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Timing and climate forcing of volcanic eruptions for the past 2,500 years

Author

Listed:
  • M. Sigl

    (Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education
    †Present address: Laboratory of Radiochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland)

  • M. Winstrup

    (University of Washington)

  • J. R. McConnell

    (Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education)

  • K. C. Welten

    (Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California)

  • G. Plunkett

    (School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen's University Belfast)

  • F. Ludlow

    (Yale Climate and Energy Institute, Yale University)

  • U. Büntgen

    (Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
    Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern
    Global Change Research Centre AS CR)

  • M. Caffee

    (Purdue University
    Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University)

  • N. Chellman

    (Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education)

  • D. Dahl-Jensen

    (Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen)

  • H. Fischer

    (Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern
    Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern)

  • S. Kipfstuhl

    (Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung)

  • C. Kostick

    (The University of Nottingham)

  • O. J. Maselli

    (Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education)

  • F. Mekhaldi

    (Quaternary Sciences, Lund University)

  • R. Mulvaney

    (British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council)

  • R. Muscheler

    (Quaternary Sciences, Lund University)

  • D. R. Pasteris

    (Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education)

  • J. R. Pilcher

    (School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen's University Belfast)

  • M. Salzer

    (The Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona)

  • S. Schüpbach

    (Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern
    Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern)

  • J. P. Steffensen

    (Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen)

  • B. M. Vinther

    (Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen)

  • T. E. Woodruff

    (Purdue University)

Abstract

Volcanic eruptions contribute to climate variability, but quantifying these contributions has been limited by inconsistencies in the timing of atmospheric volcanic aerosol loading determined from ice cores and subsequent cooling from climate proxies such as tree rings. Here we resolve these inconsistencies and show that large eruptions in the tropics and high latitudes were primary drivers of interannual-to-decadal temperature variability in the Northern Hemisphere during the past 2,500 years. Our results are based on new records of atmospheric aerosol loading developed from high-resolution, multi-parameter measurements from an array of Greenland and Antarctic ice cores as well as distinctive age markers to constrain chronologies. Overall, cooling was proportional to the magnitude of volcanic forcing and persisted for up to ten years after some of the largest eruptive episodes. Our revised timescale more firmly implicates volcanic eruptions as catalysts in the major sixth-century pandemics, famines, and socioeconomic disruptions in Eurasia and Mesoamerica while allowing multi-millennium quantification of climate response to volcanic forcing.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Sigl & M. Winstrup & J. R. McConnell & K. C. Welten & G. Plunkett & F. Ludlow & U. Büntgen & M. Caffee & N. Chellman & D. Dahl-Jensen & H. Fischer & S. Kipfstuhl & C. Kostick & O. J. Maselli & F. M, 2015. "Timing and climate forcing of volcanic eruptions for the past 2,500 years," Nature, Nature, vol. 523(7562), pages 543-549, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:523:y:2015:i:7562:d:10.1038_nature14565
    DOI: 10.1038/nature14565
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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan King & Kevin J. Anchukaitis & Kathryn Allen & Tessa Vance & Amy Hessl, 2023. "Trends and variability in the Southern Annular Mode over the Common Era," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Feng Wang & Dominique Arseneault & Étienne Boucher & Fabio Gennaretti & Shulong Yu & Tongwen Zhang, 2022. "Tropical volcanoes synchronize eastern Canada with Northern Hemisphere millennial temperature variability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Beatriz Arellano-Nava & Paul R. Halloran & Chris A. Boulton & James Scourse & Paul G. Butler & David J. Reynolds & Timothy M. Lenton, 2022. "Destabilisation of the Subpolar North Atlantic prior to the Little Ice Age," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    4. Hsun-Ming Hu & Chuan-Chou Shen & John C. H. Chiang & Valerie Trouet & Véronique Michel & Hsien-Chen Tsai & Patricia Valensi & Christoph Spötl & Elisabetta Starnini & Marta Zunino & Wei-Yi Chien & Wen-, 2022. "Split westerlies over Europe in the early Little Ice Age," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    5. Wenchang Yang & Elizabeth Wallace & Gabriel A. Vecchi & Jeffrey P. Donnelly & Julien Emile-Geay & Gregory J. Hakim & Larry W. Horowitz & Richard M. Sullivan & Robert Tardif & Peter J. Hengstum & Tyler, 2024. "Last millennium hurricane activity linked to endogenous climate variability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Yue Sui & Yuting Chen, 2022. "Signals in temperature extremes emerge in China during the last millennium based on CMIP5 simulations," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 172(3), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Liliana Siekacz & Charlotte Pearson & Matthew Salzer & Natalia Soja-Kukieła & Marcin Koprowski, 2024. "Blue rings in Bristlecone pine as a high resolution indicator of past cooling events," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 177(8), pages 1-20, August.
    8. Jessica Picas & Stefan Grab, 2020. "Potential impacts of major nineteenth century volcanic eruptions on temperature over Cape Town, South Africa: 1834–1899," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 523-544, April.
    9. Shan Gao & J. Julio Camarero & Flurin Babst & Eryuan Liang, 2023. "Global tree growth resilience to cold extremes following the Tambora volcanic eruption," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    10. Fei Liu & Chaochao Gao & Jing Chai & Alan Robock & Bin Wang & Jinbao Li & Xu Zhang & Gang Huang & Wenjie Dong, 2022. "Tropical volcanism enhanced the East Asian summer monsoon during the last millennium," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    11. Jon Camuera & Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo & José Soto-Chica & Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno & Antonio García-Alix & María J. Ramos-Román & Leena Ruha & Manuel Castro-Priego, 2023. "Drought as a possible contributor to the Visigothic Kingdom crisis and Islamic expansion in the Iberian Peninsula," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    12. Clive Oppenheimer & Andy Orchard & Markus Stoffel & Timothy P. Newfield & Sébastien Guillet & Christophe Corona & Michael Sigl & Nicola Cosmo & Ulf Büntgen, 2018. "The Eldgjá eruption: timing, long-range impacts and influence on the Christianisation of Iceland," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(3), pages 369-381, April.
    13. Simon L. L. Michel & Didier Swingedouw & Pablo Ortega & Guillaume Gastineau & Juliette Mignot & Gerard McCarthy & Myriam Khodri, 2022. "Early warning signal for a tipping point suggested by a millennial Atlantic Multidecadal Variability reconstruction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    14. Lukas Reichen & Angela-Maria Burgdorf & Stefan Brönnimann & Jörg Franke & Ralf Hand & Veronika Valler & Eric Samakinwa & Yuri Brugnara & This Rutishauser, 2022. "A decade of cold Eurasian winters reconstructed for the early 19th century," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    15. Christopher P. Loveluck & Levan G. Tielidze & Mikheil Elashvili & Andrei V. Kurbatov & Lela Gadrani & Nathaniel Erb-Satullo & Hans von Suchodoletz & Anca Dan & Hannes Laermanns & Helmut Brückner & Udo, 2024. "Rapid Climate Change, Integrated Human–Environment–Historical Records and Societal Resilience in Georgia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-24, August.

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