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  • Stereo Plume Height and Mot...
    Carr, James L.; Horváth, Ákos; Wu, Dong L.; Friberg, Mariel D.

    Geophysical research letters, 16 May 2022, Letnik: 49, Številka: 9
    Journal Article

    Stereo methods using GOES‐17 and Himawari‐8 applied to the Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai volcanic plume on 15 January 2022 show overshooting tops reaching 50–55 km altitude, a record in the satellite era. Plume height is important to understand dispersal and transport in the stratosphere and climate impacts. Stereo methods, using geostationary satellite pairs, offer the ability to accurately capture the evolution of plume top morphology quasi‐continuously over long periods. Manual photogrammetry estimates plume height during the most dynamic early phase of the eruption and a fully automated algorithm retrieves both plume height and advection every 10 min during a more frequently sampled and stable phase beginning 3 hr after the eruption. Stereo heights are confirmed with Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Occultation bending angles, showing that much of the plume was lofted 30–40 km into the atmosphere. Cold bubbles are observed in the stratosphere with brightness temperature of ∼173 K. Plain Language Summary The Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai volcano in the South Pacific erupted violently on 15 January 2022. A volcanic plume from the eruption was lofted into the stratosphere to altitudes that are unprecedented in the era of satellite observations. We observed the highest part of the plume at 55 km and tracked the motion of the plume in 3D in the vicinity of the volcano for a 7‐hr period, every 10 min, using imagery from the geostationary GOES‐17 and Himawari‐8 satellites that are positioned at different locations on the equator. The apparent shift in the plume as seen from two different vantage points contains information about the plume height and the apparent movement of the plume as it is repeatedly observed by one satellite contains information about the plume velocity. We confirmed our height observations using radio occultation measurements that NOAA uses to profile the atmosphere. Radio waves are normally bent as they pass through the atmosphere from satellite to satellite, nearly grazing the Earth's surface, but when radio waves pass through the volcanic plume, there is an anomalously large change in bending angle. Key Points The Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai eruption of 15 January 2022, lofted material above 30 km to record‐breaking heights of ∼55 km Our stereo‐winds code retrieved height and motion vectors from GOES‐17 and Himawari‐8 every 10 min shortly after the eruption Radio occultation bending angles confirm plume altitudes