Scientists Struggle to Monitor Tonga Volcano After Massive Eruption

A plume rises over Tonga when the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted in this satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite operated by Japan Meteorological Agency, and released by National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), on Jan. 15, 2022. (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)/Handout via Reuters)

SINGAPORE—Scientists are struggling to monitor an active volcano that erupted off the South Pacific island of Tonga at the weekend, after the explosion destroyed its sea-level crater and drowned its mass, obscuring it from satellites.

The eruption of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano, which sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, sent tsunami waves across the Pacific Ocean, and was heard some 1,430 miles (2,300 kms) away in New Zealand.