2 years, 1 month ago
Will the volcanic eruption in Iceland slow down global warming?
Isn't this what some scholars believe caused an ice age thousands of years ago? How much will the temperature go down and will it give us a headstart in the fight against global warming?
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M$1 Answer
I don't think the volcanic ash is wide-spread enough to cause any kind of lasting effect to the climate. If we had worldwide volcanic eruptions, that would be another thing. But the CO2 emitted by the volcanos (if we had a worldwide eruption) would actually warm up the air because they absorb and re-emit more heat than most other gases - in fact, I'm sure you've heard about the rising levels of CO2 emissions (by fossil fuels, cars, etc) that are contributing to global warming. Again though, one volcano isn't going to change things too much.
Venus is a perfect example of a runaway greenhouse effect caused by too much CO2 in the atmosphere. More information here.
Edit: I actually just found an interesting article here that discusses the volcano's CO2 emissions, and claims that the levels are "Nothing Compared To European Aviation Industry's."
Venus is a perfect example of a runaway greenhouse effect caused by too much CO2 in the atmosphere. More information here.
Edit: I actually just found an interesting article here that discusses the volcano's CO2 emissions, and claims that the levels are "Nothing Compared To European Aviation Industry's."
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
The ash will tend to increase slightly the amount of solar radiation that is reflected from the atmosphere, however, the relatively small size of the eruption is not likely to make a large impact. A much larger eruption in the past reduced global temps by about 1 degree F. So it would be in the right direction, but probably not significant.
While that is true, I believe the ash will also incubate the air, trapping in a lot of the warmth and gasses that do make it through. I'm not a meterological expert though, I'm drawing on my knowledge of two semesters of Geology, lol. But again, even if it did manage to block out more radiation - it's minimal. Nothing to create an Ice Age...