Volcanic effects on climate: recent advances and future avenues

Authors
Maters, Elena 
Schmidt, Anja 
Timmreck, Claudia 
Robock, Alan 

Change log
Abstract

Volcanic eruptions have long been studied for their wide range of climatic effects. Although global-scale climatic impacts following the formation of stratospheric sulfate aerosol are well understood, many aspects of the evolution of the early volcanic aerosol cloud and regional impacts are uncertain. In the last twenty years, several advances have been made, mainly due to improved satellite measurements and observations enabling the effects of small-magnitude eruptions to be quantified, new proxy reconstructions used to investigate the impact of past eruptions, and state-of-the-art aerosol-climate modelling that has led to new insights on how volcanic eruptions affect the climate. Looking to the future, knowledge gaps include the role of co-emissions in volcanic plumes, the impact of eruptions on tropical hydroclimate and Northern Hemisphere winter climate, and the role of eruptions in long-term climate change. Future model development, dedicated model intercomparison projects, interdisciplinary collaborations, and the application of advanced statistical techniques will facilitate more complex and detailed studies. Ensuring that the next large-magnitude explosive eruption is well observed will be critical in providing invaluable observations that will bridge remaining gaps in our understanding.

Publication Date
2022-05-04
Online Publication Date
Acceptance Date
2022-03-18
Keywords
Perspectives, Looking Backwards and Forwards in Volcanology: A Collection of Perspectives on the Trajectory of a Science, Volcanic eruptions, Stratospheric aerosols, Aerosol-climate modelling, Climate
Journal Title
Bulletin of Volcanology
Journal ISSN
0258-8900
1432-0819
Volume Title
84
Publisher
Springer
Sponsorship
Natural Environment Research Council (NE/S000887/1)
Natural Environment Research Council (NE/S00436X/1)