Many examples show that volcanic eruptions lead to the cooling of the climate. Laki in Iceland erupted in 1783 and that winter was the coldest ever recorded in the North East of USA. Tambora in Indonesia erupted in 1815. An extremely cold spring and summer followed this eruption in 1816. Snowfalls and frosts occurred in June, July and August in Europe and North America which led to the failure of crops and therefore famine. Also, Atlantic shipping lanes were blocked by ice and alpine glaciers advanced significantly. Krakatay which is also in Indonesia erupted in 1883. This eruption was the second biggest eruption that has happened and caused the island to split. Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991 and the aerosol plume traveled around thew world in days. Global air temperatures dropped by 1 degree Celsius. This eruption demonstrated the link between sulphur (not ash) and cooling.
How does sulphur in the atmosphere lead to cooling?
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The volcanic eruption emits huge amounts of Sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. This combines with water to make fine particles (aerosols) of sulphuric acid. The aerosols reflects the in coming solar radiation which means that less radiation reaches the Earth's surface and therefore leads to cooling. The extra carbon dioxide from volcanic eruptions does not have a significant impact compare to anthropogenic annual emissions.
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