Selective environmental stress from sulphur emitted by continental flood basalt eruptions

Schmidt, Anja; Skeffington, R. A.; Thordarson, T.; Self, Stephen; Forster, Piers M.; Rap, A.; Ridgwell, Andy; Fowler, D.; Wilson, Marjorie; Mann, G. W.; Wignall, Paul B.; Carslaw, K. S.

doi:10.1038/ngeo2588

Cited by 104 publications

(122 citation statements)

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“…The simulated e‐ folding lifetime of the Laki volcanic aerosols is 3–4 months, which is in good agreement with Oman, Robock, Stenchikov, Thordarson, Koch et al (), Kravitz and Robock (), and Pausata, Grini, et al (). This short lifetime is due to the low injection height of the SO 2 gas and the stratospheric circulation at high latitudes (Schmidt et al, ). As a result, most of the aerosols have been removed by May 1784, with the NH average AOD well below 0.1.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the 1783–1784 Laki Eruption in Iceland: 1. Aerosol Evolution and Global Stratospheric Circulation Impacts

et al. 2019

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The 1783–1784 CE Laki flood lava eruption began on 8 June 1783. Over the course of 8 months, the eruption released approximately 122 Tg of sulfur dioxide gas into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere above Iceland. Previous studies that have examined the impact of the Laki eruption on sulfate aerosol and climate have either used an aerosol model coupled off‐line to a general circulation model (GCM) or used a GCM with incomplete aerosol microphysics. Here, we study the impact on stratospheric aerosol evolution and stratospheric and tropospheric circulation using a fully coupled GCM with complete aerosol microphysics, the Community Earth System Model version 1, with the Whole Atmosphere Chemistry Climate Model high‐top atmosphere component. Simulations indicate that the Laki aerosols had peak average effective radii of approximately 0.4 μm in Northern Hemisphere (NH) middle and high latitudes, with peak average effective radii of 0.25 μm in NH tropics and 0.2 μm in the Southern Hemisphere. We find that the Laki aerosols are transported globally and have significant impacts on the circulation in both hemispheres, strengthening the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex and shifting the tropospheric NH subtropical jet equatorward.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the 1783–1784 Laki Eruption in Iceland: 1. Aerosol Evolution and Global Stratospheric Circulation Impacts

et al. 2019

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“…Schmidt et al [] estimate that the long‐term average volcanic aerosol‐cloud interactions forcing is ≃−0.3 to −1.6 W m −2 , depending on the background aerosol concentrations). As aerosol and nucleated cloud radiative properties depend on the height of injection of volcanic SO 2 in the troposphere [ Schmidt et al , ], volcanic aerosol‐cloud interactions may also depend on the height of volcanic plumes. As a result, a larger injection of volcanic SO 2 into the troposphere and the decrease of the height of tropospheric plumes (Figure ) may increase future volcanic aerosol‐cloud interactions forcing, although the projected increase in volcanic SO 2 flux into the troposphere is small (≃0–5%, estimated from Figure c and tropospheric flux estimates from Halmer et al [] and Carn et al []). An injection of SO 2 directly into the stratosphere may not be necessary for the SO 2 or sulfur aerosol to reach the stratosphere and result in significant aerosol‐radiation interactions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of global warming on the rise of volcanic plumes and implications for future volcanic aerosol forcing

et al. 2016

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Volcanic eruptions have a significant impact on climate when they inject sulfur gases into the stratosphere. The dynamics of eruption plumes is also affected by climate itself, as atmospheric stratification impacts plumes' height. We use an integral plume model to assess changes in volcanic plume maximum rise heights as a consequence of global warming, with atmospheric conditions from an ensemble of global climate models, using three representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios. Predicted changes in atmospheric temperature profiles decrease the heights of tropospheric and lowermost stratospheric volcanic plumes and increase the tropopause height, for the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios in the coming three centuries. Consequently, the critical mass eruption rate required to cross the tropopause increases by up to a factor of 3 for tropical regions and up to 2 for high‐latitude regions. A number of recent lower stratospheric plumes, mostly in the tropics (e.g., Merapi, 2010), would be expected to not cross the tropopause starting from the late 21st century, under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. This effect could result in a ≃5–25% decrease in the average SO2 flux into the stratosphere carried by small plumes, the frequency of which is larger than the rate of decay of volcanic stratospheric aerosol, and a ≃2–12% decrease of the total flux. Our results suggest the existence of a positive feedback between climate and volcanic aerosol forcing. Such feedback may have minor implications for global warming rate but can prove to be important to understand the long‐term evolution of volcanic atmospheric inputs.

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“…Consequently, the large increase in atmospheric pCO 2 during the extinction event may have arisen as a series of episodic carbon cycle perturbations to the atmosphere (and subsequently the ocean). Pulsatory perturbations of the ocean-atmosphere system caused by episodic volcanic events (and release of volatiles) associated with CAMP may explain the documented prolonged period of ecosystem deterioration and delayed recovery of benthic fauna during the emplacement of CAMP (35,(43)(44)(45).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury evidence for pulsed volcanism during the end-Triassic mass extinction

Percival

Ruhl

Hesselbo

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) has long been proposed as having a causal relationship with the end-Triassic extinction event (∼201.5 Ma). In North America and northern Africa, CAMP is preserved as multiple basaltic units interbedded with uppermost Triassic to lowermost Jurassic sediments. However, it has been unclear whether this apparent pulsing was a local feature, or if pulses in the intensity of CAMP volcanism characterized the emplacement of the province as a whole. Here, six geographically widespread Triassic–Jurassic records, representing varied paleoenvironments, are analyzed for mercury (Hg) concentrations and Hg/total organic carbon (Hg/TOC) ratios. Volcanism is a major source of mercury to the modern environment. Clear increases in Hg and Hg/TOC are observed at the end-Triassic extinction horizon, confirming that a volcanically induced global Hg cycle perturbation occurred at that time. The established correlation between the extinction horizon and lowest CAMP basalts allows this sedimentary Hg excursion to be stratigraphically tied to a specific flood basalt unit, strengthening the case for volcanic Hg as the driver of sedimentary Hg/TOC spikes. Additional Hg/TOC peaks are also documented between the extinction horizon and the Triassic–Jurassic boundary (separated by ∼200 ky), supporting pulsatory intensity of CAMP volcanism across the entire province and providing direct evidence for episodic volatile release during the initial stages of CAMP emplacement. Pulsatory volcanism, and associated perturbations in the ocean–atmosphere system, likely had profound implications for the rate and magnitude of the end-Triassic mass extinction and subsequent biotic recovery.

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Selective environmental stress from sulphur emitted by continental flood basalt eruptions

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Cited by 104 publications

References 58 publications

Modeling the 1783–1784 Laki Eruption in Iceland: 1. Aerosol Evolution and Global Stratospheric Circulation Impacts

Modeling the 1783–1784 Laki Eruption in Iceland: 1. Aerosol Evolution and Global Stratospheric Circulation Impacts

Impact of global warming on the rise of volcanic plumes and implications for future volcanic aerosol forcing

Mercury evidence for pulsed volcanism during the end-Triassic mass extinction

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