How the eruption of a volcano in the South Pacific created changes in the atmospheric pressure of Greece.

According to the butterfly effect first formulated by meteorologist Edward Lorenz, “if a butterfly moves its wings in the Amazon, it can bring rain to China.” A finding that was in the news again a few days ago, after the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Hapai submarine volcano, located almost 65 kilometres from the capital of Tonga, Nukuwalofa. This is because the eruption in question, although on the south side of the Pacific, has come to affect the atmospheric pressure of our country!

In fact, the phenomenon was also detected by several agrometeorological stations of the NEUROPUBLIC gaiasense smart farming system, from Crete to Pieria and Komotini. Specifically, the shock wave from the explosion that took place on 14 January, moving at a speed of about 1,300 km per hour, “arrived” in Greece on Saturday 15 January, when the measurement was taken.

According to atmospheric physicist-meteorologist Dr. Konstantinos Tsarpalis, “the meteorological stations of various agencies, as well as the agrometeorological stations of gaiasense, recorded on Saturday 15 January in the evening a sharp change in atmospheric pressure – which levelled off in a few hours – which is exactly the footprint of the shock wave. Because of the intensity of the explosion, the pressure change was carried thousands of kilometres away.”

What does this phenomenon actually mean? Dr. Tsarpalis is reassuring. “There were some clouds in Greece, but nothing significant,” he notes.

High technology at the service of everyday life

The recording of a volcanic eruption on the other side of the planet proves that in the age of high technology and digitalization, our world is more “connected” than ever before. And phenomena that would once have gone unnoticed are now captured with extraordinary precision.

What does this mean for our daily lives and how can we benefit from similar measurements? If the recording of such phenomena by stations such as those of the gaiasense system teaches us anything, it is that today many events can be predicted – from the tidal wave following an earthquake or the eruption of a volcano to extreme weather events that can have a major impact on agricultural production.

And while the slightest change in atmospheric pressure may not have an impact on the Greek farmer, expert weather forecasting is vital. In short, evolution and, in particular, smart farming can be a comparative advantage for a producer and can make the difference between a smaller harvest and a lost crop.