Volcanic ash affected by lightning during the Hunga 2022 eruption

This study estimates the amount of airborne volcanic ash that may be structurally or electromagnetically affected by volcanic lightning during the January 15, 2022, eruption of Hunga volcano (Kingdom of Tonga). Methods to calculate lightning channel sizes and volumes are provided, in addition to methods for calculating mass amounts of ash affected by both the high temperatures and the magnetic fields generated by lightning.  This study reveals that even though physical evidence of volcanic lightning may be limited, ash particles will still be affected by the electromagnetic fields produced by the lightning discharge. The extent of these effects will be a function of lightning properties, ash properties, and location of the ash in relation to the discharge channel. There are three datasets provided, and all are available for public use.
, , # Data from: Volcanic ash affected by lightning during the Hunga 2022 eruption

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.s1rn8pkn8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.s1rn8pkn8)

## Description of the data and file structure

`Dataset_S1-2026.xlsx`: Subset of lightning data reported by Van Eaton et al. (2023). We used lightning flashes recorded on only January 15, 2022 for the calculations in this study, and thus, the data reported are only for that specific day, not the entire eruption. The original publication should be referred to for additional information when using these data. There are four worksheets: 1. \"Ground based flashes Jan15\" contains all flashes detected by the sensors for largest explosion on January 15, 2022; 2. \"Ground-based rates\" contains the lightning flash rates at specific distances from the vent for explosions January 13-15, 2022; 3. \"Optical GLM flashes and rates\" contains the volcanic lightning detected by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper on January 15, 2022, flash area (used...,