Icelandic Volcano Chills Travel… But What About the Climate? By Andrew Freedman, Climate Central, April 15, 1010. "The ongoing eruption of Mt. Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland is disrupting flights across Europe, shutting down some of the busiest airports and aviation corridors in the world. But could it also disrupt the climate system, leading to a temporary cooling trend this summer? Not likely, according to Rutgers University environmental sciences professor Alan Robock, an expert on how volcanoes alter the composition of the Earth's atmosphere. According to Robock, the Icelandic eruption hasn't contributed enough sulfur dioxide to the upper atmosphere to significantly alter the climate. 'From what I've seen from the observations so far, there hasn't been enough put into the atmosphere to have a large climate effect,' he said in a telephone interview. It is well known that volcanic eruptions can affect the climate. Just ask historians… the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, which contributed about 20 megatons of volcanic material to the atmosphere, cooled global average surface temperatures by about one degree Fahrenheit in the year following the eruption. By vaulting particles of sulfur dioxide and other reflective aerosols high into the stratosphere, volcanic eruptions can reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the planet's surface."
2010-04-28
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