The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on Jan. 15, creating tsunamis never before detected with modern instruments.
The Tonga eruption was the first event of its kind that scientists could track in detail and in real time, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration press release.
“I was living through something never before experienced in this way,” Senior Scientist at the NOAA National Ocean Service’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services Greg Dusek said, according to the release. “Throw in that this all happened during high tide in some places, and we saw a significant event, particularly in Hawaii and California. I saw records breaking at four of our water level stations, some that have stood in place since the 1950s."
The data collected during the event will teach researchers about these disasters and how to cope with them, according to the release.
As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports, evidence suggests that air pressure change above water created something like a meteotsunami. This means that ocean and atmospheric waves travel in near synchrony which builds energy ad they both travel to land together. This creates waves all the way to the shore of the US East Coast. Additionally, pressure changes in rapid air were documented around the world.
Scientists believe 1883 was the last time a volcano caused a tsunami this large, according to the release.
