NUNZIUM

On January 15 the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcano erupted with a record global impact: it sent a tsunami racing around the world, set off a sonic boom that circled the globe twice, and it released into the atmosphere a record amount of hot vapor. Experts hypothesized that such event could impact the global ozone layer and provoke an average raise in the Earth’s surface temperature. The eruption was the largest since Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines blew in 1991, and the biggest explosion ever recorded by instruments. For this reason an international mission led by New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) and funded by the Nippon Foundation of Japan is now in place to monitor and understand the volcanic activity. The Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Maxlimer is part-way through mapping the opening of the underwater HTHH volcano. The data collected so far has confirmed earlier reports of continuing volcanic activity from HTHH. Sharon Walker, Oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory said: “Early data shows ongoing activity within the caldera, though it is too early to tell if it is due to continuing eruption but at a reduced intensity, or hydrothermal venting driven by cooling lava, or both.” Robotic, remotely controlled boats are likely to be the future of maritime operations. When surveying a dangerous area such as the active HTHH volcano, remote control ensures no crew are put in harm's way.