Scince Alert September 25, 2022
Recently, researchers calculated that the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apa spewed a staggering 50 million tons of water vapor into the atmosphere, in addition to enormous quantities of ash and volcanic gases. Particles of rock and ash can also temporarily cool the planet by blocking sunlight. Widespread and violent volcanic activity in Earth’s distant past may have contributed to global climate change, triggering mass extinctions millions of years ago. In underwater volcanoes, submarine eruptions can draw large parts of their explosive energy from the interaction of water and hot magma, which propels huge quantities of water and steam into the eruption column. Atmospheric water vapor absorbs solar radiation and re-emits it as heat; with tens of millions of tons of Tonga’s moisture now adrift in the stratosphere, Earth’s surface will be heating up – though it’s unclear by how much, according to the study. The scientists determined that these enormous quantities of water vapor could indeed modify chemical cycles that control stratospheric ozone. Detailed studies are required to flush out the details…read more.