An underwater volcano erupted near Tonga in 2022, causing destruction in the archipelago nation. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcanic eruption also triggered a tsunami that caused significant damage in Tonga. Now, researchers at Japan’s Nagoya University have used data from explosions and disturbances in Earth’s atmosphere to track the wind waves that cause tsunamis. The findings are now likely to help predict future giant waves and tsunamis.
during tsunamiDuring oscillation of sounds the lower atmosphere gets distorted and gravity Waves are generated, which cause a jumble of electrons in the upper atmosphere. radio waves From satellites And those used in GPS pass through this layer of the atmosphere which causes errors in the positional information provided by GPS at the time of natural disaster.
recently studypublished in Earth, Planets and SpaceThe team of researchers used data from GPS and satellites to investigate errors caused by the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption. It was observed that the air pressure waves caused by the explosion reached as far as Australia and Japan.
These waves cause oscillations in the lower part of the ionosphere which in turn generate electric field, The fields were then transferred into the upper atmosphere at high speed. The scientists noted that electron charges were detected before the pressurized air waves caused by tsunamis.
“We captured an indication of an ionospheric disturbance caused by an air pressure wave about three hours before the pressure wave generated by the volcanic eruption,” said assistant professor Atsuki Shinbori. study.
“In short, the importance of these results can be divided into two aspects: the scientific aspect of a coupled system, and the disaster prevention aspect of preparedness for severe events such as tsunamis,” Shinbori said.
According to the professor, analysis of disturbances in the ionosphere during volcanic eruptions and monitoring of seismic events can effectively predict tsunamis.