Tonga volcano eruption stimulates life: Rapid, massive bloom of ocean phytoplankton

The largest submarine volcanic eruption of the century led to a bloom of plankton in the Kingdom of Tonga. A team of scientists from the University of Hawai'i at Mnoa and Oregon State University discovered that the bloom of marine life covered an area nearly 40 times the size of the island of O'ahu within 48 hours.

The UH Mnoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) led team analyzed satellite images and found that the deposition of volcanic ash was likely.

The base of the marine food web is served by tiny photosynthetic organisms called phytoplankton. The growth of these microbes is limited by the low concentrations of nutrients in the ocean.

Benedetto Barone is the lead author of the study and research oceanographer at the Center for Microbial Oceanography. The growth of phytoplankton was stimulated by the ash fallout, which reached concentrations well beyond normal values.

Dave Karl is the study co-author and director of C-MORE. This shows how fast the system can respond.

Ken Rubin is a study co-author and volcanologist in the SOEST Department of Earth Sciences. The broad interconnectedness and interdependence of different aspects of the environment is shown by our observations.

Lessons from the volcano.

The potential impacts of volcanic eruptions on ocean ecosystems were highlighted by three of the study authors who had previously assessed and sampled a smaller bloom.

Barone said it was easy to modify the computer code he had written to analyze the satellite data to determine the impact of the Tonga eruption. It was obvious from the beginning of the analysis that there had been a fast response in a large region.

Understanding ocean fertilization is important.

The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the main cause of warming our planet. The eruption showed the ability of the powerhouses to respond quickly when the right conditions are present.

Predicting the behavior of pelagic environments can be done by the dynamics of this event. This knowledge can be used to discuss the impacts of carbon dioxide removal technologies.

More information: B. Barone et al, Satellite Detection of a Massive Phytoplankton Bloom Following the 2022 Submarine Eruption of the Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Haʻapai Volcano, Geophysical Research Letters (2022). DOI: 10.1029/2022GL099293 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters Citation: Tonga volcano eruption stimulates life: Rapid, massive bloom of ocean phytoplankton (2022, October 12) retrieved 12 October 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-10-tonga-volcano-eruption-life-rapid.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.