Tonga Volcano.. terrifying 4' tidal wave hits Nuku'Alofa!

[Sailor g]

Originally Posted by aqfishing

FYI

https://www.reuters.com/article/fact...-idUSL1N2TX1E8

Tree chopper is fake!

So sad people feel the need to do this in the face of real disaster.

Definitely not ready for Cascadia. Except for a school I read about, no one talked about it when we were looking for land up there. They thought I was crazy when I wouldn’t buy west of 1-5.

[TATYANNA]

Wow thus was posted in 2017 5 years TONGA HAPPENED AGAIN. BE SAFE WATER TRAVELERS

[FoxIslander]

Originally Posted by rmesfo

I live in East Germany, er, California and this is no surprise at all. We are governed by the most inept, corrupt hypocrites in the state's history. They closed the beaches on the west side of the Bay Area peninsula.

Waiting for November.

Tired of politics entering every aspect of our lives. Can't you give it a break?

[TATYANNA]

Really, In Calif.. they have closed the beaches.? I do not hear this on CNN

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by TATYANNA

Really, In Calif.. they have closed the beaches.? I do not hear this on CNN

Only for the day of the predicted tsunami, and we did get the surges, so IMO it was well-advised.

[GordMay]

When volcanoes erupt, they emit a mixture of gases and particles, into the air. Some of them, such as ash and sulphur dioxide [SO2], have a cooling effect, because they (or the substances they cause) reflect sunlight away from the earth. Others, such as CO2, cause warming by adding to the the greenhouse effect.

Most of the particles [ash], and aerosols [gas], spewed from volcanoes temporarily cool the planet, by shading incoming solar radiation. The cooling effect can last for hours, to months, to years, depending on the characteristics of the eruption.

For instance, the Philippines’s 1991 Mount Pinatubo* eruption caused a temporary drop [±0.4° to 0.5°C, or 1°F drop] in global temperatures, for about two years, after the eruption.
Very cold temperatures caused crop failures, and famine, in North America and Europe [1816's ‘year without a summer’], for two years, following the eruption of Tambora, in 1815.
Sulfur hazes* are believed to have been the primary cause of the global cooling, that occurred after the Pinatubo and Tambora eruptions.

Volcanoes have also caused global warming over millions of years, during times in Earth’s history, when extreme amounts of volcanism occurred, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Volcano eruptions can influence more than just temperature. Research suggests eruptions can affect the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone [ITCZ], a huge belt of low pressure that is the main source of rain for much of Africa.

* Volcanoes that release large amounts of sulfur compounds like sulfur oxide or sulfur dioxide [sulfate aerosols] affect the climate more strongly than those that eject just dust. The sulfur compounds are gases that rise easily into the stratosphere. Once there, they combine with the (limited) water available to form a haze of tiny droplets of sulfuric acid [H2SO4]. These tiny droplets are very light in color, and reflect a great deal of sunlight, for their size. Although the droplets eventually grow large enough to fall to the earth, the stratosphere is so dry, that it takes time, months, or even years to happen. Consequently, reflective hazes of sulfur droplets can cause significant cooling of the earth, for as long as two years, after a major sulfur-bearing eruption.

* Scientists investigating the Tonga eruption used satellite sensors to measure the emissions plume. Their estimates showed the volcano emitted only about 0.4 Tg of sulfur dioxide, or about one-fiftieth the size of Pinatubo, which emitted about 15 Tg of SO2.

[GordMay]

23 Australians on ship delivering aid to Tonga have virus
➥ https://www.npr.org/2022/01/24/10754...red-in-2-weeks

[Tetepare]

While the tsunami in Tonga certainly is scary (and, indeed, did cost lives) it pales in comparison to cyclones. More damage has been done to Tongatapu by cyclones; Mitiaro in the Cooks was completely under water for an extended period.

Of course, everyone wants to know of Hunga will blow again, which is unlikely. But there are volcanos in Vanuatu and Solomons as well. Still, there are more likely dangers throughout the Pacific islands.

[owly]

Originally Posted by GordMay

When volcanoes erupt, they emit a mixture of gases and particles, into the air. Some of them, such as ash and sulphur dioxide [SO2], have a cooling effect, because they (or the substances they cause) reflect sunlight away from the earth. Others, such as CO2, cause warming by adding to the the greenhouse effect.

Most of the particles [ash], and aerosols [gas], spewed from volcanoes temporarily cool the planet, by shading incoming solar radiation. The cooling effect can last for hours, to months, to years, depending on the characteristics of the eruption.

For instance, the Philippines’s 1991 Mount Pinatubo* eruption caused a temporary drop [±0.4° to 0.5°C, or 1°F drop] in global temperatures, for about two years, after the eruption.
Very cold temperatures caused crop failures, and famine, in North America and Europe [1816's ‘year without a summer’], for two years, following the eruption of Tambora, in 1815.
Sulfur hazes* are believed to have been the primary cause of the global cooling, that occurred after the Pinatubo and Tambora eruptions.

Volcanoes have also caused global warming over millions of years, during times in Earth’s history, when extreme amounts of volcanism occurred, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Volcano eruptions can influence more than just temperature. Research suggests eruptions can affect the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone [ITCZ], a huge belt of low pressure that is the main source of rain for much of Africa.

* Volcanoes that release large amounts of sulfur compounds like sulfur oxide or sulfur dioxide [sulfate aerosols] affect the climate more strongly than those that eject just dust. The sulfur compounds are gases that rise easily into the stratosphere. Once there, they combine with the (limited) water available to form a haze of tiny droplets of sulfuric acid [H2SO4]. These tiny droplets are very light in color, and reflect a great deal of sunlight, for their size. Although the droplets eventually grow large enough to fall to the earth, the stratosphere is so dry, that it takes time, months, or even years to happen. Consequently, reflective hazes of sulfur droplets can cause significant cooling of the earth, for as long as two years, after a major sulfur-bearing eruption.

* Scientists investigating the Tonga eruption used satellite sensors to measure the emissions plume. Their estimates showed the volcano emitted only about 0.4 Tg of sulfur dioxide, or about one-fiftieth the size of Pinatubo, which emitted about 15 Tg of SO2.

This is all very interesting... though if one reads much it's hardly news. From what I've read about this........ and there is a fair amount out there, the effect of the Tonga eruption on climate is expected to be insignificant. It will not grant humanity (and other life on earth) the reprieve we so desperately need.... Paul Ehrlich's "Population Bomb" has gone off........ but not in the manner he anticipated or in the time frame he predicted back in 1968. We have proverbially sewn the seeds of our own destruction, and our puny efforts to mitigate or reverse it are doomed to failure. Paul missed the mark in terms of time frame... maybe by a century.... we all did in those days. Climate change will bring famine and disease along with the sea level rise that will wreak havoc if not destroy the great coastal cities. A super volcano like Yellowstone might give a brief respite of a few years, but the stored thermal energy will keep eating away at Antarctica and Greenland's ice sheet, climate will continue to change, desertification will continue. The fundamental problem is nearly 8 billion humans. I wonder how many people have seriously examined the logistics of supplying that many people with what they need... Read or watch (utube) on the Berlin Airlift........ supplying only 2 million people the bare minimum to survive......... 4500 tons per day!! Look at our huge metro areas and how vulnerable and dependent they are. Look at the half empty grocery store shelves recently......... that is from covid. Imagine where we would be without industrial agriculture and factory food production. We live in and depend on a proverbial house of cards. The simple minded among us imagine that they can become survivalists and "bug out" living off the land, or follow the revelators that preach that Gabriel with his golden trumpet is awaiting to bring the faithful to the mother ship... so long as they are generous with their offerings ;-) The crisis we face will not be solved by a volcano eruption. It will not be solved by LED lightbulbs and EVs, and it will not be solved by religious or survivalist fantasies. We are facing the slow rolling collapse that has overtaken every previous great civilization.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by owly

We are facing the slow rolling collapse that has overtaken every previous great civilization.

If the end is nigh, why are you spending your last precious moments on a cruising forum?

[GordMay]

Earthquake strikes off Tonga’s coast days after volcanic eruption

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits almost two weeks after Tonga was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami.
The epicentre was located 219km (136 miles) northwest of Pangai, a town on the remote island of Lifuka, at a depth of 14.5km (9 miles), according to United States Geological Survey (USGS) data.
The area has seen daily earthquake activity since the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano erupted on January 15, killing three people and sending a tsunami across the wider Pacific.

M 6.2 - 225 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga ➥ https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthqua...gfhb/executive

More about ➥ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/sha...TI22OGAZYXGMU/

[GordMay]

Robotic boat to map Tongan volcano’s aftermath

An uncrewed boat will soon begin surveying the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai, in the Pacific Ocean, to understand exactly what happened, when it erupted in January.

The explosion sent a giant plume of ash into the upper atmosphere, and triggered a tsunami, that damaged buildings on nearby Tonga.

A 12-metre-long robotic boat, "Maxlimer", will map the shape of the volcano’s submerged opening, over several weeks. A crewed ship from New Zealand, the RV "Tangaroa", will help to investigate, but for safety reasons will spend limited time over the volcano’s opening.

More about ➥ https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60946084

Sea-Kit's USV "Maxlimer"





“Why the Tongan eruption will go down in the history of volcanology” ~ by Alexandra Witze
The 15 January blast sent shock waves around the globe and defied scientific expectations. Researchers are now scrambling to work out why.
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00394-y

[GordMay]

Why Was the Tonga Eruption So Massive? Scientists Have New Clues
Early theories suggested an underwater landslide caused a catastrophic mix of magma and seawater. Recent evidence reveals an explosion unlike anything studied before.
More about ➥ https://www.wired.com/story/why-was-...ave-new-clues/

“Tonga eruption discoveries defy expectations” ~ by New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
Due to the power of the explosion, researchers expected to find dramatic changes to the volcano, but instead found it largely intact.
➥ https://niwa.co.nz/news/tonga-erupti...y-expectations

[Don C L]

Wow! Thanks for those Gord!

[GordMay]

Tonga undersea volcano disrupted satellite signals in space

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcanic eruption, on January 15, 2022, was powerful enough to generate plasma bubbles, that disrupted radio communications in outer space, a new study [1] finds.

The scientists found that, after a shockwave from the Tonga eruption hit the ionosphere, they detected equatorial plasma bubbles [EPB]: "extending to space at an altitude of at least 2,000 kilometers [1,240 miles]," . This is much farther than predicted by standard models of the bubbles.

The outburst generated the highest-ever recorded volcanic plume, one reaching 35 miles (57 kilometers) tall, and triggered tsunamis as far away as the Caribbean.
The eruption not only blasted hundreds of millions of tons of volcanic ash into the stratosphere, but also generated shockwaves that reached as high as the planet's ionosphere, the outermost layer of the atmosphere at altitudes of up to 400 miles (650 kilometers).
These shockwaves were so powerful that they triggered winds with staggering speeds of up to 450 mph (720 kph) that were measurable by satellites at altitudes of up to 120 miles (190 km).
These powerful winds were associated with the so-called equatorial electrojet, an electric current that circles through the ionosphere above Earth's equator. Measurements by ICON, as well as those by Europe's three-satellite Swarm mission, revealed that this electrojet went haywire in the days after the Hunga Tonga eruption. It flipped direction several times and surged to five times its usual strength, according to a NASA statement.[2]

All in all, the eruption was the most powerful natural explosion in more than a century, rivaling the strength of the largest U.S. nuclear bomb.

[1] “Generation of equatorial plasma bubble after the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption” ~ by Atsuki Shinbori et al
Open Access ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33603-3

[2] "NASA Mission Finds Tonga Volcanic Eruption Effects Reached Space"
➥ https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard...-reached-space