Ionospheric disturbances observed over China after 2022 January 15 Tonga volcano eruption

At 04:14:45 UT on 2022 January 15, a powerful eruption of the submarine Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano occurred at about 30 km south of the Ha'apai Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga (at -20.55 & DEG; N, -175.39 & DEG; E). This eruption caused atmospheric waves that spread worldwide. In this study, we investigate the the total electron content (TEC) variation over China using the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. The particularly interesting feature of the data set compared to other ground-based TEC data is the exclusive use of the BeiDou geostationary satellites, which monitor the TEC variations for fixed ionospheric piercing points and can provide more accurate calculations of the travelling speed of the disturbance. For comparison, atmospheric pressure records were examined, which show that the Lamb wave passed by the same stations four times with a constant speed of 310 m s(-1). However, the TEC results show that the ionospheric disturbances passing over China four times with different speeds within four days after the eruption, two travelling along the short-path direction and two along the long-path direction. The primary front of the first short-path event travels with a speed of 340 m s(-1), which is higher than the Lamb wave. The faster speed suggests that the primary front cannot be fully attributed to the Lamb wave, and further studies need to explore its mechanism. The second short-path and first long-path events travel with speeds of 301 and 310 m s(-1), respectively, close to the speed of the Lamb wave, and they may be caused by upward energy leakage during the propagation of the Lamb wave. The second long-path event travels with a speed of 264 m s(-1), possibly induced by the gravity waves.

Automated summary

On January 15, 2022, a powerful eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai submarine volcano occurred near the Ha'apai Islands in Tonga, generating atmospheric waves that spread globally. The study focuses on the variation of total electron content (TEC) in China using the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. The unique use of BeiDou geostationary satellites in this study provides more accurate calculations of disturbance traveling speed compared to other ground-based TEC data. The TEC results show that ionospheric disturbances passing over China after the eruption traveled at different speeds, indicating the need for further investigation into their mechanism.