Underground volcanic eruption near Tonga
Underwater
volcano near Tonga erupts to turn the sea blood red and the sky grey
with ash
14
January, 2015
January
2015 – TONGA - An
underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga is spewing ash high into
the air – causing air travel chaos and turning the surrounding
ocean the color of blood. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater
volcano is around 40 miles (65km) north of Tonga’s capital
Nuku’alofa. Its ash plume has reached heights of more than
14,765ft (4,500 meters) and the eruption has disturbed algae in the
region, causing what’s known as a red tide. The volcano, which
first erupted in 2009, had been rumbling in recent weeks before
exploding violently in the past few days. Brad Scott, a volcanologist
at New Zealand agency GNS Science, said volcanic activity had been
recorded for several weeks in a stretch of ocean and small islands
around 35 miles (60km) north of Nuku’alofa. He believes the volcano
may have started beneath the ocean and grown until it reached the
surface, essentially creating a new island. But he said details of
the eruption still remain unclear.
The
Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) confirmed the height
of the volcanic ash plume earlier today. A short-lived but
powerful eruption of the volcano, in March of 2009, lasted for almost
a week. At the time, geologists said the eruption originated from two
volcanic vents. One was located on Hunga Ha’apai, while the other
was around 330ft (100m) offshore. The two vents spewed so much
debris, however, they created a new land mass. And now scientists
want to establish whether the latest eruption is related to this. Mr.
Scott continued that Tonga has asked New Zealand for technical
assistance, and that GNS plans to send two volcanologists to assess
what’s happening as soon as flights resume.
The
so-called red tide is also known as an algal bloom. An algal bloom
occurs when there is a sudden increase in the amount of algae in
water. When levels of nitrogen and phosphorus rise, which can be
caused by underwater eruptions such as the one off the coast of
Tonga, algae can multiply. Typically, this causes water to turn
green, but the effect also causes reds and yellows to be released. In
particular, a bloom of dinoflagellate algae causes water to turn
blood red in colour.
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