NIWA is leading a voyage (TAN2206), between 9th April and 6th May 2022 to Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai (HT-HH) volcano within the Kingdom of Tonga.
Subsequent to a recent eruption at HT-HH, this voyage is intended to identify changes in the seafloor and allow the ongoing recovery of the seabed and associated ecosystems to be assessed.
The three main research themes were:
- Seafloor mapping
- Geological and ecological impacts from the eruption
- Eruption impacts on water column oceanography
View the report: Environmental impacts of the 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha’apai: voyage report of part 1 of the TesMAP survey of the region in April-May 2022 (TAN2206) (PDF 14 MB)
The eruption
Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai, one of 22 volcanoes in the waters around the Tonga, erupted violently on 15thJanuary 2022. This eruption was the largest of three volcanic events in the last decade. Prior to the eruption the volcano caldera sat approximately 150 m below sea level and part of the volcano connected the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai making them a single landmass.
Following the eruption, no part of the volcano is now above water and the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai were reduced in size. It is expected similarly dramatic changes have occurred in the underwater topography. Submarine cable breakages show impacts up to 50 km from the volcano caldera, implying changes to the seabed over an area of at least 8,000 km2.
Map of the course of RV Tangaroa taken during the TAN2206 voyage starting on 9 April 2022
Select anywhere on the red track to see position details and time as well as other vessel information. N.B. Dates and times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) is 12 hours ahead of UTC. Click on the ship icons for points of interest during the voyage.
2022 - Tonga post-eruption voyage
Check out these voyage updates:
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Voyage update - 20 April
Today was a busy day on board RV Tangaroa, as we finished sampling at the site where the Tongan domestic communications cable broke over a distance of many kilometres during the Jan 15th 2022 Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai volcano (HT-HH) eruption. -
Voyage update - 18 April
RV Tangaroa completed its transit to the sampling site, CABLE BREAK WEST which lies at a depth of 1,920 m. -
Voyage update - 17 April
Samples are collected to understand how the seafloor geology, biogeochemistry and ecosystem health has been affected by the volcanic eruption. -
NIWA-Nippon Seabed Mapping Project a “rare opportunity” to study effects of Tonga eruption
Media release01 April 2022NIWA and The Nippon Foundation are undertaking a mission to discover the undersea impacts of the recent Tongan volcanic eruption.