Multi-Satellite Detection of Long-Range Transport and Transformation of Atmospheric Emissions from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Volcano

Large volumes of atmospheric pollutants injected into the troposphere and stratosphere from volcanic eruptions can exert significant influence on global climate. Through utilizing multi-satellite observations, we present a large-scale insight into the long-range transport and transformation of sulfu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qinqin Liu, Lu Gui, Jianqiang Liu, Guido Ventura, Qingzhou Yang, Zhongting Wang, Ziyue Tang, Minghui Tao, Xuhui Shen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/10/2661
Description
Summary:Large volumes of atmospheric pollutants injected into the troposphere and stratosphere from volcanic eruptions can exert significant influence on global climate. Through utilizing multi-satellite observations, we present a large-scale insight into the long-range transport and transformation of sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) emissions from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption on 15 January 2022. We found that the transport of volcanic emissions, along with the transformation from SO2 to sulfate aerosols, lasted for two months after the Tongan eruption. The emitted volume of SO<sub>2</sub> from the volcano eruption was approximately 183 kilotons (kt). Both satellite observation and numerical simulation results show that the SO<sub>2</sub> and volcanic ash plumes moved westward at a rate of one thousand kilometers per day across the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions and that SO<sub>2</sub> transformation in the atmosphere lasted for half a month. The transport and enhancement of aerosols is related to the conversion of SO<sub>2</sub> to sulfate. CALIPSO lidar observations show that SO<sub>2</sub> reached an altitude of 25–30 km and transformed into sulfate in the stratosphere after 29 January. Sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere deceased gradually with transport and fell back to the background level after two months. Our study shows that satellite observations give a good characterization of volcanic emissions, transport, and SO<sub>2</sub>-sulfate conversion, which can provide an essential constraint for climate modeling.
ISSN:2072-4292