Articles | Volume 19, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-993-2026
© 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/amt-19-993-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 Feb 2026
Research article |
| 12 Feb 2026
| 12 Feb 2026
Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (BUV) retrievals of mid-stratospheric aerosols from the 2022 Hunga Eruption
Robert J. D. Spurr
RT Solutions, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Matt Christi
independent researcher: Fort Collins, CO 80524, USA
Nickolay A. Krotkov
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Won-Ei Choi
NASA Postdoctoral Program, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
Simon Carn
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Natalya Kramarova
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
David Haffner
independent researcher: Glen Ellen, CA 95442, USA
Eun-Su Yang
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Science and Technology Corporation, Columbia, MD 21046, USA
Nick Gorkavyi
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, MD 20706, USA
Alexander Vasilkov
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
ADNET Systems, Inc., Lanham, MD 20706, USA
Krzysztof Wargan
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, MD 20706, USA
Omar Torres
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Diego Loyola
German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, 82234 Wessling, Germany
Serena Di Pede
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), 3730 AE De Bilt, the Netherlands
J. Pepijn Veefkind
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), 3730 AE De Bilt, the Netherlands
Delft University of Technology, 2628 CN Delft, the Netherlands
Parker Case
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Thomas Schroeder
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Environment, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
Pawan K. Bhartia
Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA
Model code and software
cwyh3338/Hunga-Tool-Software: Hunga Tool v2024.10.28 (AMT; Spurr et al., 2026) R. J. D. Spurr and M. Christi https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17355074
Video supplement
Spectral Solar Backscattered Ultraviolet (BUV) Radiance Ratios Showing Mid-Stratospheric Aerosols from the January 15 2022 Hunga Eruption, as Observed by the Copernicus Sentinel 5 Precursor TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on January 17, 2022 Won-Ei Choi https://doi.org/10.5446/70186
Short summary
The submarine eruption of the Hunga volcano released water vapor and sulfur dioxide directly into the stratosphere. The sulfur dioxide formed sulfuric acid aerosols leading to increased scattering of solar ultraviolet radiation (UV), interfering with satellite ozone retrievals. We present a new satellite technique for deriving the amount and height of Hunga aerosols from UV measurements, revealing an unusually low sulfuric acid concentration due to the water-rich conditions in the fresh plume.
The submarine eruption of the Hunga volcano released water vapor and sulfur dioxide directly...
