ICYMI
'Nothing comparable': Volcanic eruption caused the most intense lightning storm on recordDoyle Rice, USA TODAY
Fri, June 23, 2023
Wow.
Last year's colossal eruption of the Hunga undersea volcano near Tonga produced the most intense lightning storm ever recorded on Earth, scientists announced in a new study published this week.
In fact, at one point during the 11-hour lightning storm, an incredible 2,600 flashes per minute were recorded.
“This eruption triggered a supercharged thunderstorm, the likes of which we’ve never seen,” said Alexa Van Eaton, a volcanologist at the United States Geological Survey, who led the study.
The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union. Previously, the annual lightning report from Vaisala estimated The Hunga Tonga volcano explosion generated hundreds of thousands of lightning events in just six hours, the most extreme concentration of lightning ever detected.
Amazing facts about the eruption and lightning storm
The eruption lasted at least 11 hours, several hours longer than previously known
There were a total of 200,000 lightning flashes during the storm
The volcanic plume produced the highest-altitude lightning flashes ever measured, at some 12 to 19 miles above sea level
Lightning “surfed” giant waves that rippled through the volcanic plume
An image from footage by Japan's Himawari-8 satellite and released by the National Institute of Information and Communications (Japan) on Jan. 15, 2022 shows the volcanic eruption that provoked a tsunami in Tonga. The eruption was so intense it was heard as "loud thunder sounds" in Fiji more than 500 miles) away.
'We’ve never seen anything like that before'
High-resolution lightning data from four separate sources – never previously used all together – have now let scientists peer into the volcanic plume from the event, teasing out new phases of the eruption’s life cycle and gaining insights into the weird weather it created, the study said.
“With this eruption, we discovered that volcanic plumes can create the conditions for lightning far beyond the realm of meteorological thunderstorms we’ve previously observed,” Van Eaton said. “It turns out, volcanic eruptions can create more extreme lightning than any other kind of storm on Earth.”
According to the study, that also includes lightning that comes from supercell thunderstorms and from hurricanes.
“It wasn’t just the lightning intensity that drew us in,” Van Eaton added. She and her colleagues were also puzzled by the concentric rings of lightning, centered on the volcano, that expanded and contracted over time.
“The scale of these lightning rings blew our minds. We’ve never seen anything like that before, there’s nothing comparable in meteorological storms. Single lightning rings have been observed, but not multiples, and they’re tiny by comparison.”
More lightning info: Video shows fiery lightning strike at North Carolina motorsports company
The January 15, 2022, eruption of Tonga’s Hunga volcano produced a “supercharged” storm in the volcanic plume that had the most intense lightning ever recorded in a storm, according to a new study.
An 'explosive event'
The volcano, which is located in the southern Pacific Ocean, began erupting in December 2021, but its most explosive event did not occur until Jan. 15, 2022, Space.com said.
During the Jan. 15 eruption, it generated atmospheric shock waves, sonic booms and tsunami waves that traveled the world, according to NASA. It was the most powerful atmospheric explosion ever recorded on the planet.
At least six people died as a result of the eruption worldwide.
Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver
An 'explosive event'
The volcano, which is located in the southern Pacific Ocean, began erupting in December 2021, but its most explosive event did not occur until Jan. 15, 2022, Space.com said.
During the Jan. 15 eruption, it generated atmospheric shock waves, sonic booms and tsunami waves that traveled the world, according to NASA. It was the most powerful atmospheric explosion ever recorded on the planet.
At least six people died as a result of the eruption worldwide.
Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver
Violent Volcano Eruption Triggers an Ungodly Number of Lightning Flashes
Frank Landymore
Frank Landymore
FUTURISM
Sat, June 24, 2023
Zeus's Playground
The eruption of the underwater Hunga volcano in the southern Pacific Ocean produced the most intense lightning storm ever recorded.
According to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the resulting "supercharged" thunderstorm crackled with an unholy 2,600 flashes every minute at its peak, totaling nearly 200,000 flashes overall.
"This eruption triggered a supercharged thunderstorm, the likes of which we've never seen," said lead author Alexa Van Eaton, a volcanologist at the US Geographical Survey, in a statement.
If that isn't already insane enough, Van Eaton says the team observed massive lightning rings centered above the volcano, which continuously expanded and contracted.
"The scale of these lightning rings blew our minds," Van Eaton said. "We've never seen anything like that before, there's nothing comparable in meteorological storms."
Perfect Storm
Van Eaton explains that Hunga's eruption — which itself is one of the most powerful in history — blasted molten rock and volcanic ash through the ocean, sending a towering plume over 36 miles into the air. This form of eruption is called "phreatoplinian," and nothing of its kind has ever been observed with modern instruments.
On the way up, the molten material vaporized the seawater, which rose into the air and mingled with the ashy plume that continued to expand laterally after hitting its maximum height.
Now, all mixed together in a hellish brew, the collisions between the ash and the water generated incredible amounts of electricity — the ideal environment for lightning.
"With this eruption, we discovered that volcanic plumes can create the conditions for lightning far beyond the realm of meteorological thunderstorms we've previously observed," Van Eaton said. "It turns out, volcanic eruptions can create more extreme lightning than any other kind of storm on Earth."
Hell On Earth
This almighty display of power was only recorded thanks to a novel technique that combined lightning data from four different sources, using a mixture of light and radio wave sensors. Otherwise, the plume would have been too thick to penetrate.
From carefully combining the data, Van Eaton and her team observed the astonishing 192,000 lightning strikes, some originating from an "unprecedented" altitude of 19 miles.
This technique for observing the lightning strikes also proved invaluable in measuring the eruption's duration. Because the plume obstructed the volcanic vent, the researchers had to rely on lightning data to understand how long the eruptions persisted.
"The January 15 activity created volcanic plumes for at least 11 hours," Van Eaton said. "It was really only from looking at the lightning data that we were able to pull that out."
Sat, June 24, 2023
Zeus's Playground
The eruption of the underwater Hunga volcano in the southern Pacific Ocean produced the most intense lightning storm ever recorded.
According to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the resulting "supercharged" thunderstorm crackled with an unholy 2,600 flashes every minute at its peak, totaling nearly 200,000 flashes overall.
"This eruption triggered a supercharged thunderstorm, the likes of which we've never seen," said lead author Alexa Van Eaton, a volcanologist at the US Geographical Survey, in a statement.
If that isn't already insane enough, Van Eaton says the team observed massive lightning rings centered above the volcano, which continuously expanded and contracted.
"The scale of these lightning rings blew our minds," Van Eaton said. "We've never seen anything like that before, there's nothing comparable in meteorological storms."
Perfect Storm
Van Eaton explains that Hunga's eruption — which itself is one of the most powerful in history — blasted molten rock and volcanic ash through the ocean, sending a towering plume over 36 miles into the air. This form of eruption is called "phreatoplinian," and nothing of its kind has ever been observed with modern instruments.
On the way up, the molten material vaporized the seawater, which rose into the air and mingled with the ashy plume that continued to expand laterally after hitting its maximum height.
Now, all mixed together in a hellish brew, the collisions between the ash and the water generated incredible amounts of electricity — the ideal environment for lightning.
"With this eruption, we discovered that volcanic plumes can create the conditions for lightning far beyond the realm of meteorological thunderstorms we've previously observed," Van Eaton said. "It turns out, volcanic eruptions can create more extreme lightning than any other kind of storm on Earth."
Hell On Earth
This almighty display of power was only recorded thanks to a novel technique that combined lightning data from four different sources, using a mixture of light and radio wave sensors. Otherwise, the plume would have been too thick to penetrate.
From carefully combining the data, Van Eaton and her team observed the astonishing 192,000 lightning strikes, some originating from an "unprecedented" altitude of 19 miles.
This technique for observing the lightning strikes also proved invaluable in measuring the eruption's duration. Because the plume obstructed the volcanic vent, the researchers had to rely on lightning data to understand how long the eruptions persisted.
"The January 15 activity created volcanic plumes for at least 11 hours," Van Eaton said. "It was really only from looking at the lightning data that we were able to pull that out."
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