Second eruption in six weeks of the Marapi volcano in Indonesia: will it have effects on the climate?
Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday , with ash rising 1,300 meters (4,300 feet) from the peak six weeks after a fatal eruption, according to the country's geological agency.
The volcano in West Sumatra province erupted at least twice at 0337 GMT on Sunday, the agency said, calling on people within a 4.5 km radius of the eruption center to be evacuated, with the possibility of lava flows in the rivers and valleys.
“In the event of ash rain, we urge residents to use masks to prevent respiratory illnesses,” the agency said.
In December there was another flood with more than 20 people killed after the eruption of Marapi, one of Sumatra's most active volcanoes, which spewed gray clouds of ash up to 3 km high.
Indonesia straddles the “ Pacific Ring of Fire ,” an area of high seismic activity that spans multiple tectonic plates.
Volcanic ash from Sunday's eruption covered nearby homes, vehicles and evacuation tents set up by the local disaster agency. Some residents went to health facilities for respiratory checks and authorities distributed masks.
Can these continuous eruptions change the climate? Volcanic ash or dust released into the atmosphere during an eruption obscures sunlight and causes temporary cooling. Larger ash particles have a limited effect because they fall quickly from the air. The small ash particles form a dark cloud in the troposphere that darkens and cools the area directly below. But the effects can be much more severe if lighter particles reach the stratosphere, spreading widely throughout the atmosphere.
In 1816 the Indonesian volcano Mount Tambora erupted, sending a large quantity of light material, forming a large cloud that spread widely, reaching as far as North America and Europe. The drop in temperatures during the summer of 1816 was notable, estimated at around 15 degrees m so much so that 1816 was known as “The Year Without a Summer”. Harvests were largely insufficient, triggering worldwide famines and thus starvation and death.
This does not seem to be the case, but in any case the climate remains in the hands of events that are not very predictable and, above all, whose effects are difficult to control.
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The article Second eruption in six weeks of the Marapi volcano in Indonesia: will it have effects on the climate? comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/seconda-eruzione-in-sei-settane-del-vulcano-marapi-in-indonesia-avra-effetti-sul-clima/ on Sun, 14 Jan 2024 09:00:34 +0000.