1 year on from the Tonga eruption - global temperature check.

It’s 12 months today since the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai major volcanic eruption that sent atmospheric shock waves and tsunamis across the Globe.

Each month since we have been keeping a close eye on global temperatures to see if the chemistry change in the stratosphere has had any impact like previous VEI 6+ major eruptions of the last 2 centuries.

Using the eruption month as the base, since the Tonga eruption, the earth has cooled around -0.1°c. A comparison against Krakatoa 1883, Novarupta 1912 and Pinatubo 1991 shows similar temperature trends at same stage. Mt Pinatubo’s impact accelerated over the next 6 months, with peak cooling of nearly -0.5°c at the earth’s surface 17 months after the eruption. Only time will tell on what Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai true impact will be on the atmosphere. Stay tuned…