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Study: Tonga Volcano Blasted Particles and Water High into Atmosphere

时间:2022-12-22 06:04:46

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Study: Tonga Volcano Blasted Particles and Water High into Atmosphere

New research shows that the Tonga volcano sent large amounts of particles and water vapor1 into the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere.

Scientists used satellite equipment to measure the plume2 created by the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai undersea volcano. The blast, or eruption3, of the volcano happened in January in the South Pacific near the island nation of Tonga.

The 10-minute eruption caused a series of large ocean waves, known as a tsunami4, to hit areas around the world. The huge plume the volcano created included smoke, gas and water vapor.

Researchers at Britain's University of Oxford5 studied the size of the plume and examined data showing how high it reached into the sky. They reported in a recent study in the publication Science the volcano produced the highest-ever reported plume.

The plume was the first to have broken through to the "mesosphere" level, or layer, of Earth's atmosphere, the scientists said.

The mesosphere is the third-highest layer of Earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and the troposphere, which starts at the Earth's surface. The mesosphere rises to 85 kilometers high. Meteors burn up within this layer.

The Oxford scientists said images captured by satellites suggested the volcano's plume reached 57 kilometers into the sky. They said the previous record holder6 was Mount Pinatubo, which erupted in 1991. That volcano created a plume recorded as high as 40 kilometers.

"It's the first time we've ever recorded a volcanic7 plume reaching the mesosphere," said Simon Proud, a scientist at Oxford and Britain's scientific research center RAL Space.

Proud added that the only other volcanic plume that might have reached the mesosphere might have been released in the eruption in 1883 of Krakatau, a small volcanic island in Indonesia. "But we didn't see that in enough detail to confirm," he said.

The researchers said progress in observational technology helped them reach their findings. The team used a method known as the "parallax effect" to measure the volcano's plume.

The parallax effect describes a difference in the apparent position of an object when it is seen along two different lines of sight. The scientists said they used the parallax effect to examine the images captured from above by satellites.

Proud said his team was helped by satellites that recorded images every 10 minutes after the eruption, permitting them to document quick changes in the plume's movements.

"Thirty years ago, when Pinatubo erupted, our satellites were nowhere near as good as they are now," he said. "They could only scan the earth every 30 minutes. Or maybe even every hour."

In a separate study, NASA researchers reported in August that the Tonga volcano also blasted a huge amount of water vapor into Earth's atmosphere.

The space agency researchers said the vapor reached into the stratosphere, which stretches 50 kilometers high. But the amount of water vapor blasted into the atmosphere would have been enough to fill more than 58,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

"We've never seen anything like it," said Luis Millán, an atmospheric8 scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Millán examined data from an instrument on NASA's Aura satellite, which measures atmospheric gases, including water vapor. After the Tonga volcano erupted, NASA scientists started seeing extremely high vapor readings.

The NASA study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, estimated the plume injected an amount of vapor equal to about 10 percent of the water that already existed in the stratosphere. That was nearly four times the amount of water vapor scientists estimate the Mount Pinatubo eruption sent into the stratosphere, the researchers said.

NASA said the large amount of water vapor could have been enough to temporarily affect Earth's average temperature. This is because water vapor traps heat. However, the team noted9 that this effect would disappear over time when the extra water vapor "cycles out" of the stratosphere. This means the presence of the water vapor would not be enough to greatly affect climate change.

Words in This Story

vapor – n. small drops of liquid that exist in the air

plume – n. a tall, thin amount of dust and smoke that rises into the air

meteor – n. a rock from outer space that becomes very hot and burns brightly in the sky as it enters Earth's atmosphere

apparent – adj. easily noticed

scan – v. to use a machine to examine objects

cycle – v. follow a regularly repeated set of events


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1 vapor DHJy2     
n.蒸汽,雾气
参考例句:
  • The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
  • This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。
2 plume H2SzM     
n.羽毛;v.整理羽毛,骚首弄姿,用羽毛装饰
参考例句:
  • Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
  • He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。
3 eruption UomxV     
n.火山爆发;(战争等)爆发;(疾病等)发作
参考例句:
  • The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
  • The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。
4 tsunami bpAyo     
n.海啸
参考例句:
  • Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
  • Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。
5 Oxford Wmmz0a     
n.牛津(英国城市)
参考例句:
  • At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
  • This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。
6 holder wc4xq     
n.持有者,占有者;(台,架等)支持物
参考例句:
  • The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
  • That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。
7 volcanic BLgzQ     
adj.火山的;象火山的;由火山引起的
参考例句:
  • There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
  • Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。
8 atmospheric 6eayR     
adj.大气的,空气的;大气层的;大气所引起的
参考例句:
  • Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
  • Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。
9 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

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