HomeDisastersA year after the volcano erupted, many of Tonga's cliffs remained silent

A year after the volcano erupted, many of Tonga’s cliffs remained silent

A year after a massive eruption of an underwater volcano in the South Pacific, the island nation of Tonga is still dealing with damage to its coastal waters. When Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted, it sent a shock wave around the world, creating a plume of water and ash that flew higher into the atmosphere than any on record, and sent tsunami waves reverberating across the region—bang to the archipelago that lies southeast of Fiji.

Coral reefs were reduced to rubble and many fish died or migrated away. As a result, Tongans are struggling as more than 80% of Tongan families rely on reef fishing, according to 2019 World Bank data. After the eruption, the Tongan government said it would request $240 million for reconstruction, including improving food security. Immediately afterwards, the World Bank provided $8 million.

Poasi Ngaluafe, head of science at Tonga’s fisheries ministry says “In terms of the recovery plan, we are waiting for funds to cover the expenses associated with small-scale fishing along the coastal communities”.

The vast majority of Tonga’s territory is ocean, with its exclusive economic zone spanning nearly 700,000 square kilometers (270,271 sq mi) of water. While commercial fishing contributes only 2.3% to the national economy, subsistence fishing is considered key to creating Tonga’s staple diet.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in a November report that the eruption cost the country’s fisheries and aquaculture industry about $7.4 million a significant figure for Tonga’s roughly $500 million economy. Losses were largely caused by damaged fishing vessels, with almost half of this damage to the small-scale fishing sector, although some commercial vessels were also affected.

Since the Tongan government does not closely monitor subsistence fishing, it is difficult to estimate the impact of the eruption on fish catches. But scientists say that in addition to some fish stocks likely being depleted, there are other troubling signs that suggest the fishery may take a long time to recover.

Young corals are failing to mature in the coastal waters around the eruption site, and many areas that were once home to healthy and abundant reefs are now barren, according to a government survey in August. Volcanic ash is likely to have overwhelmed many reefs, depriving fish of feeding and spawning grounds. The survey found that no marine life survived near the volcano.

Meanwhile, a tsunami that surged in the waters surrounding the archipelago knocked down large boulder corals and created a field of coral debris. And while some reefs survived, the popping, popping and popping of foraging shrimp and fish, a sign of a healthy environment, was gone.

ECONOMIC REWARD

Agriculture has proven to be a lifeline for Tonga, which faces empty waters and damaged ships. Despite concerns that volcanic ash, which covered 99% of the country, would make the soil too toxic to grow crops, “food production has resumed with little impact,” said Siosiua Halavatu, a soil scientist speaking on behalf of the Tongan government.

Soil tests revealed that the fallen ash is not harmful to humans. And while yam and sweet potato plants died during the eruption and fruit trees were burned by the falling ash, they began to recover once the ash was washed away.

SKY WATER

Scientists are now also assessing the impact of the eruption on the atmosphere. While volcanic eruptions on land spew out mostly ash and sulfur dioxide, underwater volcanoes spew much more water.

Tonga’s eruption was no different, with the white-gray blast plume reaching 57 kilometers (35.4 miles) and injecting 146 million tons of water into the atmosphere.

Water vapor can remain in the atmosphere for up to ten years, trapping heat at the Earth’s surface and leading to greater overall warming. More atmospheric water vapor can also help damage ozone, which protects the planet from harmful UV radiation.

“This one volcano increased the total amount of global water in the stratosphere by 10 percent,” said Paul Newman, chief scientist for earth sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “We’re just now starting to see the impact of that.”

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