Eruptions + Global Warming = ?

Would a good, juicy volcanic eruption or two have any long term effects on global warming? Could that bring balance back somewhat since ash would in a sense draw pollution out of the air?
2nd line.

reply to post by Watts


There has always been volcanic eruptions, since the beginning of time.

And ash, will not draw polution from the air.

Volcano's will definately have an influence on the temperature of the earth. But one juicy one as you state, will not obtain it by itself.

vvv

They can cause it to drop temperatures globally due to vast ash clouds which would block out much of the sun's energy.

So instead of "global warming", think more towards an 'Ice Age'. I suggest this primarily based off of clues found within the geological record and discussed all over the place for the last 100 or so years.

This would probably require a very active period however with hundreds of large eruptions, or I suppose a "juicy one" as you put it like Yellowstone could fit the bill.

the sulpher dioxide in the ash clouds will act as a kind of barrier against the sun, and the bigger the explosion then the earth will be cooled for a year or two but we would need a pretty large explosion every year to keep the earth cool.

Yes sulfur dioxide would help deflect the suns energy back out into space but it will not absorb pollution. Matter of fact, ash can contain flouride along with sulfur to create all kinds of health issues.

Sulfur dioxide is also being "proposed" as a chemical to geo-engineer our climate.

Yeah this leads into another interesting topic, Geo Engineering.

Sure, lets do some more tampering with mother nature. Yeah we may achieve our goal as to bring down the global climate temps a few Degrees C. But what happens when we take a swing to the other extreme?

Oh My! Man made Global Cooling. This could really turn into a Yo-Yo effect. how do we know just how much to meter into the atmosphere before we crossover the threshold.
I don't necessarily fall for this whole Global warning theory that Al Gore is pushing. Our entire Solar system has been heating up as it is. Its all in large cycles, weather its our position while moving though the galaxy or other outside influences. Here on earth i think its also a cycle, much like the wet/dry cycle's of the world.

Of course many scientists say that a warming is followed by a massive cooling period anyway.

Just my two cents. Take it for what its worth.

HAHA! Wrong thread. I was thinking of another thread about Man controlling global warming with setting off Volcanoes. But i guess it still applies to this thread slightly. My fault

If I remember correctly back in the early 90's the planet temp dropped due to a volcanic eruption, so they do cool the planet for a few years at a time if they are big enough. If several large volcanoes erupt around the same time, then I would think the planet would slide into a mini ice age due to ash blocking the sun from heating the planets surface.

Really all you gotta do to answer your question is look up geological patterns of the earth's past, it seems pretty clear that volcanism and also meteor strikes have a HUGE impact on the planets climate. I suspect with just intuitive thought and some understanding of the earths past that warming of the planet leads to volcanic eruptions which leads to ice ages.
What I find slightly alarming is that large meteor strikes also seem to occur around the same time as large volcanically active phases in the earths past, but as to which comes first, I don't think anyone has proven yet.

I know we are now entering a very active volcanic cycle, we are just beginning to rock and roll, but probably have 1000-10,000 years before it gets really bad, at least I hope so.

Kind of like when the dinosaurs were killed off, heavy volcanic activity along with meteors and a global warming that cooled off into an ice age, this is where I see us heading, but only time will tell.

Originally posted by Darkblade71
If I remember correctly back in the early 90's the planet temp dropped due to a volcanic eruption, so they do cool the planet for a few years at a time if they are big enough. If several large volcanoes erupt around the same time, then I would think the planet would slide into a mini ice age due to ash blocking the sun from heating the planets surface.

When Tambora erupted in 1815, the summer of 1816 was called the Year Without a Summer or 1800 and Froze to Death. Crops failed all over the Northern Hemisphere and snow measured in feet was reported in Quebec in June that year. A typhus epidemic followed, and the disruption of the Indian monsoons for three years straight led to more crop failures and a new, deadly strain of cholera.

This was still the Little Ice Age, but even so, 1816 was the 2nd coldest year since 1400...right after 1600 which was caused by the eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru.

Scientists now think that the eruption coincided with a historic low in solar activity (the Maunder Minimum) and the combination of the two was Not a Good Thing.

The eruption in 1991 was Pinatubo. It caused a temperature drop of around 1.5 F.

Really all you gotta do to answer your question is look up geological patterns of the earth's past, it seems pretty clear that volcanism and also meteor strikes have a HUGE impact on the planets climate. I suspect with just intuitive thought and some understanding of the earths past that warming of the planet leads to volcanic eruptions which leads to ice ages.
What I find slightly alarming is that large meteor strikes also seem to occur around the same time as large volcanically active phases in the earths past, but as to which comes first, I don't think anyone has proven yet.

I know we are now entering a very active volcanic cycle, we are just beginning to rock and roll, but probably have 1000-10,000 years before it gets really bad, at least I hope so.

There is a theory--and I don't know how strong the correlation is or if there is any firm basis for it--that periods of low solar activity coincide with high volcanism. Just taking a guess, but maybe the Earth's magnetic field has something to do with it.