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Is this whole thing at all related to climate change? I know nothing about that field, just seems interesting timing of "once-in-a-lifetime" events

temp12913231 5y ago
> Is this whole thing at all related to climate change? no, but in a couple years expect some guy to write a climate change article and show the before and after photos as proof...
- dang 5y ago
  We've banned this account for posting flamewar comments. That's not what HN is for, and it destroys what it is for. Please don't create accounts to break HN's rules with. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
turminal 5y ago
No, at least not in any way we know about. I was caused by violent volcanic activity which is governed by forces from the earth's interior.
- geraldyo 5y ago
  Good to know, thanks!
  - vba616 5y ago
    There seem to be people asserting that removing the weight of melting ice is destabilizing the crust and contributing to volcanic events and earthquakes. Here is a link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/get-ready-for-more-volcanic-eruptions-as-the-planet-warms/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/get-ready-for-mor... "A new study shows that even relatively small-scale climatic changes affect volcanic activity"
    - GravitasFailure 5y ago
      Definitely plausible if the eruption were in Iceland or Alaska, but Tonga? Seems a bit of a stretch.
    - geraldyo 5y ago
      Super interesting, and that's what I wonder: is this type of event happening because of something we haven't even thought of measuring (at least at scale)? No idea, obviously. Thanks for the link
wayoutthere 5y ago
This isn’t really a “once in a lifetime” event; volcanoes erupt all the time and this one wasn’t particularly huge. In fact, there are 46 currently erupting with an average of 20 active on any given day [1]. [1] https://volcano.si.edu/gvp_currenteruptions.cfm https://volcano.si.edu/gvp_currenteruptions.cfm
- jayknight 5y ago
  How frequently does that kind of explosive eruption happen? This one sent a pressure wave around the planet. See https://twitter.com/burgwx/status/1482447133529686019 https://twitter.com/burgwx/status/1482447133529686019
  - wayoutthere 5y ago
    A few times a year at least; this one was just more visivle than most because it happened just under the surface in an area of more or less open ocean, so there was nothing to deflect the shockwaves. It also started erupting in December so there were already satellites paying attention to it.
    - pmayrgundter 5y ago
      I heard an initial estimate (sorry, nothing solid yet) that it was VEI 4 or 5, so more like every 10 years. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_Explosivity_Index https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_Explosivity_Index https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/msh/comparisons.html https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/msh/comparisons.html
      - pmayrgundter 5y ago
        This article says more like VEI6 https://graphics.reuters.com/TONGA-VOLCANO/lgpdwjyqbvo/ https://graphics.reuters.com/TONGA-VOLCANO/lgpdwjyqbvo/
    - carbocation 5y ago
      > Early data from Tonga's violent volcanic eruption suggests it is the biggest blast since Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines 30 years ago, volcanologist Shane Cronin says. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/459657/tonga-eruption-likely-the-world-s-largest-in-30-years-scientist https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/459657/tonga-eruption-likel...
skykooler 5y ago
Well, yes and no. It's not in any way caused by climate change, but previous large volcanic eruptions such as Krakatoa and Mount Tambora that eruptions of this scale can cause temporary climate change for a few months to a few years.
- ofou 5y ago
  Not really sure about your first statement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTdviIS_TAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTdviIS_TAk
  - fennecfoxen 5y ago
    Do you have something, more specific than a long now foundation video link, with which you propose that a ~1-3°C temperature increase the atmosphere produces meaningful differences in volcanic eruptions, processes that are generally thought to result from processes driven in the mantle, athenosphere, and below? (Remember that the typical temperatures of these regions are around ~1000°C, and they are generally well-insulated by miles of crust.) like heck I'd listen to "something something ice sheet rebound" except this is Tonga and it's quite some distance away from any ice sheets don't make me watch the thing! this is your comment, you do the work and tell me what's meaningful in there and how it's connected
    - ofou 5y ago
      It's related without a doubt. We're talking here really about the magnitude of the effect. First, I do think there's a strong correlation between volcanic activity and atmosphere temperature variances. Historically, supervolcanoes did change earth atmosphere. That's a fact. So, now you're mentioning that reducing the amount of polar ice, rising sea level do not present more pressure on the inner layers of Earth? I highly doubt it.
chrisco255 5y ago
Volcanoes contribute to climate change (rather than being caused by them), but mostly have a cooling effect. When they erupt to an extent that they inject sulfates into the stratosphere, these sulfates seed cloud nuclei and increase cloud cover around the planet that reduces the IR energy from the sun. Sometimes a single volcanic eruption can have a dramatic cooling effect on the planet, like Mount Tambora in 1816, which triggered an extremely cold summer in Europe and North America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer
mlindner 5y ago
No it's not related to climate change. Please don't get into the habit of labeling everything related to climate change. The news media does it way too much. For example, climate change causes gradual changes, not sudden increases in weather behavior. In this case, this is geology which doesn't care at all what the climate is doing. It can affect the climate however.
- unethical_ban 5y ago
  Correct that volcanic activity is not affected by climate change, I correct to suggest that weather is not affected by climate change.

temp12913231 5y ago

> Is this whole thing at all related to climate change? no, but in a couple years expect some guy to write a climate change article and show the before and after photos as proof...

dang 5y ago
We've banned this account for posting flamewar comments. That's not what HN is for, and it destroys what it is for. Please don't create accounts to break HN's rules with. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

turminal 5y ago

No, at least not in any way we know about. I was caused by violent volcanic activity which is governed by forces from the earth's interior.

geraldyo 5y ago
Good to know, thanks!
- vba616 5y ago
  There seem to be people asserting that removing the weight of melting ice is destabilizing the crust and contributing to volcanic events and earthquakes. Here is a link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/get-ready-for-more-volcanic-eruptions-as-the-planet-warms/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/get-ready-for-mor... "A new study shows that even relatively small-scale climatic changes affect volcanic activity"
  - GravitasFailure 5y ago
    Definitely plausible if the eruption were in Iceland or Alaska, but Tonga? Seems a bit of a stretch.
  - geraldyo 5y ago
    Super interesting, and that's what I wonder: is this type of event happening because of something we haven't even thought of measuring (at least at scale)? No idea, obviously. Thanks for the link

wayoutthere 5y ago

This isn’t really a “once in a lifetime” event; volcanoes erupt all the time and this one wasn’t particularly huge. In fact, there are 46 currently erupting with an average of 20 active on any given day [1]. [1] https://volcano.si.edu/gvp_currenteruptions.cfm https://volcano.si.edu/gvp_currenteruptions.cfm

jayknight 5y ago
How frequently does that kind of explosive eruption happen? This one sent a pressure wave around the planet. See https://twitter.com/burgwx/status/1482447133529686019 https://twitter.com/burgwx/status/1482447133529686019
- wayoutthere 5y ago
  A few times a year at least; this one was just more visivle than most because it happened just under the surface in an area of more or less open ocean, so there was nothing to deflect the shockwaves. It also started erupting in December so there were already satellites paying attention to it.
  - pmayrgundter 5y ago
    I heard an initial estimate (sorry, nothing solid yet) that it was VEI 4 or 5, so more like every 10 years. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_Explosivity_Index https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_Explosivity_Index https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/msh/comparisons.html https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/msh/comparisons.html
    - pmayrgundter 5y ago
      This article says more like VEI6 https://graphics.reuters.com/TONGA-VOLCANO/lgpdwjyqbvo/ https://graphics.reuters.com/TONGA-VOLCANO/lgpdwjyqbvo/
  - carbocation 5y ago
    > Early data from Tonga's violent volcanic eruption suggests it is the biggest blast since Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines 30 years ago, volcanologist Shane Cronin says. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/459657/tonga-eruption-likely-the-world-s-largest-in-30-years-scientist https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/459657/tonga-eruption-likel...

skykooler 5y ago

Well, yes and no. It's not in any way caused by climate change, but previous large volcanic eruptions such as Krakatoa and Mount Tambora that eruptions of this scale can cause temporary climate change for a few months to a few years.

ofou 5y ago
Not really sure about your first statement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTdviIS_TAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTdviIS_TAk
- fennecfoxen 5y ago
  Do you have something, more specific than a long now foundation video link, with which you propose that a ~1-3°C temperature increase the atmosphere produces meaningful differences in volcanic eruptions, processes that are generally thought to result from processes driven in the mantle, athenosphere, and below? (Remember that the typical temperatures of these regions are around ~1000°C, and they are generally well-insulated by miles of crust.) like heck I'd listen to "something something ice sheet rebound" except this is Tonga and it's quite some distance away from any ice sheets don't make me watch the thing! this is your comment, you do the work and tell me what's meaningful in there and how it's connected
  - ofou 5y ago
    It's related without a doubt. We're talking here really about the magnitude of the effect. First, I do think there's a strong correlation between volcanic activity and atmosphere temperature variances. Historically, supervolcanoes did change earth atmosphere. That's a fact. So, now you're mentioning that reducing the amount of polar ice, rising sea level do not present more pressure on the inner layers of Earth? I highly doubt it.

chrisco255 5y ago

Volcanoes contribute to climate change (rather than being caused by them), but mostly have a cooling effect. When they erupt to an extent that they inject sulfates into the stratosphere, these sulfates seed cloud nuclei and increase cloud cover around the planet that reduces the IR energy from the sun. Sometimes a single volcanic eruption can have a dramatic cooling effect on the planet, like Mount Tambora in 1816, which triggered an extremely cold summer in Europe and North America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer

mlindner 5y ago

No it's not related to climate change. Please don't get into the habit of labeling everything related to climate change. The news media does it way too much. For example, climate change causes gradual changes, not sudden increases in weather behavior. In this case, this is geology which doesn't care at all what the climate is doing. It can affect the climate however.

unethical_ban 5y ago
Correct that volcanic activity is not affected by climate change, I correct to suggest that weather is not affected by climate change.