Generation of equatorial plasma bubble after the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption

Abstract

Equatorial plasma bubbles are a phenomenon of plasma density depletion with small-scale density irregularities, normally observed in the equatorial ionosphere. This phenomenon, which impacts satellite-based communications, was observed in the Asia-Pacific region after the largest-on-record January 15, 2022 eruption of the Tonga volcano. We used satellite and ground-based ionospheric observations to demonstrate that an air pressure wave triggered by the Tonga volcanic eruption could cause the emergence of an equatorial plasma bubble. The most prominent observation result shows a sudden increase of electron density and height of the ionosphere several ten minutes to hours before the arrival of the air pressure wave in the lower atmosphere. After the ionospheric perturbations, plasma density depletion appeared in the equatorial and low-latitude ionosphere. We stress that tracking of such ionospheric signals before the initial arrival of the air pressure wave helps us to predict the arrival and scale of Tsunami.

Occurrence of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) Over the Indian Region on 15 January 2022 and Their Plausible Connection to the Tonga Volcano Eruption

“…The study by Shinbori et al. (2023) showed that TEC perturbations consistently preceded tropospheric temperature deviations. Importantly, the atmospheric disturbances propagated in the thermosphere as acoustic waves that were generated over the Tonga volcano and on the way between each observation point and the volcano.…”

“…Shinbori et al. (2023) suggested that the pressure waves triggered after the eruption might have propagated well before the propagation of Lamb waves in the ionosphere and generated EPBs over Japan. In addition, there is a sudden increase in electron density and height of the ionosphere before the arrival of the tropospheric perturbations.…”

Detection of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Triggered by 2022 Tonga Volcanic Eruptions Through CubeSats Coherent GNSS‐Reflectometry Measurement

“…(2022) and Shinbori, Sori, et al. (2023) showed the equatorial plasma bubble over the Asia‐Pacific Region after the eruption. Saito (2022) and Liu et al.…”

Magnetic Field Signatures of Tropospheric and Thermospheric Lamb Modes Triggered by the 15 January 2022 Tonga Volcanic Eruption

“…Lin et al., 2021) on the ground. Scientists also observe that vertical ground motions of seismic and tsunami waves (Pradipta et al., 2023) as well as volcanic eruptions can trigger disturbances in the atmosphere near the Earth's surface (hereafter termed, traveling atmospheric disturbances (TADs)), which further propagate into the ionosphere (hereafter termed, traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs)) (Astafyeva et al., 2022; Shinbori et al., 2023), change the conductivity and the current in the E‐layer at about 110 km altitude (Iyemori et al., 2022; Le et al., 2022; Shinbori et al., 2022), and then modulate underneath magnetic fields on the ground (Liu et al., 2016; Sun et al., 2022).…”