1783 - Year without a summer! A constant fog veiled much of Europe and northern North America in the summer of 1783. Then U.S. ambassador to France, Benjamin Franklin, correctly deduced the fog was the result of the Laki fissure eruption in Iceland. From May 1783 to May 1785, the ~18 mile-long Laki fissure erupted 3.6 cubic miles of basaltic lavas. More than 50% of Iceland livestock died and the human population decreased by 25%. Laki erupted 122 megatons (Mt) SO2 into the atmosphere, maintaining a sulfuric aerosol veil that hung over the Northern Hemisphere for >5 months, reflecting solar energy back into space and cooling the Earths atmosphere by ~1.3 degrees C for two to three years. Images - Distribution of Laki volcanic fog in northern hemisphere; Laki fissure vents, Iceland. For more info: gso.uri.edu/lava/Laki%20Eruption/Lakierupt.html For technical paper: onlinelibrary.wiley/doi/10.1029/2001JD002042/full
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 14:36:57 +0000
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