Volcanic Activity Helping Earth Combat Global Warming?

Earth may have found an unlikely savior in its fight against global warming in volcanoes.

A new study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) claims that small volcanic activity during the last 15 years helped slow down the rate of global warming by 0.005 degree Celsius to 0.12 degree Celsius, Discovery News reported. This is being attributed to the sulphuric acid, formed from suspended water droplets in the atmosphere and sulphur dioxide which is released by volcanoes.

"The relatively muted warming of the surface and lower troposphere since 1998 has attracted considerable attention. One contributory factor to this "warming hiatus" is an increase in volcanically-induced cooling over the early 21st century. Here, we identify the signals of late 20th and early 21st century volcanic activity in multiple observed climate variables," researchers wrote.

According to The Indian Express, droplets of sulphuric acid reflect solar radiation and lower earth's temperatures. Ever since 1998, the warmest year recorded the surface temperatures seemed to have leveled off after a steep climb until then. Researchers used air balloon as well as satellite measurements of aerosols and sulphuric acid droplets to arrive at their conclusions.

The effect of volcanoes in reflecting the sun was known earlier but the assumption that it was only valid only for large eruptions which in the past have produced intense cold spell, has been overturned.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Geophysical Review Letters