Photo: Supplied / Shane Cronin, University of Auckland
A team of scientists from the University of Tasmania is doing research on the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano.
The 2022 eruption has been the subject of several scientific studies.
The 54-day voyage brings together 40 researchers and technical staff from Australia, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
Voyage chief scientist Rebecca Carey said the "ground zero" underwater scene produced by the eruption offered a unique opportunity to study the recovery of deep-sea ecosystems.
The researchers will map the seafloor and sub-seafloor, extract sediment cores, conduct marine life surveys and explore environmental DNA in seawater.
Carey said this research will help build resilience and preparedness in the region for future volcanic events.
"This volcano is just one of hundreds of shallow submarine volcanoes scattered across the southwest Pacific, whose eruption risks remain poorly understood," she said.
"We are aiming to generate data products that support hazard assessments, inform risk models and guide recovery planning, by informing where vital new under-sea communications infrastructure should be installed to provide a back-up option in the event of future cable breaks."
The eruption also triggered a tsunami which killed three people and left thousands homeless.
This research, done in collaboration with the Tonga Geological Services and other Australian and international partners, is supported by a grant of sea time on ther vessel RV Investigator from Australia's Marine National Facility.
