Why is 2023 so hot? A rare Pacific volcano is among the suspects

Scientists suggest an odd culprit may be to blame for the world’s record temperatures: an underwater volcanic explosion off the coast of Tonga in the South Pacific last year. While most large eruptions create a sun-dimming haze, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption in January 2022 ejected the equivalent of 60,000 Olympic swimming pools of water into the stratosphere, well above the planet.