The evolution and dynamics of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai sulfate aerosol plume in the stratosphere
<p>We use a combination of spaceborne instruments to study the unprecedented stratospheric plume after the Tonga eruption of 15 January 2022. The aerosol plume was initially formed of two clouds at 30 and 28 <span class="inline-formula">km</span>, mostly composed of submi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/22/14957/2022/acp-22-14957-2022.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>We use a combination of spaceborne instruments to study the unprecedented stratospheric plume after the Tonga eruption of 15 January 2022.
The aerosol plume was initially formed of two clouds at 30 and 28 <span class="inline-formula">km</span>, mostly composed of submicron-sized sulfate particles, without ash, which is washed out within the first day following the eruption.
The large amount of injected water vapour led to a fast conversion of <span class="inline-formula">SO<sub>2</sub></span> to sulfate aerosols and induced a descent of the plume to 24–26 <span class="inline-formula">km</span> over the first 3 weeks by radiative cooling.
Whereas <span class="inline-formula">SO<sub>2</sub></span> returned to background levels by the end of January, volcanic sulfates and water still persisted after 6 months, mainly confined between 35<span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span> S and 20<span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span> N until June due to the zonal symmetry of the summer stratospheric circulation at 22–26 <span class="inline-formula">km</span>.
Sulfate particles, undergoing hygroscopic growth and coagulation, sediment and gradually separate from the moisture anomaly entrained in the ascending branch Brewer–Dobson circulation.
Sulfate aerosol optical depths derived from the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) infrared sounder show that during the first 2 months, the aerosol plume was not simply diluted and dispersed passively but rather organized in concentrated patches. Space-borne lidar winds suggest that those structures, generated by shear-induced instabilities, are associated with vorticity anomalies that may have enhanced the duration and impact of the plume.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |