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SUMMARY:Environmental effects of sulfur emitted by large-scale flood lava 
 eruptions - Anja Schmidt\, University of Leeds
DTSTART:20150203T160000Z
DTEND:20150203T170000Z
UID:TALK54727@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:John Maclennan
DESCRIPTION:Volcanic eruptions have a significant potential to affect the 
 climate system\, environment and society. I will summarize my work on volc
 anic sulfur emissions from flood lava eruptions of different magnitudes an
 d durations.  I will discuss the long-range transport and air quality effe
 cts of sulfur emitted from the ongoing eruption at Holuhraun (Bárðarbung
 a volcano\, Iceland). Holuhraun is the first flood lava eruption in Icelan
 d since the 1783-1784 AD Laki eruption\, which had significant effects on 
 climate and the environment of the 1780s. Using a global aerosol microphys
 ics model (GLOMAP) to simulate a future Laki-type eruption\, I show that s
 uch an eruption could have the potential to substantially degrade air qual
 ity across Europe. Based on the predicted changes in air quality due to th
 e eruption\, I show that up to 142\,000 additional cardiopulmonary fatalit
 ies could occur in Europe. Such a volcanic air pollution event would there
 fore be a severe health hazard\, increasing excess mortality in Europe on 
 a scale that exceeds mortality due to seasonal influenza. Finally\, I will
  present Earth system model simulations of the sulfur-induced environmenta
 l effects of decade to century-long continental flood basalt eruption epis
 odes in the geological past. These modeling results are then used to place
  constraints on the likely environmental effects and habitability by simul
 ating different eruption frequencies and durations as well as hiatus perio
 ds\, and by comparing to the proxy records.
LOCATION:Harker 1 seminar room\, Department of Earth Sciences
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