TY - JOUR
T1 - Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Hydration of the Stratosphere
AU - Millan, Luis
AU - Santee, Michelle L.
AU - Lambert, Alyn
AU - Livesey, Nathaniel J.
AU - Werner, Frank
AU - Schwartz, Michael J.
AU - Pumphrey, Hugh
AU - Manney, Gloria L.
AU - Wang, Yuan
AU - Su, Hui
AU - Wu, Longtao
AU - Read, William G.
AU - Froidevaux, Lucien
N1 - Funding Information:
The research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). GLM was supported by the JPL Microwave Limb Sounder team under JPL subcontract #1521127 to NWRA. We thank S. Khaykin for helpful discussions. The suggestions for improvements from the two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.
Funding Information:
The research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). GLM was supported by the JPL Microwave Limb Sounder team under JPL subcontract #1521127 to NWRA. We thank S. Khaykin for helpful discussions. The suggestions for improvements from the two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged.
PY - 2022/7/16
Y1 - 2022/7/16
N2 - Following the 15 January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption, several trace gases measured by the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder displayed anomalous stratospheric values. Trajectories and radiance simulations confirm that the H2O, SO2, and HCl enhancements were injected by the eruption. In comparison with those from previous eruptions, the SO2 and HCl injections were unexceptional, although they reached higher altitudes. In contrast, the H2O injection was unprecedented in both magnitude (far exceeding any previous values in the 17-year MLS record) and altitude (penetrating into the mesosphere). We estimate the mass of H2O injected into the stratosphere to be 146+-5 Tg - ~10% of the stratospheric burden. It may take several years for the H2O plume to dissipate. This eruption could impact climate not through surface cooling due to sulfate aerosols, but rather through surface warming due to the radiative forcing from the excess stratospheric H2O.
AB - Following the 15 January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption, several trace gases measured by the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder displayed anomalous stratospheric values. Trajectories and radiance simulations confirm that the H2O, SO2, and HCl enhancements were injected by the eruption. In comparison with those from previous eruptions, the SO2 and HCl injections were unexceptional, although they reached higher altitudes. In contrast, the H2O injection was unprecedented in both magnitude (far exceeding any previous values in the 17-year MLS record) and altitude (penetrating into the mesosphere). We estimate the mass of H2O injected into the stratosphere to be 146+-5 Tg - ~10% of the stratospheric burden. It may take several years for the H2O plume to dissipate. This eruption could impact climate not through surface cooling due to sulfate aerosols, but rather through surface warming due to the radiative forcing from the excess stratospheric H2O.
U2 - 10.1029/2022GL099381
DO - 10.1029/2022GL099381
M3 - Article
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 49
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 13
M1 - e2022GL099381
ER -