BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:A Peculiar Haze\, a Sulphuric Smell\, and Bloodred Sunsets: The Ef
 fects of the 1783-1784 Laki Eruption on Europe  - Dr Katrin Kleemann\, Ger
 man Maritime Museum – Leibniz Institute for Maritime History
DTSTART:20221124T130000Z
DTEND:20221124T140000Z
UID:TALK192935@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Céline Marie Vidal
DESCRIPTION:In mid-June 1783\, a peculiar haze descended upon Europe. It q
 uickly became apparent that this was no ordinary fog: It was dry rather th
 an wet\, lasted for months\, and turned the sun and moon bloodred. Day by 
 day\, the haze grew increasingly dense. By the last week of June\, the con
 centrations of its pollutant properties seemingly reached their peak: Cont
 emporaries in parts of England\, the Low Countries\, and the German Territ
 ories reportedly tasted sulphur in the fog with every drawn breath. There 
 were complaints of sore eyes and throats\, breathing difficulties\, and as
 thmatic attacks. Then\, seemingly overnight\, an apparent frost swept thro
 ugh towns\, villages\, and farms\, destroying the vegetation in its path. 
  \n\nThese events inspired many to speculate about their cause. Unbeknown 
 to mainland Europeans at the time\, a 27-kilometer-long fissure volcano ha
 d sprung to life in the remote Icelandic highlands. The Laki fissure produ
 ced the largest lava volume of any volcanic eruption in the last millenniu
 m. In Iceland\, volcanic ejecta poisoned the fields\, meadows\, and ponds\
 , which caused malnutrition\, hunger\, and disease in the human population
 . The jet stream then carried the ejecta to Europe\, where it was a cataly
 st for many a fierce debate. In the spirit of the Enlightenment\, naturali
 sts used reason and experimentation in an attempt to lift the fog of ignor
 ance.  \n\nNews about this volcanic eruption only reached Europe after the
  fog had vanished. As a result\, the real origin of this corrosive fog rem
 ained a mystery for over a century. 
LOCATION:Department of Geography\, Small Lecture Theatre
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR