Tracking the Transport of SO2 and Sulphate Aerosols from the Tonga Volcanic Eruption to South Africa

Abstract

During a volcanic eruption, copious amounts of volcanic gas, aerosol droplets, and ash are released into the stratosphere, potentially impacting radiative feedback. One of the most significant volcanic gases emitted is sulphur dioxide, which can travel long distances and impact regions far from the source. This study aimed to investigate the transport of sulphur dioxide and sulphate aerosols from the Tonga volcanic eruption event, which occurred from the 13th to the 15th of January 2022. Various datasets, including Sentinel-5 Precursor (TROPOMI), the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS), were utilized to observe the transport of these constituents. The TROPOMI data revealed westward-traveling SO2 plumes over Australia and the Indian Ocean towards Africa, eventually reaching the Republic of South Africa (RSA), as confirmed by ground-based monitoring stations of the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS). Moreover, the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) demonstrated sulphate aerosols at heights ranging from 18 to 28 km with a plume thickness of 1 to 4 km. The results of this study demonstrate that multiple remote sensing datasets can effectively investigate the dispersion and long-range transport of volcanic constituents.