The greatest concentration of lightning ever recorded

The greatest concentration of lightning ever recorded

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption on January 15, 2022, has set a new record for the greatest concentration of lightning ever detected. According to data from Vaisala’s Global Lightning Dataset GLD360, nearly 400 000 lightning events were detected within just six hours of the eruption, making it a truly exceptional phenomenon.

The fullest investigation of the massive Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption to date

The fullest investigation of the massive Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption to date

In January 2022, Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai (HT-HH) emitted the biggest atmospheric explosion recorded on Earth in more than 100 years. Several months after the eruption, a New Zealand-led team has completed the fullest investigation to date into the eruption of this underwater Tongan volcano.

Volcanic twilights over New Zealand

Volcanic twilights over New Zealand

Very high concentrations of aerosols originating from the plume of volcanic gas and ash produced by the massive eruption at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano on January 15, 2022, are now causing stunning, fiery colors in the sky over New Zealand.

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption caused a major space weather event

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption caused a major space weather event

When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai volcano in Tonga erupted on January 15, 2022, it sent atmospheric shock waves, sonic booms, and tsunami waves around the world. Now, new research published in Geophysical Research Letters shows the effects of the eruption also reached space, causing a major space weather event.

Ecological disaster in Peru after tsunami waves hit oil refinery

Ecological disaster in Peru after tsunami waves hit oil refinery

Tsunami waves caused by the massive eruption at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano in Tonga on January 15, 2022, hit a tanker that was unloading crude oil at a refinery in Lima, Peru, causing an ecological disaster. The incident took place in the district of…

Gemini Observatory records volcanic gravity waves over Hawai’i, U.S.

Gemini Observatory records volcanic gravity waves over Hawai’i, U.S.

Hours after the massive eruption at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai1 volcano on January 15, 2022, cameras at the Gemini Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, U.S. recorded red waves rippling over Hawai'i. "These are gravity waves, a type of atmospheric…

Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide across the SW Pacific and Australia

Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide across the SW Pacific and Australia

Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) are present across the SW Pacific and Australia after the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano on January 15, 2022. Since the eruption, the volcano has been releasing huge amounts of sulfur dioxide and…