NPR chose today to follow-up on a story that literally blew up on Jan. 20, 2022 when the underwater eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai sent megatons of water vapor into the stratosphere, contributing to an increase in global warming over the next 5 years.
NPR picked up on the story today https://whttp://NPR picked up on the story today https://www.npr.org/2022/08/03/1115378385/tonga-volcano-stratosphere-water-warming
EOS noted back in March that the extra moisture in the upper atmosphere would trap enough heat to warm the climate 1.5 degrees in the publication
And Space.com in Marchhttps://www.space.com/tonga-eruption-water-vapor-warm-earth
So while this vapor will eventually dissipate, we don’t know if it will leave any permanent changes to the chemical composition of the upper atmosphere. We do know that the excess warmth will speed up the melting in Greenland that threatens the stability of the gulf Stream and will also release more methane stored in the permafrost.