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Lightning Rings and Gravity Waves: Insights Into the Giant Eruption Plume From Tonga's Hunga Volcano on 15 January 2022
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2023
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Source: Geophysical Research Letters, 50(12)
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Journal Title:Geophysical Research Letters
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Description:On 15 January 2022, Hunga Volcano in Tonga produced the most violent eruption in the modern satellite era, sending a water-rich plume at least 58 km high. Using a combination of satellite- and ground-based sensors, we investigate the astonishing rate of volcanic lightning (>2,600 flashes min −1) and what it reveals about the dynamics of the submarine eruption. In map view, lightning locations form radially expanding rings. We show that the initial lightning ring is co-located with an internal gravity wave traveling >80 m s −1 in the stratospheric umbrella cloud. Buoyant oscillations of the plume's overshooting top generated the gravity waves, which enhanced turbulent particle interactions and triggered high-current electrical discharges at unusually
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Source:Geophysical Research Letters, 50(12)
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DOI:
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ISSN:0094-8276;1944-8007;
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Rights Information:CC BY
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Compliance:Library
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