Detection of Air Temperature and Wind Changes Synchronized with the Lamb
Wave from the 2022 Tonga Volcanic Eruption
Abstract
The violent 2022 Tonga submarine volcanic eruption produced globally
propagating atmospheric disturbance. The short explosive eruption
generated a leading Lamb wave pulse that are recorded as a pressure
pulse worldwide. A weather station network in Japan recorded the
pressure pulse as well as temperature and winds during the passage of
the Lamb pressure pulse. Individual temperature and wind records
indicate little simultaneous change. However, after aligning temperature
and wind records at the timing of pressure pulse arrivals and stacking,
we obtain clear temperature and wind changes synchronized with the
pressure change. By assuming Lamb wave propagation synthesized
temperature and wind changes from the pressure record match well the
observed waveforms. Observed wind speed and pressure change of the Lamb
pulse directly yield the total energy transported by the pulse to be 4.2
x 1016 J.