Rapid ozone depletion after humidification of the stratosphere by the Hunga Tonga Eruption

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano on 15 January 2022 offered a good opportunity to explore the early impacts of tropical volcanic eruptions on stratospheric composition. Balloon-borne observations near Reunion Island revealed the unprecedented amount of water vapor injected by the volcano. The enhanced stratospheric humidity, radiative cooling, and expanded aerosol surface area in the volcanic plume created the ideal conditions for swift ozone depletion of 5% in the tropical stratosphere in just 1 week. The decrease in hydrogen chloride by 0.4 parts per million by volume (ppbv) and the increase in chlorine monoxide by 0.4 ppbv provided compelling evidence for chlorine activation within the volcanic plume. This study enhances our understanding of the effect of this unusual volcanic eruption on stratospheric chemistry and provides insights into possible chemistry changes that may occur in a changing climate.

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Related Dataset #1 : O3 radiosounding data during the Hunga Tonga campaign at Maido
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Author Evan, S.
Brioude, J.
Rosenlof, K. H.
Gao, R.
Portmann, R. W.
Zhu, Y.
Volkamer, R.
Lee, C. F.
Metzger, J.
Lamy, K.
Walter, P.
Alvarez, S. L.
Flynn, J. H.
Asher, E.
Todt, M.
Davis, S. M.
Thornberry, T.
Vömel, Holger
Wienhold, F. G.
Stauffer, R. M.
Millán, L.
Santee, M. L.
Froidevaux, L.
Read, W. G.
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2023-10-20T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2025-07-11T15:13:40.514497
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:26907
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Evan, S., Brioude, J., Rosenlof, K. H., Gao, R., Portmann, R. W., Zhu, Y., Volkamer, R., Lee, C. F., Metzger, J., Lamy, K., Walter, P., Alvarez, S. L., Flynn, J. H., Asher, E., Todt, M., Davis, S. M., Thornberry, T., Vömel, Holger, Wienhold, F. G., Stauffer, R. M., Millán, L., Santee, M. L., Froidevaux, L., Read, W. G.. (2023). Rapid ozone depletion after humidification of the stratosphere by the Hunga Tonga Eruption. UCAR/NCAR - Library. https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7639tw1. Accessed 02 August 2025.

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