58,000 Olympic-size swimming pools' worth of water vapor was released into the atmosphere when an underwater volcano erupted in January.
The water Vapor could be the most destructive part of the volcano because it could potentially cause global warming and deplete the ozone layer.
The most powerful explosion on Earth in more than 30 years took place on January 15th when the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted. The explosion caused the atmosphere to ring like a bell and generated waves that battered nearby coastlines. More than 560,000 lightning strikes were recorded in three days after an eruption that reached higher into the atmosphere than any other on record.
Satellite images show an underwater volcano eruption in the Solomon Islands.
In the new study, researchers used data collected by NASA's Aura satellite to assess the amount of water that was thrust into the stratosphere, the second layer in Earth's atmosphere. Since the volcano erupted, 160,900 tons (146,000 metric tons) of water have entered the stratosphere, reaching a maximum altitude of 33 miles (55 km) in the mesosphere.
Since satellites began taking measurement, this is the largest and highest injection of water into the sky.
"We estimate that the excess water vapor is equivalent to 10% of the amount of water vapor typically residing in the stratosphere, which is the biggest increase scientists have ever seen," researchers wrote in the new paper. The researchers wrote that the water may stay in the upper atmosphere for a decade.
The researchers said it was not surprising that the eruption injected a large amount of water into the atmosphere. Large amounts of "explosive steam" were created when the volcano erupted because of the rapid superheated water that came into contact with the magma. The explosion was so powerful due to this. This is the first time scientists have been able to accurately measure the amount of water.
Large volcanic eruptions release large amounts of ash and gases which can create reflective compounds in the atmosphere. The atmosphere can be cooled by blocking sunlight from reaching the planet's surface. The Tonga eruption produced low levels of sulfur dioxide and most of the ash fell to the ground.
Experts thought that the underwater explosion would have minimal effects on the climate. The estimates were based on the amount of ash and gases that the volcano emitted and did not account for all of the excess water vapor.
The excess water could warm the atmosphere much like greenhouse gases do. The warming effect of the water is likely to last longer than the cooling effects of the gases.
The warming effect will be the first eruption on record to cause a cooling effect on the planet.
The ozone layer protects life on Earth from damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun and could be weakened if the amount of water in the air increases. H2O can break down into OH ion over time Ozone, which is made of three oxygen atoms, creates water and oxygen. Researchers don't know how this will affect the ozone layer.
The amount of methane in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of climate change. The same OH ion that reacts with ozone can also react with methane, which traps less heat in the atmosphere than methane. Researchers hoped that the reduction in methane might offset some of the warming caused by the water Vapor.
The study authors think it's too early to know how the eruption will affect the climate. The researchers wrote that it was important to monitor volcanic gases from this eruption and future ones to better quantify their differing roles in climate.
It was originally published on Live Science
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