Volcanic effects on environment

Volcanic effects on environment

Volcanic EMISSIONS

• Volcanoes spew gas during eruptions
• The most common gas is water vapor
• Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide  
• Numerous other gasses found
• Fine ash also enters the atmosphere

Effects of gas in atmosphere

• Gases can cause global warming
• Can deplete the ozone layer
• Carbon Dioxide kills plant and animal life
• Can cause acid rain, harming infrastruscture

Volcanic Ash

• Falling ash can be hot and fatal
• Fine ash stays in atmosphere for weeks
• Ash disrupts delicate ecosystems
• Ash can also smother and poison land
• Small quantities of ash can fertilize

Ash clean up

• Goggles and dust masks 
• Ash can make roads hazardous
• Ash is moistened and shoveled or swept 
• Natural areas often need help recovering

Water issues

• Treatment plants can clean water
• Ash damages and clogs filters
• Untreated water can be deadly

Volcanic Winter

• Ash and sulfuric acid can block the sun
• Only found in significantly big eruptions 
• Drastic climate change is often deadly
• Volcanic eruption's effects felt globally

Lake Toba

• 69,000-77,000 years ago
• 6-year volcanic winter
• May have caused "genetic bottleneck"

Krakatoa

• 1883 eruption and tsunamis killed 36,000 people
• Average temperature dropped 2.2 degrees
• Climate was irregular for 5 years
• Caused optical phenomenon due to ash

Huaynaputina

• Erupted in 1600 in Peru
• Thousands killed by volcano
• Caused cold winters globally for 2 years
• Famine killed at least 2 million Russians

1815 Mount Tambora

• Caused "The Year Without a Summer"
• Eruption disturbed northern hemisphere's climate
• Many crops failed, caused famine
• May have inspired Americans to settle the midwest
• Mormonism, bicycles, Frankenstein

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