Publications by authors named "Stephanie Evan"
Unexpectedly rapid aerosol formation in the Hunga Tonga plume.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
November 2023
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (HT-HH) volcanic eruptions on January 13 and 15, 2022, produced a plume with the highest signal in stratospheric aerosol optical depth observed since the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. Suites of balloon-borne instruments on a series of launches from Réunion Island intercepted the HT-HH plume between 7 and 10 d of the eruptions, yielding observations of the aerosol number and size distribution and sulfur dioxide (SO) and water vapor (HO) concentrations.
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- The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted on January 15, 2022, providing a unique chance to study how tropical volcanic eruptions affect the stratosphere.
- Observations from balloons near Réunion Island indicated a significant injection of water vapor which led to increased humidity, causing rapid ozone depletion of 5% within a week.
- The study also showed changes in chlorine compounds in the volcanic plume, enhancing our understanding of volcanic impacts on stratospheric chemistry and potential climate change effects.
Large volcanic eruptions, although rare events, can influence the chemistry and the dynamics of the stratosphere for several years after the eruption. Here we show that the eruption of the submarine volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai on 15 January 2022 injected at least 50 teragrams of water vapor directly into the stratosphere. This event raised the amount of water vapor in the developing stratospheric plume by several orders of magnitude and possibly increased the amount of global stratospheric water vapor by more than 5%.
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