Wednesday, June 2, 2010

What is an example of a volcano eruption that had a major impact on climate?


On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted. It is recorded that it was the second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century. Millions of tons of sulfur dioxide were released into the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease in the temperature all over the world for the next few years. At the same time of the eruption Tropical Storm Yunya was occurring close by creating a lot of rainfall in the same region. With precipitation in the air the ash was forced to mix with it, thickening the volume of ash as it landed on peoples communities. The eruption smoke of Mount Pinatubo's various gases and ash climbed high into the atmosphere within two hours of the eruption. In two weeks the aerosol cloud spread around the earth and smothered the planet. This reduced global temperatures in some places 0.4 to 0.5°C and 0.5 to 0.6°C. The eruption of Mont Pinatubo is also said to have caused the various changes in climate that occurred over the following years. These changes include the droughts in the Sahel region of Africa, and floods throughout the Mississippi River. The United States also began to have their wettest and coldest summers than they did have since about 77 years ago.

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