Air Pressure Perturbations in Karst Caves and Waters after the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai Volcano Eruption on 15 January 2022

Abstract

Microclimatic monitoring (air T, air pressure, CO2, ventilation, humidity, methane, and radon) in selected show caves in Slovenia has been a continuous process for more than 10 years, a process that aims to supervise the use of the caves for tourism in the sense of sustainable environmental management. After the cataclysmic eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcano on 15 January 2022, global propagation of ionospheric disturbances was reported worldwide as barometric pressure changes and seismic noise events. Weather stations in Slovenia reported 2–4 hPa changes in atmospheric pressure 16 h after the eruption at 20:30 CET (19:30 UTC). Changes in atmospheric pressure were also detected at 15 air monitoring sites in 3 different caves (20–120 m below the surface), at 8 water monitoring sites in 4 different caves (1–10 m below the water surface), and on the surface (4 air and 2 water monitoring sites), where we identified a small but significant increase in atmospheric pressure of <1 hPa, with the highest signal at 21:00 CET (20:00 UTC). At some cave monitoring locations, air T fell during this global event induced by a far-field volcanic eruption. Cave CO2, methane, and radon measurements did not show significant changes related to the eruption. This is the first evidence of atmospheric pressure changes due to the HTHH volcano eruption in karst caves and waters.