Hunga volcano eruption cooled, rather than warmed, the Southern Hemisphere

Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption site

Spectacular satellite view of daytime True Color RGB imagery over the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption site, capturing the initial eruption (19–20 December 2021), the major eruption (13–14 January 2022), and the climactic eruption (15 January 2022)

Key takeaways

  • A new UCLA-led study shows that the 2022 eruption of underwater volcano Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai did not warm the planet as was expected but actually reduced temperatures over the Southern Hemisphere by 0.1 C.
  • The eruption released far less sulfur dioxide and much more water vapor than expected into the stratosphere.
  • The work underscores that geoengineering could have multiple consequences, and scientists need to understand a given atmospheric system properly in order to understand whether geoengineering it will contribute to cooling or warming.

Continue reading on UCLA newsroom: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/hunga-volcano-eruption-cooled-southern-hemisphere