Tracking SO2 plumes from the Tonga volcano eruption with multi-satellite observations

Congzi Xia, Cheng Liu*, Zhaonan Cai, Hongyu Wu, Qingxiang Li, Meng Gao*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) volcano eruption received worldwide attention due to its magnitude and potential effects on environment and climate. However, the operational sulfur dioxide (SO2) products mis-estimated SO2 emissions under volcanic conditions due to large uncertainties in the assumptions of SO2 plume altitude. That might have occurred in previous volcanic eruptions and misled understanding of the evolution of sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere and their impact on global climate. Here, we simultaneously retrieved the volcanic SO2 and its plume altitude from the Troposphere Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) and the Environment Monitoring Instrument-2 (EMI-2), exploring the SO2 burden, distribution, and evolution from January 14 to 17. We captured multiple eruptions with the second eruption emitting far more SO2 than the first. Total emissions exceeded 900 kt, significantly higher than those from operational products. Our inferred emission fluxes and injection heights offer valuable references for climate modeling and submarine volcano studies.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number109446
    Number of pages13
    JournaliScience
    Volume27
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 19 Apr 2024

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • General

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Tracking SO2 plumes from the Tonga volcano eruption with multi-satellite observations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this