Hi everyone! This is an unplanned post that I figured I could talk about, since it has been popping up on the news sites I’ve been reading. Do you know about the Tonga volcanic eruption? It happened not too long ago, on the 15th of January 2022. Tonga is a country in Oceania, and it is a relatively small island filled with plantations and beach resorts. How are volcanic eruptions relevant to our module on environmental pollution? Take a look at these two images below:
Volcanic eruptions are central to pollution because of the highly visible ash that gets released into the atmosphere. Look at the difference in the colour of the island in December and in January! You can read more about the other social and environmental consequences caused by the eruption by clicking on the hyperlink above.
Before I end off this short update, I would like to point out its relevance to pollution. Even after four days after the eruption, ash still prevented relief flights from landing on the island’s airport. Ash is a major concern, because it worsens air quality, but also contaminate drinking water resources (i.e. through pollutants depositing in wells or rainwater tanks). As compared to the pollutants released from coal power stations, industries, and transportation, pollution caused by natural disasters like the Tonga earthquake is hard to assess in real time because each volcano in the world has a unique profile – volcanic smog may all appear the same to us, but each smog differs in toxicity, depending on the magnitude and behaviour of the plume, as well as the altitude the plume reaches.
I am quite interested in this unfortunate incident because it is happening in real time. I will provide more updates if I find anything interesting!
Up next (as mentioned in my previous post), Bangladesh. See you in the next one! ✿
References
Ives, M. & Nagourney, E. (2022) Tonga’s Airport Is Finally Cleared, but Ash Still Poses a Range of Threats. 20 January. New York Times. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/world/asia/tonga-eruption-ash.html?utm_campaign=likeshopme&utm_medium=instagram&utm_source=dash%20hudson&utm_content=ig-nytimes [Accessed: 22 January 2022].
Wei-Hass, M. (2022) The volcanic explosion in Tonga destroyed an island – and created many mysteries. 21 January. National Geographic. Available from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/volcanic-explosion-in-tonga-created-many-mysteries [Accessed: 22 January 2022].
Hi everyone! Just thought I’d add these two short articles.
The volcanic ash in Tonga has been cleared, but the impacts of pollution have not. You can read through this: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/19/tonga-runway-cleared-for-emergency-aid-flights
Here in Singapore we are already drained from dealing with the pandemic. How have the people in Tonga dealt with the pandemic? You can read through this as well: https://www.devex.com/news/tonga-does-not-need-a-covid-disaster-the-race-to-avoid-a-new-crisis-102497
Hope this make you reflect on some things in class this week. Have a nice day!