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Abstract:
Following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (hereafter called ‘Tonga’) volcano just before local sunset on 15 January 2022, satellite data reveals the formation of a large-scale plasma depletion surrounding the region. This depletion persisted for roughly 14 hours, until local sunrise resumed plasma production. By combining in-situ and remote satellite observations from multiple sources (including the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), the Swarm satellites, the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate-2 (COSMIC-2), and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)), we seek to trace the depletion at multiple altitudes along the local magnetic field, working to characterize its magnitude, spatial scale, and temporal evolution in the hours following the eruption. We will compare this to observations of ionospheric holes following previous impulsive lower atmospheric events, such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Finally, we will investigate the dominant mechanism for locally depleting the plasma following this event, considering field-aligned ion drag, cross B transport due to electric fields arising from dynamo or other effects, and changing recombination rates. We aim ultimately to better understand the coupling between the lower atmosphere and ionosphere/thermosphere system following impulsive events such as this eruption.
