Greifswald 2024 – scientific programme
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UP: Fachverband Umweltphysik
UP 1: Atmospheric Trace Gases and Aerosols
UP 1.5: Talk
Monday, February 26, 2024, 12:15–12:30, ELP 6: HS 4
Tracing the Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai H2O anomaly through the mesosphere — •Sandra Wallis and Christian von Savigny — University of Greifswald, Germany
The 2022 Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai eruption emitted an exceptionally large amount of approximately 150 Tg H2O into the middle atmosphere (10 - 100 km). After an immediate subsidence, the volcanic H2O anomaly began to rise in the tropics and crossed the stratopause (1 hPa) by the end of March 2023. We use MLS H2O mixing ratios to trace its subsequent transport through the mesosphere (50 - 100 km altitude). This research is especially relevant to the noctilucent cloud community, because upon reaching the summer mesopause region (approximately 90 km) the H2O anomaly could potentially have an impact on the properties of noctilucent clouds such as occurrence frequency or brightness.
Keywords: Hunga Tonga; water vapor; mesosphere