Tonga's 2022 Eruption Disrupted Satellites and Created Rare Plasma Bubble in Atmosphere

The 2022 Tonga eruption caused a super "plasma bubble" over northern Australia that lasted for hours, impacting GPS across Australia and Southeast Asia. The eruption caused choppy conditions in the ionosphere that lasted a few days, and the size of the waves it generated in the ionosphere were similar in size to those created by geomagnetic storms. The super plasma bubble caused significant delays in the use of precise GPS across northern Australia and Southeast Asia, and its impact on the upper atmosphere and GPS highlights the importance of understanding how the environment impacts the technologies we rely on.