Are we headed for another "Year without a Summer"?

Does anyone read the Webbot predictions? In one of them, they said that there would be something that would travel around the Earth seven times and would be dangerous to humans. I always assumed Cliff High was talking about the superflu or fallout from a nuclear bomb.

We already know that the volcano going off is not the main one, but an off shoot. The news tonight said whenever this "small" one has gone off in the past, the main, much larger one has, too. A volcanologist went on to add that when the main one blows, it'll be ten times stronger than the one currently spewing smoke, ash, and lava. What if the ash is the thing that travels around the Earth seven times? Many more of us would have to stay inside to avoid the toxic air.

Friends in Ireland have said they can't see the ash where they are, but they know it is falling and they are trying to stay inside. Another friend in the U.S. mentioned there was once a year without a summer because of a huge volcanic eruption.

en.wikipedia.org...

en.wikipedia.org...

www.yourdiscovery.com...

www.farmersalmanac.com...

Volcanologists already believe the big one is going to blow. The news also said it may help "slow down global warming" and "cool the planet."

What if it causes another year without a summer? Think of the implications for food production, commerce, travel! There'd definitely be riots.

Does anyone have any ideas how to handle/combat/survive a year without a summer?

Are there tips on ways to deal with ash and toxic air?

What do we do to protect the crops in our gardens?

Only way to survive cold or sunless summers is to plant cold weather crops, and wash the veggies and fruits well. Cover your crops with some sort of protective covering to minimize pollution fallout. It won't be exactly be radiation fallout which of course is much worse but there will be some sort of pollution fallout.

My mother planted Kale in her garden and it withstood the winter here in Vancouver, British Columbia. These things grow big. Well that's an example. If you have strong nerves you can hunt rats from composts and eat insects. You can even eat grass during worse case situations.

Here, it's harder to starve... if you're one of the 'surviors' that is. We have the ocean to fish from and the winters aren't severe here. We would, however compete with people who are escaping much worse.

Who knows how many people there are who aren't like you and I who are soft and whose worlds would literally end if they didn't have the luxuries of fast and available food, and no will to grow it.

When stored food starts to run out dogs who can't hunt their keep and cats will go first, then the local wildlife will disappear, and when people start to go hungry the real # will hit the fan.

There will be mass exoduses to warmer areas of the world by those who are weak or by those who cannot grow because it is much too cold where they are.

It will only mean violence in that situation as competition rises.

That's the mini ice age if these volcano eruptions continue to increase in frequency, duration, or severity.

Or, you know, the webbots wrong, like it's been many times before...

Here in England, we had our summer on Saturday. It was beautiful...I can hardly wait until next summer.

Originally posted by Kandinsky
Here in England, we had our summer on Saturday. It was beautiful...I can hardly wait until next summer.

ROFL! I feel the same way..its SUPPOSED to be spring here in Missouri...there have been frost warnings at night..and the days are very cool..I just told my son yesterday...what the HELL happened to spring!

reply to post by Waiting2


NASA predict 2010 to be the hottest on record, but that was BEFORE this critter blew. However, a year without a summer may well be on the cards, but it's likely to be NEXT Summer. And the next Winter is also likely to be colder than the last. We'll see.

mclinking

Originally posted by hippomchippo
Or, you know, the webbots wrong, like it's been many times before...

Hippo, you missed the point of the thread. History has already recorded a year without summer. Did you open the links I attached?

I'm thinking the bigger picture here. Europe is already greatly affected by this volcano. Other countries that trade with Europe are also suffering because they cannot send their perishable products by air. This is already affecting people globally. What'll happen when the big one, Katla, blows?!?!

Originally posted by Kandinsky
Here in England, we had our summer on Saturday. It was beautiful...I can hardly wait until next summer.

Kandinsky, why didn't you address my questions?

History has already shown that a large volcanic eruption changed the climate of the planet. See my links above.

It's not about now. It's not about today. It is highly possible that the big volcano will blow.

But, you seem concerned about life today. Right now all sorts of things cannot be delivered to their final destinations. Won't prices go up to make up for this loss in business? Won't they also go up because crops will be ruined?

You are on an island with limited farmland. If the wind shifts, you'll notice.

Originally posted by Yummy Freelunch

Originally posted by Kandinsky
Here in England, we had our summer on Saturday. It was beautiful...I can hardly wait until next summer.

ROFL! I feel the same way..its SUPPOSED to be spring here in Missouri...there have been frost warnings at night..and the days are very cool..I just told my son yesterday...what the HELL happened to spring!

Yummy, usually it is much warmer where I live by this time. This is an unusually cool spring anyway. I wonder how much cooler things will be because of the volcano?

Thanks for responding!

Originally posted by mclinking
reply to post by Waiting2

 

NASA predict 2010 to be the hottest on record, but that was BEFORE this critter blew. However, a year without a summer may well be on the cards, but it's likely to be NEXT Summer. And the next Winter is also likely to be colder than the last. We'll see.

mclinking

Excellent point, Mclinking. That's what I was thinking, too. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Originally posted by star in a jar
Only way to survive cold or sunless summers is to plant cold weather crops, and wash the veggies and fruits well. Cover your crops with some sort of protective covering to minimize pollution fallout. It won't be exactly be radiation fallout which of course is much worse but there will be some sort of pollution fallout.

My mother planted Kale in her garden and it withstood the winter here in Vancouver, British Columbia. These things grow big. Well that's an example. If you have strong nerves you can hunt rats from composts and eat insects. You can even eat grass during worse case situations.

Here, it's harder to starve... if you're one of the 'surviors' that is. We have the ocean to fish from and the winters aren't severe here. We would, however compete with people who are escaping much worse.

Who knows how many people there are who aren't like you and I who are soft and whose worlds would literally end if they didn't have the luxuries of fast and available food, and no will to grow it.

When stored food starts to run out dogs who can't hunt their keep and cats will go first, then the local wildlife will disappear, and when people start to go hungry the real # will hit the fan.

There will be mass exoduses to warmer areas of the world by those who are weak or by those who cannot grow because it is much too cold where they are.

It will only mean violence in that situation as competition rises.

That's the mini ice age if these volcano eruptions continue to increase in frequency, duration, or severity.

Thanks, Star! Your comments were quite helpful. As I am in the U.S., I'm not so close to the volcano. However, I did hear that the ash is blowing its way to Canada.

Worse case scenario, the big one blows. I just found this that mentions that when the big one comes it'll definitely affect the U.S.:

content.usatoday.com...

Thanks for the tip on the kale. If this happens, I already have plenty of cold weather crop seeds and crops so I'd be okay there. I know I can plant veggies inside. I've already tried and have been a bit successful, but I'd prefer to have them outside.

I know we're not always going to be able to depend on the grid (and I've lived off the grid before), but I'm curious. How will our heating/cooling systems be impacted by ash? Can we operate them? Sure we have air filters, but is that enough to protect us?

Has anyone seen websites on surviving/dealing with volcano ash?

reply to post by Waiting2


It has been hazing and cool in N. Florida for almost a month. I know that the ash from Iceland is travelling Eastward to Europe and it can't possibly be affecting our weather in Florida, but the weatherman says Sunny with a High of 85, and we get Hazy with a high of 78? We have been getting the same forecast and the same hazy weather for at least 2 weeks? Last night my mother noticed that the bugs were not out and the frogs and crickets were not chirping. It is usually extremely loud at our house, but last night it was silent? There was a 50% chance of rain, but we never got a drop? Today, there is a 40% chance of rain, but the weather is exactly like yesterday. Upper 70's, and a very high, gray, haze?

We are coming off the Worst Winter in at least 40 years for our area. Hearty Banana Trees and Lemon trees that were 25 years old are now dead? Last summer, the Gulf of Mexico barely got into the 80 degree zone, but over the last 10 years it has hit 90 several times?

Yes, I believe we are repeating the weather cycle from the late 1700's, that was considered a mini-ice age. It lasted about 70 years. I believe the solar activity cycle has not come along as they expected, and in addition to that the seismic activity and volcanic activity is increasing. I think it will be a very mild summer, and next winter will be worse than this one, and next summer will be even cooler than this summer.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Waiting2

 

Yes, I believe we are repeating the weather cycle from the late 1700's, that was considered a mini-ice age. It lasted about 70 years. I believe the solar activity cycle has not come along as they expected, and in addition to that the seismic activity and volcanic activity is increasing. I think it will be a very mild summer, and next winter will be worse than this one, and next summer will be even cooler than this summer.

Getreadyalready, our winter was unusually cold and wet, too, this year. Our weather sounds like yours: hazy and 15-20 degrees cooler than normal.

I talked to a friend of mine who teaches history and asked him about the year without a summer. He said things weren't really affected by the volcano until the following year. That's when the weather really began changing. Many people died.

Like you, I think we'll have a milder summer and really bad winter. Glad to know I'm not the only one thinking and noticing these things!

I live in the Mojave desert of Calif so i could use a cold summer.

I tried to grow a small garden last summer and everything died because of the heat.

Originally posted by Yummy Freelunch

Originally posted by Kandinsky
Here in England, we had our summer on Saturday. It was beautiful...I can hardly wait until next summer.

ROFL! I feel the same way..its SUPPOSED to be spring here in Missouri...there have been frost warnings at night..and the days are very cool..I just told my son yesterday...what the HELL happened to spring!

My question is what happened to winter? It never came here in Idaho.

Originally posted by Anuubis
My question is what happened to winter? It never came here in Idaho.

I think we're all experiencing strange weather. You lost a winter; I received a harsh one when ours are usually mild. Now, my spring is much cooler than normal, by at least 20 degrees.

I don't think the volcano is to blame for that, but I wonder how much the world weather will be affected if the volcano erupts again like it's supposed to.

Katla and Eyja are only 12 miles apart and may be connected to the same magma chambers.
The last time they erupted, they caused 6 years of winter in Europe.
Laki volcano is credited with causing the Little Ice Age because it was violent and persistant.
en.wikipedia.org...
The ash spreading over Europe may cause a cooler summer in Europe. If it was still erupting, it would be even cooler.

Originally posted by zachi
Katla and Eyja are only 12 miles apart and may be connected to the same magma chambers.
The last time they erupted, they caused 6 years of winter in Europe.
Laki volcano is credited with causing the Little Ice Age because it was violent and persistant.
en.wikipedia.org...
The ash spreading over Europe may cause a cooler summer in Europe. If it was still erupting, it would be even cooler.

Thanks for responding, Zachi. Yes, that's exactly why I started this thread. We already know this happened once. It is highly possible that the two volcanoes will erupt again.

I guess that means it was good to plant spinach since it's a cool weather veggie!

I've found various articles on the web talking about a cooler climate throughout the world because of the volcano. I am not surprised the mainstream media hasn't said much. I think we're all in for cooler weather.

Back to my original questions:


1. Does anyone have any ideas how to handle/combat/survive a year without a summer?

2. Are there tips on ways to deal with ash and toxic air?

3. What do we do to protect the crops in our gardens?


[edit on 25-4-2010 by Waiting2]

There are lots of scenarios for a year without summer. A volcanic eruption, a nuclear winter, asteroid strike etc. Volcanic eruption is looking likely. As we did not have an airline industry at the time of the last "year without summer" then it did not impact the way it will this time. Our homes are energy hungry now and at least wice as much energy will be required for heating over the whole year and I have seen mains gas and power fail.

The prospect of something like a year without summer is maybe one reason I put in a heat pump rather than solar panels, that, and the prospect of hail damage to solar panels (and because I want to change the roof line of the house). Solar panels are just not going to work in a year without summer and if the weather is bad they may be destroyed.

It's rather difficult to get things right, trying to be green, and trying to cover every world and personal scenario.

I've just tried to spread the risk across all methods of energy usage.

I have bottled gas for cooking, this will still work in case the power fails. I still have a wood burning fireplace as backup heating and over summer I have collected trees cut down on the local golf course. I put a lot more into doing things like this this summer and I do not know why. Maybe instinct.

I'm thinking of getting a small ethanol burning device as well. Has anyone tried on of those?

Certainly home insulation incentives have been being pushed lately and that may be because of fears of some kind of crisis of this kind. Heaps of insulation just sitting in storage here in Australia after our government scheme caused so many fires it was halted.

I'm collecting large bubble, bubble wrap to use on my windows this year. I believe it is quite effective and a whole lot cheaper than double glazing which is simply out of the question. Also collecting extra carpets. If it happens I'll turn my house into a kind of Yurt. The mongolians go quite well in Yurts. Be interesting to know if they have legends of a year without summer. What happened in Tibet the year without summer?

It's great where I live, nothing going on, out in the open at least. The only thing in this town is a power plant and Air Force base. They keep tabs on us though, so I wouldn't get to comfortable. But the air is fine, and it matters more than the cold.