Summary of Wyss Yim: Volcanic eruptions and climate variability | Tom Nelson Pod #177

00:00:00 - 00:45:00

In a recent YouTube video, retired Professor of Earth Systems Science Yim discusses the connection between volcanic eruptions and global climate variability. He argues that studying the climate record is crucial to understanding the effects of volcanic eruptions on temperature, rainfall, and sea levels. Yim provides several examples of how volcanic eruptions have influenced climate patterns in the past, such as the coldest mean temperature recorded in 1884, which he attributes to a series of eruptions in the 1880s. He also discusses the impact of volcanic clouds on global rainfall patterns, such as the 21-day delay in the return of a volcanic cloud to the globe after the eruption in Mexico in 1991. Ultimately, Yim believes that studying the impact of volcanic eruptions on climate variability is crucial for predicting and mitigating the effects of future disruptions.

• 00:00:00 In this section, Yim, a retired Professor of Earth Systems Science from the University of Hong Kong, discusses the connection between volcanic eruptions and global climate variability. He notes that volcanic eruptions can lead to changes in temperature, rainfall, and sea levels, and he argues that studying the climate record is vital to understanding these effects. Yim highlights several examples of how volcanic eruptions have influenced climate patterns in the past, such as the coldest mean temperature recorded in 1884, which he attributes to a series of eruptions in the 1880s. He also discusses the impact of volcanic clouds on global rainfall patterns, such as the 21-day delay in the return of a volcanic cloud to the globe after the eruption in Mexico in 1991. Ultimately, Yim believes that studying the impact of volcanic eruptions on climate variability is crucial for predicting and mitigating the effects of future disruptions.
• 00:05:00 The section of the video being discussed centers on the 2008 volcanic eruption in Chile, specifically the impact it had on the weather in Hong Kong. The eruption was felt globally, and the resulting rainstorm in Hong Kong on June 7th, 2008, was the wettest on record. The outreach efforts connected the eruption to climate variability and the impact of interglacial cycles. The video moves to discuss marine volcanoes and their effect on sea levels and carbon cycles.
• 00:10:00 In this section of the transcript, the speaker discusses his research on volcanic eruptions and their impact on climate variability. He explains how the Hawaiian Islands erupted for nearly three years, initially as a submarine eruption and eventually forming an island, with both submarine and aerial eruptions. The hot sea water on the surface of the sea that resulted became important in regional climate. The speaker also mentions the International Year of Planet Earth and a project of UNESCO to increase awareness of the role of earth science in sustainable development, in which he was involved. He discusses the impact of volcanic eruptions on climate, recent examples such as ocean heat waves and extreme weather events, as well as polar sea ice changes and the 1995 acceleration in sea level rise. He also draws some conclusions and discusses the importance of considered climate science based on the latest international science standards.
• 00:15:00 In this section, the lecturer discusses the importance of various factors in driving climate change. The Sun and what is called astronomical forcing are the first order, followed by geothermal heat and human-induced changes. Volcanic eruptions can disturb normal air circulation, create clouds, release sulfur dioxide, and reduce solar radiation, causing cooling and other regional impacts on weather. Satellites can track the distribution of volcanic clouds, and NASA's A train can measure and profile them. The Tonga eruption in December 2022 to January 2023 caused jet engines to store and crashed planes, as volcanic clouds interfered with the jet stream and created atmospheric rivers. The lecturer mentions three examples of submarine volcanoes.
• 00:20:00 in this section, the impacts of submarine volcanic eruptions are discussed, its effects on regional warming, pressure and wind changes, sea level changes, ocean circulation changes, and even polar sea ice changes. The discussion covers 75% and 5,000 active submarine volcanoes with acidic and basic magma releases. Geothermal heat during eruptions changes the oceanic and atmospheric circulation, which may lead to ecological changes and global warming impacts. The use of oceanic floats to measure temperature and solinity profiles in the oceans is highlighted. English scientists are involved in studying submarine volcanoes. A table lists major climatic impacts of volcanic eruptions since the year 2010, including sea ice changes, hot seawater patches, impact of the North Pacific blob, coral bleaching, and even international travel disruptions. The impact of Iceland eruption from April 2010 on European to North American international flights, jet engine failure, extreme rainfall, and a wettest year on record is explained.
• 00:25:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the impact of volcanic eruptions and climate variability on the global climate. They highlight the various ways in which volcanic eruptions can impact climate, such as through the release of heat and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, as well as through changes in ocean temperatures and circulation patterns. The speaker uses a number of examples to illustrate these points, such as the 2011-2012 eruption of El Hierro in the Canary Islands, which led to Hurricane Sandy and caused significant damage in the United States and the United Kingdom, and the 2014-2016 El Nino event, which was linked to multiple deep-water volcanic eruptions in the Pacific Ocean. Over the course of this section, the speaker discusses a variety of ways in which these geological events can impact the global climate, from changes in temperature and rainfall patterns to the creation of new ecosystems and even the formation of giant patches of warm water, known as "The Blob."
• 00:30:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses volcanic eruptions and their impacts on climate variability. During the anno event of August 2015, a strong heated water spread was observed, which was different from previous anno events. The measurement of seawater temperatures revealed that the thickness of the heated water was much greater than in previous events. The speaker explains that their observations were supported by observations and records, and that the connection with submarine eruptions and record low CIS was discovered. Additionally, the shrinkage of CIS in the North Atlantic was much greater than in previous anno events, leading to a much smaller and faster sea ice retreat in the North Atlantic Ocean. The speaker also discusses sea levels in Hong Kong, where representatives have missed out on record fluctuations over the longer period of monitoring due to taking the mean graph line to represent the trend of sea level rise.
• 00:35:00 The transcript discusses the current state of the sea level in Hong Kong and the accelerated rise of 17 cm observed between 1991 and 1999. While global warming due to CO2 emissions is expected to cause sea level rise, it is difficult to justify this pattern in Hong Kong's records because the stations have been moved. The cause of the 17 cm rise is believed to be an inflection point in marine seismic activity caused by thermal expansion of sea water in the oceans. The Hong Kong record shows cyclic changes due to the Chinese calendar, Atlantic multi-decadal oscillation, stability through loading and unloading, erosion, deposition, and dry and wet years. The record of vertical irradiance, selected volcanic eruptions studied for timing and availability, the impact of loading of quickly developing cities like Hong Kong, and the usefulness of learning from natural geodiversity experiments about climate diversity are all discussed. The idea that volcanic eruptions have been underestimated as a cause of cooling and warming and leading to dynamic weather patterns is emphasized by the use of a "key to the future" cartoon and the association of volcanic eruptions with natural geodiversity experiments. However, the influence of volcanic eruptions on Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and other tropical cyclones is subject to further research and debate, as was the case of the Su Hills eruption in 2010.
• 00:40:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the relationship between volcanic eruptions and climate variability. They explain that a volcanic eruption in the warm sector of a frontal situation can exacerbate the temperature difference between the cold North Atlantic and the warm sector, resulting in even stronger frontal activity. The speaker also mentions how Volcanic eruptions release sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which can have a solar radiation reduction impact. They highlight the study of the E folding time of sulfur dioxide release in the Pinatubo eruption in 1991, which led to a record rainstorm in Hong Kong 35 days later. The speaker also discusses how there is an order of magnitude as to how much the local sea level can change during typhoons and that the record available based on tide gauges shows that this can be as much as a meter or two.
• 00:45:00 In this section of the YouTube video, Tom Nelson discusses the correlation between volcanic eruptions and climate variability. During a storm surge, areas closer to the coast can become flooded due to the changes in atmospheric pressure from a negative coriolis effect. When performing an analysis of tie gauges, six tie gauges within a specific area would provide more accurate data in understanding the occurrence of such events in other locations with only one gauge. Regarding volcanic activity, Nelson only studies observation records of volcanic clouds and sea surface temperature and does not make predictions on volcanic activity 20 years in advance.