What does it mean?.. The eruption of the Tonga volcano under water leads to the disruption of satellite signals in the world

Written by Muhammad Ayman

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 05:00 PM

Research shows that volcanic eruptions can create plasma bubbles in the ionosphere, which greatly disrupt Earth’s atmosphere satellite communicationsThese findings prompt revisions to current models of atmospheric and ionospheric interactions.

An international team used ground-based and satellite ionosphere observations to demonstrate that an air pressure wave from volcanic eruptions can produce a tropical plasma bubble (EPB) in the ionosphere, severely disrupting satellite-based communications scitechdaily.

The ionosphere is the region of Earth’s upper atmosphere where molecules and atoms are ionized by solar radiation, resulting in positively charged ions. The region with the highest concentration of ionized particles is called the region. F which is an area of ​​150 to 800 km above the Earth’s surface, and plays the region F It plays an important role in long-distance radio communications, as it reflects and refracts radio waves used by satellite tracking systems and GPS. global positioning (GPS) to the Earth’s surface.

These important transfers can be disrupted due to irregularities in the area F. During the day, the ionosphere is ionized by the sun’s ultraviolet rays, creating a dense gradient of electrons with higher densities near the equator, however, disturbances to this, such as plasma motion, electric fields, and neutral winds, can cause irregular formation Localized to enhanced plasma density, this region can grow and develop, creating a bubble-like structure called a EPBand can EPB Delaying radio waves and reducing performance GPS.

Because these intensity gradients can be affected by atmospheric waves, it has long been hypothesized that they are caused by terrestrial events such as volcanic activity, an international team led by Designated Assistant Professor Atsuki Shinbori and Professor Yoshizumi Miyoshi of the Institute for Space and Earth Environment Research (ISEE), Nagoya University, in collaboration with NICTuniversity Electro – Communication, Tohoku University, Kanazawa University, Kyoto University and ISASThe eruption of the Tonga volcano provided them with the perfect opportunity to test this theory.

The eruption of the Tonga volcano was the largest volcano eruption in history, which allowed the team to test their theory using a satellite. Arase to detect duplicates EPB and the satellite Himawari-8 To verify the initial arrival of air pressure waves and ground-based ionospheric observations of the movement of the ionosphere, they observed an irregular structure of electron density across the equator that occurred after the arrival of pressure waves from a volcanic eruption.

Shinburi said: “The results of this study showed that molecules EPB generated in the Ionian Ocean in the equator to low latitudes of Asia in response to the arrival of pressure waves from undersea volcanic eruptions off Tonga.”

The group also made a surprising discovery, for the first time, that they showed that ionospheric fluctuations begin a few minutes to a few hours before the atmospheric pressure waves involved in the generation of plasma bubbles, and this could have important implications because it indicates that the long-term model of atmospheric coupling, which states that Ionospheric perturbations occur only after the explosion.

“Our new finding is that ionospheric disturbances were observed several minutes to hours before the initial arrival of the shock waves from the Tonga eruption,” Shinburi said. For shock waves, therefore, the model needs to be revised to account for these fast waves in the atmosphere in the ionosphere.”