More information:
The above image from Philipp Brandi shows satellite images of a remarkable plume from an underwater eruption in the Bismarck Sea.
Why is it remarkable?
Here is an imaginative video about it that came up in YouTube search:
I haven’t confirmed the video’s facts — and it needs this at least in terms of eruptive plumes not being smoke — but judging from this, both text and images, the Central Bismarck Sea eruption needs close watching.
Not all dramatic undersea eruptions blast the stratosphere — the only ones I know of are Hunga Tonga, Krakatoa, and back in the Pleistocene, perhaps Taupo’s Y eruption, which might not have touched the ionosphere but certainly wrecked central North Island.
From what I have read thus far, the major concern here is tsunami that could be generated by any submarine volcano’s landslides and/or explosions.
And the Bismarck Sea is rimmed with populated shores.
That said, this volcano is a newbie. There is no past record for experts to study and they probably can’t even be sure of how long it has been erupting.
Has there been extensive interaction already between magma and water, as was the case at Hunga Tonga, Krakatoa, and the Y eruption, or is this a new event?
This is definitely worth watching.
Flight To Wonder 