Why might volcanoes be a threat to Earth’s climate?

What is this, what is it? Hot as hell and cooled by a shield? Have you ever made a connection between a volcano and an air conditioner sufficient to cool important parts of the world?

Volcanoes are very interesting natural entities that connect the planet’s seemingly calm surface to its burning heart of molten metal. It intervenes in the planet’s climate for a significant period of time by expelling gases, ashes and magma from its vents.

Understand how Volcanoes have the capacity to create changes in Earth’s climateIt acts as a breeze amidst the chaos created by global warming.

Basic principles of a volcano

You may be used to thinking of volcanoes as giant mountains, their hollow peaks guarding hot, still beds, waiting for a generous opportunity to awaken. But this reflects only some of them.

volcanoes formed by cracks in the earth’s crust that are wide enough to provide communication between magmatic pockets and the surface.. Some volcanoes may be much simpler, such as a simple trench.

Volcanoes can also be found on the ocean floor, in hot springs, and even in widely visited parks; Here they thrive on flashy stunts like Yellowstone, which is considered an intriguing supervolcano because even when active, the volcano has been silent for centuries.

volcanic eruptions Occurs when there is excessive accumulation of gas and heat that significantly increases the internal pressure of the system. Without a relief valve, they “explode” to release magma, rocks, ash and gases.

But volcanoes are not eternal. When magmatic pockets no longer show any evidence of activity or movement, they can be considered extinct. Volcanic inactivity refers to systems that are in “hibernation” mode, although they have the capacity to continue their magmatic activity.

Tectonic movements and the earthquakes that occur as a result is a factor that may contribute to the reactivation of volcanoesSince new cracks may form by reactivating the magma pathway.

And unfortunately, it is not yet completely possible to prevent rashes. Warning signs of an impending eruption are most noticeable just a few days or hours before the event.

But volcanologists are still on the lookout for these ticking time bombs. And key environmental and climate impacts are concentrated in this lack of predictability.

Volcanoes and air conditioning, who knew?

In the heat of the moment, you might try to draw a direct correlation between volcanoes and global warming, but that couldn’t be more wrong. It is clear that volcanoes are capable of emitting large concentrations of carbon dioxide. But surprisingly, the capacity to produce greenhouse gases does not reach 1% of human capacity.

Clearly, at the beginning of terrestrial creation, intense volcanic activity, together with a still-forming atmosphere and perhaps existing oceans, clearly contributed to maintaining temperature like blacksmith furnaces, but this changed over the millennia.

In this planetary age, When an explosion occurs, in addition to CO2, large amounts of sulfur dioxide are also sprayed into the atmosphere..

When the force of the explosion is sufficient to reach the stratosphere, these particles, called volcanic aerosols, form a kind of shield that increases the Albedo, the reflection rate of the atmosphere, preventing the sun’s rays from entering the planet and heating it.

This particle shield isn’t that temporary. In super-eruptions such as Mount Tambora and Mount Krakatoa in Indonesia or Pinatubo in the Philippines, the effects of this shield were felt even years after the eruption.

And our climate is highly dependent on adequate levels of sunlight, reflectance and atmospheric permeability. When these factors suddenly change, the damage is enormous.

Planting and harvesting may be affected due to climate change. Significant impacts on financial markets may occur due to the increase in pests due to the decrease in temperature and damage to the food, industry and energy sectors.

Moreover, local and material damage as well as lives at risk are more than relevant factors in events of this magnitude, directly affecting the physical, material and human resources of the affected areas.

And even all this chaos won’t be enough to reverse global warming because its effects don’t last long enough. This would be another inconvenience rather than a blessing of the climate.

weather reports We predict that there will be no major volcanic events in the next 70 years, maintaining the stability of the last centuryBut as we said before, there’s no way to predict exactly when one of these giants will wake up in a rage.

Another interesting factor still debated by researchers in the fields of geology, climatology and volcanology is the impact of minor volcanic events on climate mediation. It is known that these “micro events” have an impact and contribution, but the extent of this contribution is uncertain.

As a way of coping, in addition to the development of emergency plans for natural disasters, strategies to reduce the carbon footprint that focus on providing victims with plans for the reconstruction or resettlement of affected areas can be considered.

Attitudinal changes are an urgency in the world we live in today, and perhaps in a more organized and less catastrophic way we can take inspiration from volcanoes, which can cool things down a bit even as they burn.

As we leave the Ring of Fire and enter Brazilian territory, have you ever wondered what the climate will be like here in the next decade? Better check before planning your next holiday. Stay tuned to TecMundo for explosive topics!