---
title: Volcano ash to be followed by acid rain
description: Tongans have been advised to stay indoors after a volcanic eruption and tsunami as chemicals released in the blast threaten to trigger acid rain.
---

[The Canopy](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy)

# [Volcano ash to be followed by acid rain](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/volcano-ash-to-be-followed-by-acid-rain)

 Written by [Greenpeace Australia Pacific](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/author/greenpeace-australia-pacific) | Tuesday, 18 January 2022

Tongan authorities have advised residents to remain indoors in the wake of a volcanic eruption and tsunami, which has claimed at least two lives, as chemicals released in the blast threaten to choke survivors and trigger acid rain.

If you feel like the humidity in Sydney has been oppressive as tropical Darwin recently, that’s because it has, with the city smashing monthly humidity levels and reaching dew points equivalent to Darwin and other tropical cities. 

And conservationists are ramping up alternative ways for mountain pygmy possums to survive as uncertainty flutters around the recovery of the Bogong moth, which forms a staple part of the possums’ diet.

 

[Two dead, Tongans told to stay indoors to avoid inhaling volcanic ash, as scientists warn of ongoing environmental devastation](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/volcanic-ash-acid-rain-threaten-tonga-fiji-food-security-coral/100763772)

Two people are dead and Tonga's government is advising the public to remain indoors after the eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

 

[Sydney smashes January humidity records as La Nina nears its peak](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Fenvironment%2Fweather%2Fsydney-smashes-january-humidity-records-as-la-nina-nears-its-peak-20220118-p59p3m.html&uId=5a778e7a00aa2026a265262c&cId=5a71496272d9dc241933e61d&dId=h5AvelgfBxhBiuwbY0YjNkvqqj4&op=open&sentiment=V&isHosted=false&id=&name=&type=&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5zbWguY29tLmF1In0.dLrErlrnr5ygrw6r9BmLnD1I0aNYVH93_YJo5EofLTHngNTsac5xMwvusd5MeI2-ZEAd-GcYmYdqdbniemYuyQ)

Sydneysiders hoping for relief from recent humid days are set to be disappointed, with the city smashing monthly humidity levels and reaching dew points equivalent to Darwin and other tropical cities.

 

[Conservationists seek new ways to keep critically endangered possums alive](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/keeping-mountain-pygmy-possums-alive-in-victoria/100712282)

Conservationists are ramping up alternative ways for mountain pygmy possums to survive as uncertainty flutters around the recovery of the Bogong moth, which forms a staple part of the possums’ diet.

 

[Rare heath goannas killed by vehicles as visitor numbers increase in national parks](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/rare-goannas-killed-as-visitor-numbers-increase-national-parks/100761166)

Wildlife rangers on South Australia's southern Eyre Peninsula are heartbroken after 10 vulnerable heath goannas were killed by vehicles in two national parks over the holiday period.

[View full post](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/volcano-ash-to-be-followed-by-acid-rain)

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