NASA has followed the Pacific Islands evolution for years. Then Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted. 🌋 “It gave us a window into a rapid-paced life history of an island that we can compare to hundreds of other islands in the oceans over time,” said Jim Garvin, Chief Scientist at NASA Goddard. Through the eyes of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and ESA - European Space Agency satellites, scientists are able to study the life cycle of volcanic islands – from formation to erupti

High-resolution Himawari satellite imagery of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcanic eruption in Tonga 🌋 Our climate stations recorded a brief spike in air pressure as the atmospheric shock wave pulsed across New Zealand. From Civil Defence: "We have issued a NATIONAL ADVISORY: TSUNAMI ACTIVITY following the Tongan eruption. We expect New Zealand coastal areas on the north and east coast of the North Island and the Chatham Islands to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surg

Experience the dramatic eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano on January 15, 2022, captured in stunning 4K UHD video by NOAA’s satellites. This extraordinary footage from the ISS showcases the ash cloud soaring 17 kilometers (55,000 feet) into the atmosphere and the powerful shock wave propagation. The eruption's immense energy caused significant property damage, shattering windows and structures near the site. A tsunami warning was issued shortly after the explosion, and the resulting waves flood

On Jan. 13, 2022, the Himawari-8 satellite captured an explosive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, located in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. 🌋 A tidal gauge in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, measured a one-foot tsunami wave that resulted from the blast. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operational partners at the Japan Meteorological Agency | Science Channel