Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6226
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6226
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
04 Jan 2026
| 04 Jan 2026
Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Balloon Observations Suggesting Sea Salt Injection into the Stratosphere from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
Abstract. The explosive eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) in January 2022 marked a historic event as one of the largest volcanic explosions in the past 140 years. Unlike typical volcanic eruptions, which primarily inject sulfur dioxide (SO₂), HTHH introduced a massive plume of marine water vapor up to an altitude of ~57 km, reaching the mesosphere.
In this study, we use balloon-borne measurements to investigate the optical, microphysical and chemical properties of the HTHH aerosol plume eight months after the eruption. The peak concentration of the Hunga plume located between 20.5–23 km was near 8–9 #/cm3 for aerosol diameter greater than 0.3µm and Scattering Ratio at 940 nm near 4–5. Our balloon-based sampling and ion chromatographic analysis revealed the presence of key ions such as Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl⁻, and traces of SO₄²⁻ in the samples collected in the lower part of the HTHH plume. These findings suggest a substantial contribution of marine aerosols to the stratospheric aerosol burden.
The results suggest that the interaction between volcanic ash, water vapor, and marine aerosols led to unique chemical processes, which significantly influenced the composition and behavior of the stratospheric aerosol layer.
How to cite. Vernier, H., Quintao, D., Biazon, B., Landulfo, E., Souza, G., Santos, A., Lopes, F., Mendes, A., da Matta, J., Damaris, P., Grosslin, B., Paulete, M., Andrade, M. D. F., Rastogi, N., Raj, A., Liu, H., Kovilakam, M., Fadnavis, S., Wienhold, F., Colombier, M., Boone, C., Berthet, G., Dumelie, N., Joly, L., and Vernier, J.-P.: Balloon Observations Suggesting Sea Salt Injection into the Stratosphere from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6226, 2026.
Competing interests: At least one of the co-authors is a member of the editorial board of ACP.
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Université de Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, GSMA, 51687, France
Laboratoire de de Physique et de Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, Orléans, 45071, France
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, 23666, USA
Demilson Quintao
Instituto de Pesquisas Meteorológicas – IPMet – UNESP, Chácaras Bauruenses, Bauru – SP, 17048-699, Brazil
Bruno Biazon
Instituto de Pesquisas Meteorológicas – IPMet – UNESP, Chácaras Bauruenses, Bauru – SP, 17048-699, Brazil
Eduardo Landulfo
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, University of São Paulo Butantã, São Paulo – SP, 05508-000, Brazil
Giovanni Souza
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, University of São Paulo Butantã, São Paulo – SP, 05508-000, Brazil
Amanda Santos
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, University of São Paulo Butantã, São Paulo – SP, 05508-000, Brazil
Fabio Lopes
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, University of São Paulo Butantã, São Paulo – SP, 05508-000, Brazil
Alex Mendes
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, University of São Paulo Butantã, São Paulo – SP, 05508-000, Brazil
José da Matta
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, University of São Paulo Butantã, São Paulo – SP, 05508-000, Brazil
Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Butantã, São Paulo – SP, 05508-010, Brazil
Pinheiro Damaris
Departamento de Engenharia Química UFSM, Camobi, Santa Maria – State of Rio Grande do Sul, 97105-340, Brazil
Benoit Grosslin
Institut de Combustion Aérothermique Réactivité Environnement (ICARE), 45100 Orléans, France
Maria Paulete
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos – SP, 12227-010, Brazil
Maria de Fátima Andrade
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos – SP, 12227-010, Brazil
Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, São Paulo – SP, 05508-090, Brazil
Neeraj Rastogi
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380009, India
Akhil Raj
India Meteorological Department, New Delhi, Delhi 110003, India
Hongyu Liu
NASA Langley Research Centre, Hampton, 23666, USA
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, 23666, USA
Mahesh Kovilakam
NASA Langley Research Centre, Hampton, 23666, USA
Suvarna Fadnavis
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India
Frank Wienhold
Institut für Atmosphäre und Klima, ETH Zürich, 8006, Switzerland
Mathieu Colombier
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Munich University, München, 80333, Germany
Chris Boone
Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Gwenael Berthet
Laboratoire de de Physique et de Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, Orléans, 45071, France
Nicolas Dumelie
Université de Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, GSMA, 51687, France
Lilian Joly
Université de Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, GSMA, 51687, France
Jean-Paul Vernier
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
NASA Langley Research Centre, Hampton, 23666, USA
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, 23666, USA
Université de Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, GSMA, 51687, France
Short summary
This paper shows unique balloon measurements from Brazil within the Hunga volcanic plume eight months after the eruption. The chemical analysis of samples collected reveal new insights on volcanic aerosol composition and suggest the presence of marine aerosols.
This paper shows unique balloon measurements from Brazil within the Hunga volcanic plume eight...