Melting Glaciers Could Unleash a Barrage of Volcanic Eruptions Worldwide, Scientists Warn

[highplainsdem]

Source: Gizmodo

As if we needed another reason to worry about the climate crisis, researchers have found that melting glaciers could trigger a surge of intense volcanic eruptions in the future.

Across the globe, hundreds of subglacial volcanoes—formed by eruptions beneath glaciers—lie dormant under thick layers of ice. A new study, presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, suggests that these volcanoes could awaken as climate change accelerates glacier retreat, potentially leading to an increase in volcanic eruptions around the world.

This is particularly concerning in West Antarctica, where at least 100 subglacial volcanoes have been identified. Glaciers in this region are rapidly disappearing as the planet warms.

“Our study suggests this phenomenon isn’t limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica. Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand, and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention,” said Pablo Moreno, a geologist from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and one of the study’s authors, in a statement. According to a 2020 study, 245 of the world’s potentially active volcanoes lie underneath or within 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) of glacial ice.

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Read more: https://gizmodo.com/melting-glaciers-could-unleash-a-barrage-of-volcanic-eruptions-worldwide-scientists-warn-2000625728

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The article explains that this will also add to global warming, and there will be a feedback loop, melting to eruptions to more melting and then more eruptions...

[Irish_Dem]

1. The flooding across the US is just the beginning.

[kimbutgar]

2. And Russia is sending ice breakers to the Arctic to hunt for precious minerals and make a passageway to

The west.

[Hugin]

3. The Earth will eventually regain its balance...

Whether humans are a part of that balance or a very thin almost indiscernible carbon layer in the strata remains to be determined.

David Suzuki says, nah.

[IbogaProject]

5. This is a faster shift than ever before

And there is a catastrophic risk with the arctic methane hydrates nearing their melting point. That killed like 95% of animal life back during the pemerin extinction. The last time we were above 420 ppm of CO2 our worldwide temperatures were ~20 degrees warmer all the time on average.

[FirstLight]

4. Isn't that also possible from the weight of the ice releasing from the crust?

I swear I also read that part of the reason we've seen some of the seismic events has been the shift of ice weight off the plates... but I could just be imagining it...

[mopinko]

10. i think u r right.

i’ve read that, too.

[Marthe48]

6. Humans by and large are hellbent on death

n/t

[mommymarine2003]

7. That is scary. I live in Oregon with lots of volcanoes.

I live a few miles east of Portland. I can see Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams from the front of my house and Mt. Hood to the east. We actually live on an extinct cinder cone, which they call a butte here. I lived in Eastern Washington (Pullman) when Mt. St. Helens erupted. That was certainly something to experience as it rained ash and turned to night at 3 in the afternoon.

[Strelnikov_]

8. Guess 'Paradise' wasn't just science fiction

[ancianita]

9. The results from multiple volcanic eruptions -- from National Geographic

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/human-environmental-impact-volcanic-ash/

Volcanic Ash Impacts

Plumes of volcanic ash can spread over large areas of sky, turning daylight into complete darkness and drastically reducing visibility. These enormous and menacing clouds are often accompanied by thunder and lightning. Volcanic lightning is a unique phenomenon and scientists continue to debate the way it works. Many scientists think that the sheer energy of a volcanic explosion charges its ash particles with electricity. Positively charged particles meet up with negatively charged particles, either in the cooler atmosphere or in the volcanic debris itself. Lightning bolts then occur as a means of balancing these charge distributions.

Volcanic ash and gases can sometimes reach the stratosphere, the upper layer in Earth’s atmosphere. This volcanic debris can reflect incoming solar radiation and absorb outgoing land radiation, leading to a cooling of the Earth’s temperature. In extreme cases, these “volcanic winters” can affect weather patterns across the globe. The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, Indonesia, the largest eruption in recorded history, ejected an estimated 150 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of debris into the air. The average global temperature cooled by as much as 3° Celsius (5.4° Fahrenheit), causing extreme weather around the world for a period of three years. As a result of Mount Tambora’s volcanic ash, North America and Europe experienced the “Year Without a Summer” in 1816. This year was characterized by widespread crop failure, deadly famine, and disease.

Airborne volcanic ash is especially dangerous to moving aircraft. The small, abrasive particles of rock and glass can melt inside an airplane engine and solidify on the turbine blades—causing the engine to stall. Air traffic controllers take special precautions when volcanic ash is present. The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, produced an ash cloud that forced the cancelation of roughly 100,000 flights and affected seven million passengers, costing the aviation industry an estimated $2.6 billion.

Volcanic ash can impact the infrastructure of entire communities and regions. Ash can enter and disrupt the functioning of machinery found in power supply, water supply, sewage treatment, and communication facilities. Heavy ash fall can also inhibit road and rail traffic and damage vehicles. When mixed with rainfall, volcanic ash turns into a heavy, cement-like sludge that is able to collapse roofs. In 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines at the same time that a massive tropical storm wreaked havoc in the area. Heavy rains mixed with the ash fall, collapsing the roofs of houses, schools, businesses, and hospitals in three different provinces.

Ash also poses a threat to ecosystems, including people and animals. Carbon dioxide and fluorine, gases that can be toxic to humans, can collect in volcanic ash. The resulting ash fall can lead to crop failure, animal death and deformity, and human illness. Ash’s abrasive particles can scratch the surface of the skin and eyes, causing discomfort and inflammation. If inhaled, volcanic ash can cause breathing problems and damage the lungs. Inhaling large amounts of ash and volcanic gases can cause a person to suffocate. Suffocation is the most common cause of death from a volcano.