On May 8, 2026, satellites detected signs of an unexpected submarine volcanic eruption in the Bismarck Sea near the islands of Papua New Guinea. Over the next several weeks, plumes of steam and ash streamed over the sea, and areas of discolored water surrounded the eruption site. Relatively little is known about the ocean floor in this area or the volcanic feature that is presently erupting. But experts think the new activity, ongoing as of mid-June, might be occurring along the Titan Ridge and has the potential to form an ephemeral new island.
2026 年 5 月 8 日，卫星检测到巴布亚新几内亚群岛附近的俾斯麦海有意外海底火山喷发的迹象。在接下来的几周里，一股股蒸汽和火山灰在海面上流动，喷发地点周围出现了变色的水域。人们对这一地区的海底或目前正在喷发的火山特征知之甚少。但专家认为，截至六月中旬正在进行的新活动可能发生在泰坦山脊沿线，并有可能形成一个短暂的新岛屿。
Despite the unknowns, the effects of the eruption became unmistakable for some communities in Papua New Guinea’s Admiralty Islands . In early June, rafts of pumice drifted northwest from the eruption site and clogged up coastlines on several of the islands. Bands of the buoyant volcanic material are visible in this image, acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 on June 4, as they drifted with surface currents on the Bismarck Sea.
尽管存在未知因素，但火山喷发对巴布亚新几内亚金钟群岛的一些社区的影响是显而易见的。六月初，浮石筏从喷发地点向西北漂流，堵塞了几个岛屿的海岸线。这张图像是由陆地卫星 8 号的 OLI（操作陆地成像仪）于 6 月 4 日拍摄的，在这张图像中可以看到漂浮的火山物质带，当时它们随着俾斯麦海的海面洋流漂流。
Several days after the image, news outlets reported acute impacts from thick masses of pumice reaching coastal areas. Communities on Lou Island and Baluan Island, to the south, were described by officials as among the worst affected, according to reports from local media . Outlets reported that a layer of pumice up to several meters thick blanketed the shore, cutting off access to the water. The volcanic fragments similarly choked the coast and key waterways around the much larger Manus Island , about 125 kilometers (80 miles) northwest of the volcano and out of frame.
图像发布几天后，新闻媒体报道了厚重的浮石到达沿海地区造成的严重影响。据当地媒体报道，官员称南部的卢岛和巴鲁安岛的社区是受影响最严重的社区之一。据媒体报道，海岸上覆盖着一层厚达数米的浮石，切断了通往水域的通道。火山碎片同样堵塞了更大的马努斯岛周围的海岸和主要水道，该岛位于火山西北约 125 公里（80 英里）处，位于画面之外。
Studies of past pumice raft events have found that the material can remain afloat for months to years before sinking out of satellite view. Larger rafts can form with the help of ash, which serves to “weld” together fragments of the porous rock, said Jim Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, noting this process occurred during the 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai . “These masses can pile up around erupting vents to protect the eruption centers and produce ephemeral new lands in some cases,” he said. When adrift, such pumice platforms can act as floating homes for marine organisms—from microalgae to bryozoans to barnacles—and enable them to disperse over long distances .
对过去浮石筏事件的研究发现，这些物质可以在卫星视野中沉没之前保持漂浮数月至数年。美国宇航局戈达德太空飞行中心首席科学家吉姆·加文 (Jim Garvin) 表示，在火山灰的帮助下可以形成更大的筏，火山灰可以将多孔岩石的碎片“焊接”在一起，并指出这一过程发生在 2022 年洪加汤加-洪加哈派火山喷发期间。他说：“这些物质可以堆积在喷发口周围，以保护喷发中心，并在某些情况下产生短暂的新土地。”当漂流时，这种浮石平台可以充当海洋生物（从微藻到苔藓虫再到藤壶）的浮动家园，并使它们能够长距离分散。
Though beneficial to life in some ways, the rafts can pose serious threats to humans and other species. Some of the larger fragments of pumice stack up to form ridges when they reach the coastlines of islands. Reports from Papua New Guinea highlight the disruptions to fishing, the transport of goods, and access to critical services that can occur when pumice accumulates along the coast.
尽管在某些方面对生命有益，但木筏可能对人类和其他物种构成严重威胁。当一些较大的浮石碎片到达岛屿的海岸线时，它们会堆积起来形成山脊。来自巴布亚新几内亚的报告强调，当浮石沿海岸堆积时，可能会对渔业、货物运输和关键服务造成干扰。
Communities have expressed concerns over the pumice’s effects on marine ecosystems, as well. Researchers have noted that the sustained presence of pumice can block sunlight and may inhibit photosynthesis in seagrass and corals below, and the rocks may physically damage reef structures. In a review of the ecological effects of pumice reaching Japan’s coast in 2021, researchers noted the die-off of filter-feeding fish in fishery cages from ingesting pumice, warning that other wildlife may be harmed by mistakenly consuming the rocks.
社区也对浮石对海洋生态系统的影响表示担忧。研究人员指出，浮石的持续存在会阻挡阳光，并可能抑制下面海草和珊瑚的光合作用，而且岩石可能会物理损坏珊瑚礁结构。在对 2021 年到达日本海岸的浮石的生态影响进行回顾时，研究人员指出，网箱中的滤食性鱼类因摄入浮石而死亡，并警告其他野生动物可能会因误食浮石而受到伤害。
New studies using an ensemble of orbital remote sensing platforms—including Landsat, hyperspectral instruments, and imaging radars—are tracking developments in this Bismarck Sea region, Garvin said. These observations can provide new perspectives on hazards as well as unique scientific opportunities for improved understanding of submarine eruptions.
加文说，使用一系列轨道遥感平台（包括陆地卫星、高光谱仪器和成像雷达）的新研究正在跟踪俾斯麦海地区的事态发展。这些观测可以提供关于危险的新视角，并为增进对海底喷发的了解提供独特的科学机会。
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey . Story by Lindsey Doermann.
NASA 地球观测站图像由 Lauren Dauphin 使用美国地质调查局的陆地卫星数据拍摄。林赛·杜尔曼的故事。