The January 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption was one of the most explosive volcanic events of the modern era^1,2, producing a vertical plume which peaked > 50km above the Earth³. The initial explosion and subsequent plume triggered atmospheric waves which propagated around the world multiple times⁴. A global-scale wave response of this magnitude from a single source has not previously been observed. Here we show the details of this response, using a comprehensive set of satellite and ground-based observations to quantify it from surface to ionosphere. A broad spectrum of waves was triggered by the initial explosion, including Lamb waves^5,6 propagating at phase speeds of 318.2±6 ms^-1 at surface level and between 308±5 to 319±4 ms^-1 in the stratosphere, and gravity waves⁷ propagating at 238±3 to 269±3 ms^-1 in the stratosphere. Gravity waves at sub-ionospheric heights have not previously been observed propagating at this speed or over the whole Earth from a single source^8,9. Latent heat release from the plume remained the most significant individual gravity wave source worldwide for >12 hours, producing circular wavefronts visible across the Pacific basin in satellite observations. A single source dominating such a large region is also unique in the observational record. The Hunga Tonga eruption represents a key natural experiment in how the atmosphere responds to a sudden point-source-driven state change, which will be of use for improving weather and climate models.

2022 年 1 月的 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai 喷发是现代最具爆炸性的火山事件之一^1,2，产生的垂直羽流在地球上方 50 公里以上达到峰值³。最初的爆炸和随后的羽流触发了在世界各地多次传播的大气波⁴。以前从未观察到来自单一来源的这种规模的全球尺度波响应。在这里，我们展示了这种响应的细节，使用一套全面的卫星和地面观测来量化它从地表到电离层。最初的爆炸引发了广泛的波，包括以 318.2±6 ms ^-1相速度传播的Lamb 波^5,6在地表水平和平流层中 308±5 至 319±4 ms ^-1之间，重力波⁷在平流层中以 238±3 至 269±3 ms ^-1传播。以前从未观察到亚电离层高度的重力波以这种速度或从单一来源传播到整个地球^8,9. 羽流释放的潜热在超过 12 小时内仍然是全球最重要的单个重力波源，在卫星观测中产生了横跨太平洋盆地的圆形波阵面。在观测记录中，一个主宰如此大区域的单一来源也是独一无二的。洪加汤加火山爆发代表了大气如何响应突然的点源驱动状态变化的关键自然实验，这将有助于改进天气和气候模型。