How Tonga volcano eruption gave scientists a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

The Tonga Hungarian volcano erupted with so much force and injected 0.4 Tera grams of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. This is 2% of the amount Mt. Pinatubo released in 1991. The eruption is providing scientists a rare opportunity to study the microphysical processes that occur when gases like sulfur dioxide gases are emitted into our atmosphere. Scientists from the University of Houston are joining forces to go to Tonga to study the ash!

Observations will be made approximately a week after the eruption, which is the time it takes for the sulfur plume to travel westward ~8000 miles from the volcano location to La Reunion, where balloon launches will occur at the high altitude Maïdo Atmospheric Observatory.

Let’s hope that their studies pay off so we could learn about the dangers of gases to prevent our earth from getting polluted! Please do make our earth a better place to live for our future generations to come!

Source: NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory