Week Seven and Eight: Volcanic Eruption

Weeks Seven and Eight: Volcanic Eruption
Mt. Pinatubo Eruption
The effects of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991 lasted for several years.

The view from space has allowed scientists to take measurements of the plumes of sulfur dioxide emitted by major volcanic eruptions--measurements impossible to obtain from the ground or even from aircrafts, which fly too low to capture the "big picture." Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.

Satellite observations of the effects of Mt. Pinatubo aerosols on global climate have been used to support scientists' thinking about climate change and their ability to predict climates. For example, researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City have applied their general circulation model of earth's climate to the aerosol problem. They have reported success in correctly predicting that sulfate aerosols from Mt. Pinatubo's eruption would lower global temperatures.