Oscillation of the Ionosphere Caused by the 2022 Tonga Volcanic Eruption
Observed with SuperDARN Radars
Jiyao Xu

State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, Center for Space Science and Applied research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, Center for Space Science and Applied research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Author ProfileAbstract
On 15 January 2022, the submarine volcano on the southwest Pacific
island of Tonga violently erupted. Thus far, the ionospheric oscillation
features caused by the volcanic eruption have not been identified. Here,
the field-aligned electron density irregularities in the ionosphere
detected by Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radars are
employed as tracers to analyse ionospheric oscillation in the Northern
Hemisphere caused by the volcanic eruption in Tonga. Due to the magnetic
field conjugate effect, the ionospheric oscillations were observed much
earlier than expected, and the maximum negative line-of-sight (LOS)
velocity of the ionospheric oscillation exceeded 100 m/s in the F layer.
After the surface air pressure wave arrived, the maximum LOS velocity in
the E layer approached 150 m/s. The ionosphere also experienced a
maximum upwards displacement of 100 km. This work provides a new
perspective for understanding the strong ionospheric oscillation caused
by geological hazards observed on Earth.