A 200-year-old volcanic eruption that cooled the climate and turned the sun different colors has been traced to a remote Pacific island volcano in the Kuril Islands. The eruption, which occurred in 1831, was caused by an massive release of sulfur into the atmosphere, affecting the Northern Hemisphere’s temperature by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius). Researchers from the University of St Andrews used ash deposited in polar ice cores to identify the source of the eruption as Zavaritskii volcano on the island of Simushir.
The discovery sheds new light on a previously unknown volcanic activity on the Kuril Islands, which are disputed territory between Russia and Japan. The 1831 eruption was part of the Little Ice Age, a period of cooling that lasted from 1800 to 1850. Scientists found that the volcano’s impact was documented in various accounts, including those by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, who described “desolate weather” as he traveled through the Alps.
The study highlights the limitations of monitoring volcanic activity on the Kuril Islands due to their remote location and lack of instrumentation. Researchers warn that if a similar eruption were to occur today, it would be challenging to predict its impact on climate and global food supplies.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/mysterious-climate-changing-eruption-that-turned-the-sun-blue-traced-to-remote-pacific-island