When we hear of volcanic eruptions, all we can think about is the boiling hot magma with everything in the surroundings getting too hot to touch (literally). However, now a study says that with global warming, we could see more volcanoes erupt, and that would actually have a cooling effect on our planet.?
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This is according to a study by researchers from the University of Cambridge (published in Nature Communications). The study suggests that greenhouse gases would help plumes coming from large eruptions reach higher and spread faster while reflecting more sunlight, resulting in more cooling.?
In case you didn't know, when the planet was just turning to become habitable for humans, volcanoes were abundant and they had more control over the temperatures of our planet.
During long terms they¡¯d let out CO2 from Earth¡¯s interior causing warming, however for brief periods, they¡¯d also release sulphur gases that mixed with water to form sulfates that caused the planet to cool down. And surprisingly, the climate of our planet also impacts volcanoes.?
Researchers simulated the response to plumes released from midsize and large volcanoes during historical conditions and by the year 2100 when our plant is expected to get very warm.
Researchers saw two trends -- with just one or two midsize volcanic eruptions every year shooting to the troposphere, it bypasses Earth¡¯s weather to reach the stratosphere -- an otherwise calm, dry zone.?
When the reflective sulfate particles spread in this region they cause small levels of global cooling. However, with the troposphere being warmer than usual, it expands in height, putting the stratosphere out of reach.?
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However, looking at a situation when the world is 6 degrees Celsius warmer (in 2100), the increased troposphere raises 1.5 kilometres in height. But, the massive eruptions would still pass through the stratosphere, with the gases reaching higher and travel faster than in the present climate, boosting their cooling effect by 15 percent.?
According to researchers, it raises more questions than it answers. The study only looks at tropical eruptions, not the ones close to poles where the stratosphere is closer.?
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It is also difficult to say if the increased cooling from large volcanic eruptions or increased cooling from smaller ones could actually have a huge impact on climate.?
The next stage of this research will be to see how these trends work in more realistic warming levels along with other climate models. Thomas Aubry, a geophysicist at the University of Cambridge, said in a statement, ¡°My hope is we will never warm the climate enough to influence volcanoes. But it¡¯s becoming a narrow, narrow pathway.¡±