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The Volcanic Eruption in Tonga Might Have Lasting Effects on the Climate
After the Pacific Reels from Tsunami Events, Saturday’s Dramatic Eruption Could Continue to Affect Earth
On Saturday, January 15th, 2022 (5pm local time), an undersea volcano near Tonga erupted in an intensity that rivaled the largest volcanic explosions of the 21st century (1). As of writing this (2pm PT), countries that border the Pacific have already begun to feel the effects of the massive blast. The United States has issued Tsunami advisories up the entire U.S. Western Coast and Tsunami threats have been issued from New Zealand and all the way to up to Japan (2).
As coastal Pacific townspeople batten down their belongings and head to higher ground, the scientific community has already begun investigating what caused such a massive volcanic event and predicting the long term effects of such a disaster.
One such team of scientists, reports Professor Shane Cronin of the University of Auckland (3), found that the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano builds up pressure to erupt at this intensity around once every thousand years. With the large eruption occurring near the year 1100 CE, “the eruption on January 15th seems to be right on schedule for a ‘big one’.”(3)
