Ionospheric Hole in the MLT Regions after Submarine Volcanic Eruptions

A gigantic submarine volcano erupted near Tonga Island on 15 January 2022 generating a tsunami and related atmospheric and oceanic waves across the globe. This violent volcano triggered extreme disturbances just above the volcanic center that reached near Earth’s stratosphere. This geophysical event generated acoustic-gravity waves to propagate upward and induce significant global perturbations and holes in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) regions. Here, we study the MLT region’s response to the Tonga-induced perturbations using ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS)-total electron content (TEC) data from GPS receivers spread in the South American continent. The possible propagation mechanism of the Tonga-related ionospheric holes and perturbations mediated by neutral wind-driven dynamo fields, vertical drifts, and the contribution of geomagnetic conditions will also be discussed.