Tonga Volcanic Eruption May Help Predict Future Tsunami, Study Suggests

It was observed that the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption caused waves of air pressure that reached as far as Australia and Japan.

Tonga Volcanic Eruption May Help Predict Future Tsunami, Study Suggests

Photo Credit: EyePress News/Shutterstock

Researchers used data from GPS, satellites to examine errors caused due to Tonga volcanic eruption

Highlights
  • Eruption waves led to oscillation in the lower part of the ionosphere
  • The fields were then transmitted to the upper atmosphere at high speed
  • Electron charges were detected earlier than the pressure airwaves
Advertisement

An underwater volcano erupted near Tonga in 2022 that caused destruction in the archipelago nation. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption also spawned a tsunami that further caused significant damage in Tonga. Now, researchers at Japan's Nagoya University have used the data from the eruption and disturbances in the Earth's atmosphere to track the airwaves that led to the tsunami. The findings are now likely to help in predicting future giant waves and tsunamis.

During a tsunami, the lower atmosphere gets deformed while oscillation of sounds and gravity waves are generated, which cause disturbances of the electrons in the upper atmosphere. Radio waves from the satellites and those used in GPS pass through this layer of atmosphere that lead to errors in the positional information provided by GPS at the time of a natural disaster.

In the recent study, published in Earth, Planets and Space, the team of researchers used data from GPS and satellites to examine the errors caused due to the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption. It was observed that the eruption caused waves of air pressure that reached as far as Australia and Japan.

These waves led to oscillation in the lower part of the ionosphere that in turn generated electric fields. The fields were then transmitted to the upper atmosphere at high speed. The scientists noted that the electron charges were detected earlier than the pressure airwaves that led to the tsunami.

“We captured the signal of the ionospheric disturbance caused by the air pressure wave about three hours before the pressure wave originating from the volcanic eruption believed to have triggered the tsunami in Japan,” said Assistant Professor Atsuki Shinbori, who is also the author of the study.

“In short, the significance of these results can be divided into two aspects: the scientific aspect of a coupled system, and the disaster prevention aspect of preparedness for severe events such as tsunamis,” Shinbori added.

According to the professor, analysing disturbances in the ionosphere during a volcanic eruption and monitoring the seismic events may lead to effective prediction of tsunami.


Should you buy a 4G or 5G budget phone? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Biden Administration Warns of Dire National Security Ramifications as Bill to Boost US Chipmaking Stalls
Black Panther Wakanda Forever: Daniel Kaluuya Not Returning Due to Scheduling Conflicts With Nope
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »