What Are Volcanoes Influence Climate Change?
With each eruption, volcanoes have the potential to eject large amounts of ash, gases, and sulfuric aerosols into the upper troposphere and stratosphere (Allen, 2015). Volcanism helped form Earth’s ancient climate and influences climate change in today’s world (Kasting, 1993). A recent example of a volcano influencing climate include the 1982 El Chichon eruption in Mexico, which is regarded as the largest volcanic disaster in modern Mexican history (Mass, 1989). Ancient examples of climate-changing eruptions include the Huaynaputina volcano in Peru in 1600 C.E. (Costa, et al. 2003) and a volcano called Tambora in Indonesia which exploded in 1815 (Harpp, 2005). All three volcanoes had direct and indirect influences on humans, livestock and plant-life because of the global climate change outcome.
The primary gas emitted by volcanoes, carbon dioxide, is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change by trapping infrared heat energy, resulting in global warming (Gerlach, 2011). However, compared to anthropogenic outputs, volcanic outputs of carbon dioxide is very minimal, therefore having a small overall impact on climate change (Gerlach, 2011). Emitted volcanic aerosols, on the …show more content…
Volcanoes around the globe, including those that are on-land and underwater, ventilate approximately 0.26 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year (Gerlach, 2011). Alternatively, anthropogenic outputs of carbon dioxide in 2010 was estimated to be 35 billion metric tons, due to multiple sources such as transportational, industrial and agricultural emissions (Gerlach, 2011). It can be concluded that volcanic eruptions enhance global warming by adding carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, however that change is marginal compared to anthropogenic inputs (Gerlach, 2011). It has been projected that the total volcanic outgassing of carbon dioxide make up less than 1% of the total input (Gerlach,
The primary gas emitted by volcanoes, carbon dioxide, is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change by trapping infrared heat energy, resulting in global warming (Gerlach, 2011). However, compared to anthropogenic outputs, volcanic outputs of carbon dioxide is very minimal, therefore having a small overall impact on climate change (Gerlach, 2011). Emitted volcanic aerosols, on the …show more content…
Volcanoes around the globe, including those that are on-land and underwater, ventilate approximately 0.26 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year (Gerlach, 2011). Alternatively, anthropogenic outputs of carbon dioxide in 2010 was estimated to be 35 billion metric tons, due to multiple sources such as transportational, industrial and agricultural emissions (Gerlach, 2011). It can be concluded that volcanic eruptions enhance global warming by adding carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, however that change is marginal compared to anthropogenic inputs (Gerlach, 2011). It has been projected that the total volcanic outgassing of carbon dioxide make up less than 1% of the total input (Gerlach,