Anatomy of the tsunami and Lamb waves-induced ionospheric signatures generated by the 2022 Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption

Abstract

Abstract As tsunamis propagate across open oceans, they remain largely unseen due to the lack of adequate sensors. To address this fundamental limitation of existing tsunami warnings, we investigate Global Navigation Satellites Systems (GNSS) data to monitor the ionosphere Total Electron Content (TEC) for Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs) created by tsunami-induced internal gravity waves (IGWs). The approach has been applied to regular tsunamis generated by earthquakes, while the case of undersea volcanic eruptions injecting energy into both the ocean and the atmosphere remains mostly unexplored. With both a regular tsunami and air-sea waves, the large 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption is a challenge. Here, we show that even in near-field regions (1000-1500km), despite the complex wavefield, we can isolate the regular tsunami signature. We also highlight that the eruption-generated Lamb wave induces an ionospheric disturbance with a similar waveform and an amplitude spatial pattern consistent with IGW origin but with a quasi-constant propagation speed (~ 315m/s). These results imply that when GNSS-TEC measurements are registered near an ocean bottom pressure sensor, they can help discriminating the regular tsunami from the initial air-sea waves appearing in the sensor observations.