How a Volcano Eruption Wiped Away Summer (Tambora)

NPR ^ | 10-22-2007 | Michael Sullivan

[TYVets]

ping

[Calvin Locke]

One of the noxious volcanoes in the early 1980s created a maintenance headache for the airlines.

The large amount of sulfur thrown into the upper atmosphere created a lot of sulphuric acid that was scoring the windows on passenger jets, and customers were complaining about it.

They had to shorten the window polishing cycle.

Probably painting, too.

[Strategerist]

Let me get this straight. Volcanoes release sulfur, a pollutant, into the atmosphere, it reflects sunlight into space, thus cooling the planet. Then why are we removing sulfur from our fuels?........

Any sulfur released from the surface never makes it to the upper atmosphere to form sulfuric acid and block sunlight. It's just a pollutant.

Ozone is similar-ozone in the upper atmosphere blocks UV, making life possible, but Ozone at the surface is an irritating pollutant.

[Zerodown]

Volcanoes release sulfur, a pollutant, into the atmosphere, it reflects sunlight into space, thus cooling the planet. Then why are we removing sulfur from our fuels?

Lissen Badger, we don't pay you to think. This kind of talk will earn you a bunk in the Hillary-Gore Re-Education Center after the election.

[Andrew Byler]

Any sulfur released from the surface never makes it to the upper atmosphere to form sulfuric acid and block sunlight. It's just a pollutant. Ozone is similar-ozone in the upper atmosphere blocks UV, making life possible, but Ozone at the surface is an irritating pollutant.

Makes you wonder then how Chloroflourocarbons (CFC) get out of air conditioner units and manage to float up into the ozone layer. Are they somehow lighter than air, despite the enormous number of atoms in each molecule?

[VA Voter]

There was an article some months ago about during this dreary summer the book Frankenstein was written.

[blam]

"You are correct, Yellowstone was the mother of all eruptions."

I thought we we talking only during human history. (?) Yellowstone last erupted 640,000 years ago.

[blam]

"There was an article some months ago about during this dreary summer the book Frankenstein was written."

Yup. I saw that on TV too.

[JohnBovenmyer]

He meant the largest in historical times. I’m not sure how it compared with Santorini (Thera) although that is a far closer comparison than Krakatoa, and must have had far greater effect on history than Tambora. There must have been old people who experienced both Tambora and Krakatoa, but have you ever read of a personal comparison? Tambora was virtually lost to history within a generation, something almost as impressive as its size. The mid-Yellowstone sized Toba was pre-historical (I don’t think even the dream times go back quite that far) and nearly prevented history by wiping us out.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam.

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

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks Blam. I've liked Tambora since his Bon Jovi days. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are Blam, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology magazine · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·

[Grimmy]

Take a good look at that guy’s picture. Notice the strange way his cloths bunch and bulge?

I wonder if he has his Robe of Warm-mongering hidden underneath? He’s probably an acolyte of the Alar Goracle. Or maybe even one of his Profits of Doomination.

[djf]

I believe Toba was bigger. It cooled the Earth by 10 degrees celcius for almost 1,000 years.

[UCANSEE2]

Between the volcanos, calderas, and asteroid impacts, we are darn lucky that humans even exist on this planet, and have lasted this long. (How long? It’s a hard question to answer without provoking needless argument)

[Berosus]

Yes, I’ve heard of this eruption. It made me call this year “the year without a fall,” because it was unseasonably hot here in Kentucky until this week. Don’t worry, I didn’t blame it on global warming.

But now that Joe Biden’s in the news again, I’m concerned. We all know how much hot air he produces!

[investigateworld]

Ping

[Alas Babylon!]

Currier and Ives were not British. They were American and thier artwork were American, not English scenes. See here.

[Domestic Church]

“OK...though rare, how about a 1 mile wide rock from outer space splashing into one of our oceans at 30,000 mph.???It’ll still be global warming and Bush’s fault.”

Funny that you mention outer space splashing some big pebbles...Someone’s deceased spouse told them in a dream recently to keep an eye on the constellation Pegasus.

[null and void]

Yes, Toba was bigger. It nearly wiped out the human race, reduced the world population to ~70K, but that was before recorded history.

I wonder if it rained ash for 40 days and 40 nights...