Volcanic eruptions have had a significant effect on the climate of northern Fennoscandia

This was the finding of a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, in which the effects of volcanic eruptions on the climate were studied by examining the growth rings of trees. The study developed a methodology for identifying in the time series sudden drops in temperature and their duration. A total of 79 sudden drops in temperature were identified in the prepared 2000-year time series. The average length of these ranged from several years to nearly a decade and the temperature drop ranged from 1 to 3°C. For nearly all of them, corresponding volcanic eruption dates can be found from the literature.

The study noted that the most powerful eruptions or series of eruptions have caused both sudden cooling as well as dozens of climate changes lasting for several decades in which the temperature first dropped slowly and then returned gradually to its former level.

Further information:

Emeritus Professor Juhani Rinne, juhani.rinne@kolumbus.fi

Ph.D Mikko Alestalo, mikko.alestalo@gmail.com

The research is available online: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Reference: Rinne, J., & Alestalo, M. (2019). Volcanic impacts dominate bidecadal‐multidecadal temperature variations during the late Holocene in Northern Fennoscandia. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 124. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030864