption affect global cooling/
The complete “eruption” is questionable. if a slow frame by frame picture advancement of the “eruption” is looked at closely, seconds, or a few frames prior to the “eruption” one can see an item, something, entering the ocean to the upper right of the “eruption” center. One can also see the object actually splash into the water, travel a short distance under the water just prior to the “eruption”.
as the say, “A picture can tell a thousand words”. So what actually did occur there?
In my mind’s eye as well as the camera’s eye, this was not an act of “nature”.
I thought Steve Quayle said Saturday it was a Russian Nuke, why are we promoting that it was a natural occurrence?
Psalm 46
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.
46:1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
46:2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
46:3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
46:4There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
46:5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
46:6The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
46:7The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
46:8Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
46:9He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
46:10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
46:11The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
But according to the ‘specialists’, this will not affect the Earths temps long range .. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Time to get in more wood and heavier clothes!