Satellite images show just how ridiculously high the Tonga volcanic plume rose

Photo by Maxar via Getty Images

The volcanic eruption that hit the Pacific island nation of Tonga in January blasted ash all the way up to the mesosphere, the third layer of Earth's atmosphere. The volcano was likely the tallest ever measured by satellite, according to NASA.

Two weather satellites were in the right place at the right time and NASA was able to measure the plume. The eruption from above is given a play-by-play by the satellites.

Within 30 minutes after the eruption, ash, steam, and gas from the underwater volcano rose all the way up to the mesosphere. A second blast went up to 50 kilometers (31 miles), placing it right around the border between the mesosphere and the stratosphere.

A combination of heat from the volcano and water from the ocean helped propel the volcanic plume to a startling height.

Kristopher Bedka, an atmospheric scientist at NASA, said in a statement that it was like hyper-fuel for a mega-thunderstorm.

Volcanic emissions can temporarily cool things down. The sunlight reflects the sulfur dioxide found in volcanic ash. NASA says that because there was so much water and not a lot of sulfur dioxide, it probably won't have an effect.

On January 15th, the plume from that historic eruption rose and disbursed. The leftover aerosols could linger in the stratosphere for a full year.

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The eruption caused a devastating tsunami. The archipelago was cut off from the rest of the world for a few days after the catastrophe. After rescue efforts brought COVID-19 cases into the country, there was an outbreak in the island nation. Recovering from all the damage caused by the volcano and the tsunami will cost $90 million, equivalent to 18 percent of the country's GDP, according to a World Bank estimate.