Isolating the climatogenic effects of volcanoes

Conference · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:5962092

Ellsaesser, H W

Attempts to isolate and quantify the climatogenic effect of volcanic eruptions have been based on at least two independent estimates of atmospheric transparency, four independent chronologies of volcanic eruptions and eight estimates of the relative magnitudes of their climatogenic potential (dust veil index, optical depth, etc.). A similar quantity of curves have been used as representing the evolution of the hemispheric or global mean temperature. While essentially all of such studies have noted an apparent coherence in time between major volcanic eruptions and falling surface temperatures, each found anomalies in the data which appear to contradict the assumed direct quantitative relationship between stratospheric dust loading and surface cooling. Among these were cooling in the absence of volcanoes or following non-explosive eruptions, onset of cooling before the eruption or before arrival of the volcanic dust cloud, greater cooling in the hemisphere receiving the least amount of volcanic dust, comparable degrees of cooling for stratospheric dust injections estimated to differ by up to two orders of magnitude, comparable cooling for isolated and for closely spaced series of eruptions and an unexplained cooling over a quarter century in which no major eruptions were detected. Is it not time to raise the question; are the climatic effects of volcanic dust clouds known - or merely believed.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5962092
• Report Number(s): UCRL-89161; CONF-830766-1; ON: DE83014948
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580202* -- Geophysics-- Volcanology-- (1980-1989)
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
CLIMATES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
VOLCANISM