# August 2nd Tonga Volcanic Eruption

**URL:** <https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717>\
**Category:** Macro Economic Trends and Risks\
**Created:** [August 22, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717 "2023-08-22T21:30:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![intercst](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/intercst/32/1543_2.png) [@intercst](https://discussion.fool.com/u/intercst)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717/1 "2023-08-22T21:30:35Z")

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I’m surprised this isn’t more prominent in the news.

> **[Tonga Eruption Blasted Unprecedented Amount of Water Into Stratosphere](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/tonga-eruption-blasted-unprecedented-amount-of-water-into-stratosphere)**
>
> The huge amount of water vapor hurled into the atmosphere, as detected by NASA’s Microwave Limb Sounder, could end up temporarily warming Earth’s surface.

intercst

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**Author:** ![Tamhas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/tamhas/32/4672_2.png) [@Tamhas](https://discussion.fool.com/u/Tamhas)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717/2 "2023-08-22T21:50:33Z")

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It was in January when it erupted.

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**Author:** ![captainccs](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/captainccs/32/3775_2.png) [@captainccs](https://discussion.fool.com/u/captainccs)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717/3 "2023-08-22T22:19:31Z")

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It was January **2022** when it erupted but it’s too good a scare article to let it go to waste.

The Captain

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**Author:** ![intercst](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/intercst/32/1543_2.png) [@intercst](https://discussion.fool.com/u/intercst)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 10:41pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717/4 "2023-08-22T22:41:59Z")

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True. But researchers say that volume of water vapor is likely to remain in circulation around the stratosphere for years. Smaller eruptions dissipated more quickly.

Honestly, if you’re a fossil fuels climate denier, this is good news. You legitimately have something else to blame. {{ LOL }}

intercst

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**Author:** ![captainccs](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/captainccs/32/3775_2.png) [@captainccs](https://discussion.fool.com/u/captainccs)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 7:53am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717/5 "2023-08-23T07:53:59Z")

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> [@intercst](#):
>
> Honestly, if you’re a fossil fuels climate denier, this is good news. You legitimately have something else to blame. {{ LOL }}

There are lots of “legitimate somethings to blame” such as the big nuclear oven in the sky. Have you seen it?

The Captain

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**Author:** ![PucksFool](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/pucksfool/32/47955_2.png) [@PucksFool](https://discussion.fool.com/u/PucksFool)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 12:01pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717/6 "2023-08-23T12:01:04Z")

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I remember that story being discussed over a year ago. The difference between the Pinatubo eruption of the 1990s, which ejected aerosols and cooled the planet for a year or two, and the Tonga eruption of 2022, which ejected mostly water vapor, were interesting. Aerosols, dust and particulates, reflect sunlight which cools the planet. So as the water vapor from the eruption condenses around the normal particulates in the atmosphere over the next few years, will that contribute to increasing the warming of the planet as well? Will it increase global levels of precipitation?

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**Author:** ![DrBob2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/drbob2/32/3456_2.png) [@DrBob2](https://discussion.fool.com/u/DrBob2)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/august-2nd-tonga-volcanic-eruption/95717/7 "2023-08-23T14:58:11Z")

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> [@PucksFool](#):
>
> Aerosols, dust and particulates, reflect sunlight which cools the planet. So as the water vapor from the eruption condenses around the normal particulates in the atmosphere over the next few years, will that contribute to increasing the warming of the planet as well?

As I understand it, it will. The ice formed at high altitudes reflects some of the outgoing (longwave) radiation back toward the earth.  
Low clouds ==\> cooling  
High clouds ==\> warming

DB2