When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in the southern Pacific Ocean erupted on January 15, 2022, it didn’t just shake the Earth—it sent ripples through our technological infrastructure, affecting satellites and GPS navigation in ways that continue to fascinate scientists. As we approach the three-year mark since this cataclysmic event, let’s dive into how this natural disaster impacted our eyes in the sky and the navigation systems we rely on daily.

The Super Bubble in the Sky

One of the most striking effects of the Tonga eruption was the creation of a “super plasma bubble” in Earth’s ionosphere. This massive disturbance in the electrically charged layer of our upper atmosphere had far-reaching consequences:

• The super bubble extended to at least 2,000 km altitudes, far higher than standard models predict.
• It caused significant delays in precise GPS services across northern Australia and Southeast Asia.
• In some cases, obtaining a GPS lock took over five seconds longer than usual due to this phenomenon.

GPS and HF Radio Communications Go Haywire

The eruption’s impact on GPS and high-frequency (HF) radio communications was felt worldwide:

• The turbulent ionosphere scattered radio waves, similar to how choppy water bends and scatters light.
• This scattering led to widespread GPS signal degradation and positioning errors, affecting high-precision applications used in industries like mining, agriculture, and construction.
• HF radio blackouts occurred as the ionospheric disturbances absorbed radio waves, significantly affecting long-range communication.

Impact of HF Radiowaves Disruption on International Aviation

The eruption’s disruption of HF radio communications posed a serious challenge for long-distance flights, especially over oceans and polar regions where pilots rely on HF radio to stay in contact with air traffic control. With signals weakened or lost, pilots may struggle to communicate, increasing the risk of navigation errors, delays, and rerouted flights. This event highlights how natural disasters can unexpectedly disrupt global air travel, underscoring the need for improved resilience of air transportation and other sectors reliant on HF communication.

A Global Ripple Effect

The Tonga eruption’s influence wasn’t limited to its immediate vicinity:

• Satellite signals were disrupted halfway around the world from the eruption site.
• The disturbances in the ionosphere lasted for several days after the initial eruption.
• Scientists observed traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) circling the globe multiple times, passing over the continental US six times in 100 hours following the eruption.

Lessons for the Future

This event has significant implications for our understanding of space weather and its impacts on technology:

• It demonstrated that volcanic eruptions can cause space weather effects comparable to those from solar activity.
• The observations revealed limitations in current space weather forecast models, which don’t account for such extreme events.
• It highlighted the need for better prediction and mitigation strategies to prevent satellite communication and navigation failures.

Why This Matters: Strengthening Our Resilience

As humanity becomes increasingly reliant on complex communication, navigation, and power infrastructure, understanding and mitigating natural and space weather threats like the Tonga eruption is essential. These extreme events remind us of the fragility of our technological systems and the need for global resilience planning.

The EIS Council’s Mission

The EIS Council plays a crucial role in addressing such challenges. The Council hosts leaders and organizations from all critical sectors across the world to support the joint development and implementation of solutions necessary for surviving future disasters, on all scales.

In the meantime, the next time your GPS takes a few extra seconds to pinpoint your location, remember—it might just be feeling the aftereffects of a volcano that erupted on the other side of the world. Our planet, and the technology we use to navigate it, are more interconnected than we often realize.