New research indicates the cooling effect of rare, large eruptions will increase, whereas the effects of more frequent, smaller eruptions will be reduced.
Volcano/climate interactions
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Overlooked Role of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions from Volcanoes
Volcanoes can warm as much as they cool. Prior simulations have neglected the important warming effects of sulfur dioxide emissions, making some results colder than they should be.
Posted inNews
Sparks May Reveal the Nature of Ash Plumes
In lab experiments and models, researchers uncover how ash can affect the standing shock waves of erupting volcanoes. Their findings may lead to new predictions of volcanic ash hazards.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Did a Volcanic Eruption in 1783 Change the Climate in Europe?
A new model of the Laki eruption in Iceland suggests that normal climate variability was to blame for the anomalously warm summer.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Volcano in Iceland Is One of the Largest Sources of Volcanic CO2
High-precision airborne measurements, in combination with atmospheric modeling, suggest that the Katla subglacial caldera may be one of the planet’s biggest sources of volcanic carbon dioxide.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Are We Prepared for the Next Mega Eruption?
The frequency of eruptions with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 7 is only one or two per thousand years but we cannot afford to be complacent.
Posted inNews
A Volcanic Trigger for Earth’s First Mass Extinction?
Abnormally high levels of mercury in Ordovician rocks may imply that a huge surge of volcanism took place at a time when much of the planet’s ocean life vanished.
Posted inScience Updates
Volcanic Ash Particles Hold Clues to Their History and Effects
Volcanic Ash as an Active Agent in the Earth System (VA3): Combining Models and Experiments; Hamburg, Germany, 12–13 September 2016
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Volcanic Ash Contributes to Climate Cooling
A new study shows that atmospheric ash reflects solar radiation months after volcanic eruptions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Volcanic Eruptions Stir an Already Complex Atmosphere
A study of Earth's atmospheric response to major volcanic eruptions seeks to reconcile contradictions between observations and climate models.