A Nature Communications study found the 2022 South Pacific eruption removed about 900 megagrams of methane a day, tracked for 10 days to South America using ESA Sentinel-5P satellite data.
Researchers say ash, salty seawater and sunlight likely generated reactive chlorine in the stratosphere, breaking down methane and producing record formaldehyde levels seen in the plume.
The finding could force revisions to global methane budgets and inform future methane-removal technologies, though scientists stress cutting carbon dioxide remains essential for long-term climate stability.
Did the Tonga volcano's methane cleanup cool the planet, or did its water vapor make warming worse?
A volcano destroyed methane. What other climate secrets are hidden inside Earth's most powerful events?
Could we mimic the volcano's chemistry to create a new 'emergency brake' for climate change?
Hunga Tonga’s Self-Cleaning Eruption: Natural Methane Removal at 900 Megagrams per Day Redefines Climate Policy
Overview
The 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai submarine volcano eruption in the South Pacific not only released large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, but also triggered a surprising natural process that removed much of this methane from the atmosphere. Scientists discovered this self-cleaning effect by detecting high levels of formaldehyde in the volcanic plume, showing that the volcano partially cleaned up its own pollution. This dual phenomenon, revealed by a 2026 study, challenges previous ideas about volcanic impacts and highlights a remarkable natural feedback loop that could reshape our understanding of Earth's methane cycle and climate.