Climate Change the Natural Way

Posted by Aurae Beidler Jan 10, 2008

Climate change is natural and can be impacted by naturally occurring events. Volcanic eruptions can effect climate and weather, as they cause huge plumes of dust and ash to tower into the atmosphere. The dark layers of dust and ash can hang in the sky for months, blocking out sunlight and changing weather patterns.

In 1991, Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines caused a global climate change. As the eruption caused clouds of dust and ash to rise into the atmosphere, a layer formed in the sky, blocking out the sun. Lower global temperatures occurred after the eruption. This eruption is thought to have caused heavier than normal snowfall in the Eastern United States during the following winters.

In 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted in Washington State. I have a particular interest in this event as it occurred five days after I was born, May 18, 1980. The eruption sent ash clouds as far as 250 miles away, leaving Portland covered in an inch of ash.

Most recently, "On January 1, 2008, Chile’s Llaima Volcano erupted, raining ash on the local wilderness park and sending a column of smoke skyward" (NASA, 2008). The eruption sent a large amount of sulfur dioxide into the air, which "can combine with water to make a highly reflective haze of sulfuric acid" (NASA, 2008). This haze can reflect sunlight away from the Earth, causing lower temperatures, like in the case of Mt. Pinatubo's eruption.

With so many active volcanoes, especially along the Pacific, eruptions are inevitable, yet an interesting site to explore. Watch for upcoming articles in Meteorology & Climatology on natural climate change, caused by natural events like volcanic eruptions.