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Stratospheric balloon observations of infrasound waves from the January 15 2022 Hunga eruption, Tonga
  • +6
  • Aurélien Podglajen,
  • Alexis Le Pichon,
  • Raphael F. Garcia,
  • Solène Gerier,
  • Christophe Millet,
  • Kristopher M. Bedka,
  • Konstantin V. Khlopenkov,
  • Sergey M. Khaykin,
  • Albert Hertzog
Aurélien Podglajen
Laboratoire de météorologie dynamique, Ecole Polytechnique, Laboratoire de météorologie dynamique, Ecole Polytechnique

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Alexis Le Pichon
CEA, DAM, DIF, CEA, DAM, DIF
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Raphael F. Garcia
Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, ISAE-SUPAERO, Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, ISAE-SUPAERO
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Solène Gerier
ISAE-SUPAERO, ISAE-SUPAERO
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Christophe Millet
CEA, CEA
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Kristopher M. Bedka
NASA Langley Research Center, NASA Langley Research Center
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Konstantin V. Khlopenkov
Science Systems and Applications, Science Systems and Applications
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Sergey M. Khaykin
CNRS-LATMOS, CNRS-LATMOS
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Albert Hertzog
Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique
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Abstract

The 15 January 2022 eruption of the Hunga volcano (Tonga) generated a rich spectrum of waves, some of which achieved global propagation. Among numerous platforms mon- itoring the event, two stratospheric balloons flying over the tropical Pacific provided unique observations of infrasonic wave arrivals, detecting five complete revolutions. Combined with ground measurements from the infrasound network of the International Monitor- ing System, balloon-borne observations may provide additional constraint on the scenario of the eruption, as suggested by the correlation between bursts of acoustic wave emis- sion and peaks of maximum volcanic plume top height. Balloon records also highlight previously unobserved long-range propagation of infrasound modes and their dispersion patterns. A comparison between ground- and balloon-based measurements emphasizes superior signal-to-noise ratios onboard the balloons and further demonstrates their po- tential for infrasound studies.