Volcano's Eruption Creates Colorful U.S. Sunsets

Yahoo! News ^ | 7/1/2009 | Clara Moskowitz

[Pyro7480]

Many people in the United States and Europe are seeing gorgeous lavender sunsets lately thanks to the eruption more than two weeks ago of Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano.

The volcano blew its top June 12, generating a remarkable shock wave in the atmosphere seen in a photo taken by astronauts. It also hurled massive plumes of sulfur dioxide into the air, and that material has been circling the globe.

Deep purple hues and ripples of white characterize the spectacular views the past few evenings.

The phenomenon occurs when the ash and fine particles sprayed high into the atmosphere by the volcano scatter light. The sulfur dioxide ejected by Sarychev Peak interacts with the atmosphere to form tiny particles called sulfate aerosols....

Lately, the volcanic aerosols are combining with the normal scattering particles to create more obstacles for light to pass through, increasing the coloring effect....

[Pyro7480]

In this image provided by NASA a fortuitous orbit of the International Space Station allowed the astronauts this striking view of Sarychev volcano, in Russia's Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan, in an early stage of eruption on June 12, 2009. The main column is one of a series of plumes that rose above Matua Island on June 12. The plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam. The vigorously rising plume gives the steam a bubble-like appearance; the surrounding atmosphere has been shoved up by the shock wave of the eruption. The smooth white cloud on top may be water condensation that resulted from rapid rising and cooling of the air mass above the ash column, and is probably a transient feature. The structure also indicates that little to no shearing winds were present at the time to disrupt the plume. (AP Photo/NASA)

Here's a pic I took from my front yard just south of Alexandria, Virginia on June 23.

[Pyro7480]

Ping!

[Longdriver]

Quick, Zero and the Dummycrats - pass some Volcanic Cap&Trade laws to make these globally-warming volcanoes PAY!!
//sarc

buncha idiots!

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

It also hurled massive plumes of sulfur dioxide into the air, and that material has been circling the globe.

Beautiful plume-age...

;-)

[spald]

Global Warming emissions create beautiful sunsets? Who woulda believed?

[BlueLancer]

Well, so much for carbon reduction for the next 100 years...

[Kansas58]

This probably will cause more “climate change” than ANYTHING man could ever do, even in 100 years!

[Tenacious 1]

Russia should pay for this global catastrophe.

Where does the author get off appreciating this climate disaster and it's affect on the atmosphere? He should be ashamed of indulging in delight at the spectacular aesthetic wonder of this apocalyptic global event.

(Sarcasm)

[Kansas58]

Another political and historical point:

These Islands are only RUSSIAN territory due to WW2.

The former USSR REFUSED to allow the United States to use Soviet/Russian territory, in our war against Japan, even though the USSR was our “ally” in the war against Germany.

(More history, the USSR helped to START WW2, through the Molotov-Ribentrop treaty, which divided Poland. The USSR only got upset with Hitler when Hitler took more of Poland than what he agreed to take!)

Anyway, I do not think that the former Soviet Union even “captured” these islands until AFTER we dropped the first A-Bomb!

They claimed they were not “at war” with Japan, but, after we saved their buts in Europe (Yes, they bled, but the USA paid for it with supplies and food, and we bled too!) -— AFTER we made it clear that Japan would not and could not win, then and only then did the USSR decide it, TOO, was “at war” with Japan!

[Badeye]

Ya know, I’ve noticed this in Southern Ohio recently...didn’t think much about ‘why/how’.

Now I know. Thanks for posting this.

[Mr Rogers]

In Arizona, we don't need a volcano...

[HungarianGypsy]

The sun two days ago looked gorgeous. Did you see it? Just before it set it was behind a cloud and the rays were streaming out. Absolutely beautiful.
BTW, an acquaintance of mine says the colors are caused by pollution.

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

The most stunning sunsets I have ever seen were indeed in Arizona.

[WayneS]

I thought volcanos were going to be prevented from erupting and spewing their terrible CO2 (and othwer gases) into the atmosphere during the obamessiah’s reign.

Isn’t that what the “cap” part of cap and trade means? Installing caps on those awful, polluting volcanos?

[Species8472]

[Islander7]

Stalin was scared to death of a two front war with Germany and Japan. He did all he could to avoid any conflict with Japan.

Germany very nearly defeated Russia. Had Hitler not been insane, they probably could have.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Pyro7480.

· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic ·