from the too-many-science-fair-projects dept.
Harvard University researchers propose a new hypothesis to explain the largest glaciation event in Earth's history:
What caused the largest glaciation event in Earth's history, known as 'snowball Earth'? Geologists and climate scientists have been searching for the answer for years but the root cause of the phenomenon remains elusive. Now, Harvard University researchers have a new hypothesis about what caused the runaway glaciation that covered the Earth pole-to-pole in ice. The research is published in Geophysical Research Letters [DOI: 10.1002/2016GL072335] [DX].
Researchers have pinpointed the start of what's known as the Sturtian snowball Earth event to about 717 million years ago — give or take a few 100,000 years. At around that time, a huge volcanic event devastated an area from present day Alaska to Greenland.
Sulfur dioxide from volcanic eruptions can cool the planet more effectively if it can reach past the tropopause:
The height of the tropopause barrier all depends on the background climate of the planet — the cooler the planet, the lower the tropopause. "In periods of Earth's history when it was very warm, volcanic cooling would not have been very important because the Earth would have been shielded by this warm, high tropopause," said Wordsworth. "In cooler conditions, Earth becomes uniquely vulnerable to having these kinds of volcanic perturbations to climate."
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday March 18 2017, @11:29PM
It was OBVIOUSLY caused by all those traitorous Commie low-energy Democrat-votin' Neo-proterozoic organisms trading their coal-rollin' SUVs for pansy-ass hybrids!
THIS is what happens when SoylentNews becomes a temple to the liberal leftist gay Jew Muslim atheist Communist terr'ist Russian Mexican brainwashin' prop-uh-ganda machine! When will it end? When will the madness EEEEEEEND?! FAKE NEEEEEEWWSSSSS!!!11111one!
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 19 2017, @04:54AM
1815 eruption of Mount Tambora [wikipedia.org]
One of the most powerful eruptions in recorded history and is the most recent known VEI-7 event. [wikipedia.org]
1816: The Year Without a Summer [wikipedia.org]
Impact: Caused a volcanic winter that dropped temperatures by 0.4 to 0.7 °C worldwide.
Effects: [...] Crops [...] had been poor for several years; the final blow came in 1815 [...]. Europe, still recuperating from the Napoleonic Wars, suffered from food shortages.
[...]
Huge storms and abnormal rainfall with flooding of Europe's major rivers [...] are attributed to the event.
[...]
A major typhus epidemic occurred in Ireland between 1816 and 1819, precipitated by the famine.
[...]
No more than a quarter of [New England's corn crop ripened].
The crop failures in New England, Canada, and parts of Europe also caused the price of wheat, grains, meat, vegetables, butter, milk, and flour to rise sharply.
[...]
In China, unusually low temperatures in summer and fall devastated rice production in Yunnan, resulting in widespread famine.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 19 2017, @05:17AM (2 children)
So, what I'm hearing is, we could combat global warming by dropping a few nukes in a volcano?
Does anyone have Elon Musk's [space.com] phone number?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 19 2017, @07:56AM
Why waste time looking for a volcano? Launch the nukes already.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 19 2017, @08:03AM
Actually, yes, if You do not mind the volcanic ashes to be quite a bit radioactive.
But generally, the main problem with this solution is lack of direct control over the volcanic emissions. Once You pop, it just won't stop.