13 June 2011
Two Amazing Images from Space
Posted by Dan Satterfield
The Chaiten Puyehue volcano in Chile continues to spew and enormous amount of ash, and has me wondering if we are getting to the point that we could see a global climate impact from the eruption. Vulcanologist Charles Stern at Colorado Univ. said back in May that the eruption was high in silica and low in Sulfur, which would negate the effects of a major global temperature change. I ‘ve emailed Dr. Stearn and will let you know if that has changed, but it is unlikely. The huge eruption of Mt. Pinatubo caused the globe to cool about 0.5C back in the 1990’s and it’s well known that volcanoes can affect the global climate.
NASA Terra image showing the huge ash cloud from the Puyehue Volcano.
The ash cloud is incredible though as the image below from the NASA Terra satellite shows. The true colour image shows thick ash covering much of South America and in fact the ash cloud has spread to New Zealand. Flights have been canceled in Australia and NZ because of it! The last major eruption in the Southern Andes was Chaiten in 2008. It last erupted about 9370 years ago, which is just a blink of the eye in geological time.
In Arizona the wildfire continues to show up clearly on weather satellite and the Terra satellite images:
Smoke is clearly visible to the right of center in the image. Click image for higher res. view. From MODIS sensor on NASA Terra Sat.
Note See comments for corrections and more info.
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.
This is, of course, the eruption of Puyehue – Cordon Caulle in Chile.
That is not Chaiten… It’s the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex.
On the question of global consequences, as we can see from the weather satellites, the ash plume (and the accompanying gas cloud) are being kept to rather high southern latitudes, because the plume didn’t rise particularly high into the atmosphere. So, there will not be any global stratospheric sulphate veil from this eruption, and no significant climate impact. In terms of regional consequences – the (thin) cover of grey ash across a swathe of Argentina is looking quite extraordinary. Judging by past eruptions (e.g. Chaiten, 2008), most of the thinnest parts of this ash layer will be removed by wind and rain in the next few weeks to months.
Dan, this volcano is not Chaiten, it is the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex. Chaiten is further south, almost to Tierre del Fuego. Also, for clarification, the images are from the MODIS instrument on the Terra satellite.
Yes, fixing it now!
I think this is Puyehue, not Chaiten.
Yes indeed, I was looking at some images of the other one and typed the wrong one- Thank you!
Note: Thanks to all who corrected me on calling the Puyehue eruption the Chaiten volcano. I was reading a piece on Chaiten and my Okie mind just typed it in! Also I have heard from Dr. Stearn and the eruption of this volcano is low in Sulfur, like Chaiten was, so climate impacts are likely negligible.
The eruption of the African Rift Valley volcano Nabro is, however, high in sulfur. But I’m not sure if the eruption plume is reaching the stratosphere.
Image: http://t.co/nag2MUA
Thnx Jim!
Very helpful site. Thank you.