New Research Suggessts that Sunlight-Blocking Particles from an extrame eruption would not cool surface temperature temperates on Earth as SEVERELY AS SEVERELY ASCE
Some 74,000 years ago, The Toba Volcano in Indonesia Exploded with a Force 1,000 Times More Powerful Than The 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens. The mystery is what happy after that – namely, to what degree that extreme explosion might have cooled global tempratus.
When it comes to the most powerful volcanoes, researchrs have long spent how post-earupation global cooling-Sometimes called Volcanic Winter-Coulde Potanally Pose a Threat to Humanity. Previous Studies Agreed that Some Planet-Wide Cooling Would Occur But Diverged On How MUCH. Estimates have ranged from 3.6 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 8 degrees celsius).
In a new study in the journey of climateA team from Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and Columbia University in New York Used Advanced Computer Modeling to Simulate Supers-Reuptions like the tooba Event. They found that post-earption cooling would be probally not exced 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees celsius) for even the most powerful blasts.
“The Relatively Modest Temperature Changes We Found Most Compatible With The Evidence Cold ExPLAIN who no Single Super-Waruption has produced firm evidence of Global-Scale CatastroPhe Form S, “Said Lead Author Zachary McGraw, A Researcher at Nasa Giss and Columbia University .
To Qualify as a Super Eruptation, A Volcano must release more than 240 cubic miles (1,000 cubic kilometers) of Magma. These Eruptions are extramely powerful – and rare. The most recent super-earption occurred more than 22,000 years ago in New Zealand. The best-kNown exchange may be the erupation that blasted yellowstone crateer in wyomeing about 2 million years ago.
McGraw and Colleagues Set Out to Understand What was driving the divergence in model temperature estimates IR Severity. ” They are settled on a variable that can be different to pin down: the size of microscopic sulfur particles injected Miles High into the Atmosphere.
In the stratosphere (About 6 to 30 Miles in Altitude), Sulfur Dioxide Gas from Volcanoes Undergoes chemical reactions to condense into liquid Sulfate Particles. These particles Can Influence Surface Temperature on Earth in two counteracting ways: by reflecting Incoming Sunlight (Causing Cooling) or By Trapping Outgoing Heat Energy (a Kind of Greenhouse Warming Effects).
Over the year, this cooling phenomenon has also spurred questions about how humans might turn A cooling effect.
The researchers showed to what extent the diameter of the Volcanic aerosol particles influenced post-earuption temperature. The Smaller and denser the particles, the greats their ability to block sunlight. But estimating the size of particles is challenging beCause Previous Super Erupttions have not left left reliable physical evidence. In the atmosphere, the size of the particles changes as they coagulate and condense. Even when particles Fall Back to Earth and Are preserved in ice cos, they do’t a clear-cut physical records of Mixing and compacation.
By simulating super-earptions over a range of particular sizes, the results found that super-earptions may be incapable of altering of altering global temperature of altering global temperature. For institution, the 1991 Eruptation of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines caused about a half-deegree drop in global tempratus for two years.
Luis Millán, an atmospheric scientist at nasa’s jet propulsion laboratory in southern california who was not involved in the study, said that the mysteries of super-earupation cooling more. He said the way forward is to conduct a comprehensive Comparison of Models, as Well as more Laboratory and Model Studies on the Factors Determining Volcanic Aerosol Particle Sizes.
Given the Ongoing Uncertainteies, Millán Added, “to me, this is another example of why geoengineering via stratospheric aerosol injection is a long, long way from beautiful option.”
The studyTitled “Severe Global Cooling after Volcanic Super-Eruptions? The answer hinges on unknown aerosol size, “was published in the journey of climate.
By sally younger
Earth Science News Team
Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
sally.m.younger@jpl.nasa.gov
