Ruang Volcano in Indonesia has experienced multiple eruptions last week. The volcanic activity reached heights that touched the stratosphere, estimated to be only a few dozen feet above the ground.
According to satellite observations, the eruption at Ruang Volcano produced a massive ash cloud and a significant amount of smoke rising over 65,000 feet into the atmosphere, approximately 25,000 feet higher than the cruising altitude of commercial aircraft.
The Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that at least 498 houses and 3 public facilities were damaged due to the eruption of Ruang Volcano.
Ruang Volcano erupting with lava and ash on April 17, seen from Sitaro, North Sulawesi. The volcanic eruption also caused lightning within the ash cloud—a common phenomenon during powerful eruptions. (Photo: Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center/AFP/Getty Images).
Over 11,600 residents in 12 villages in the Tagulandang sub-district of the Sitaro Islands have been affected by the eruption. People have been evacuated to emergency shelters, churches, and relatives’ homes.
Recently, the potential impacts of the volcanic eruption on weather and climate have started to catch the world’s attention, even as the dangers posed by the volcano persist and evacuations continue.
Volcanoes can have short-term climate effects—including cooling global temperatures—due to the high-speed gases they inject into the upper atmosphere. However, according to Greg Huey, Dean of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), the impact of Ruang Volcano on climate may still be minimal.
Volcanologists believe that Ruang Volcano, a stratovolcano standing at 2,400 feet (725 meters) on Ruang Island, North Sulawesi, has erupted at least 7 times since last Tuesday evening.
Stratovolcanoes can produce large eruptions when solid materials collide and generate significant static electricity in the ash, leading to a bright glow.
“Ash itself exists briefly in the atmosphere due to its weight and size, and it tends to settle quickly. It is the gases that can rise much higher in the atmosphere,” Huey emphasized.
Weather effects following volcanic eruptions
The dense layer of ash near the surface creates dangerous air quality and causes a temporary cooling effect by blocking sunlight. When the eruptive activity stops, the ash begins to settle.
As the ash falls to the ground, it can easily be blown back into the air by the wind. Water droplets often adhere to the ash in the atmosphere, forming storm clouds that produce rain or additional lightning.
The gases released from the Ruang eruption rise high into the stratosphere, the second layer of Earth’s atmosphere. This gas sits just above the troposphere, where life and weather occur.
According to Huey, the stratosphere is a very dry place, and only gases that have a long lifespan—lasting decades—can filter into the stratosphere. However, volcanic eruptions are essentially the only natural way for short-lived gases like sulfur dioxide and water vapor to enter the stratosphere.
Once in the stratosphere, sulfur dioxide and water vapor combine to form a layer of mist. These mist droplets can spread far from the point of entry and remain in the stratosphere for up to 3 years, reflecting sunlight back into space and causing global temperatures to drop.
And the cooling effect will last longer if more gases enter the stratosphere.
In 1991, Mount Pinatubo—another stratovolcano—erupted in the Philippines, creating the largest sulfur dioxide cloud ever measured. According to the United States Geological Survey, the eruption released over 17 million tons of gas into the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to drop by about 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately one year.
In comparison, satellite observations indicate that Ruang has emitted around 300,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, although it is unclear how much of that has entered the stratosphere. According to Huey, while that amount is quite significant, it does not reach the extreme levels seen in other eruptions.
A major eruption like Mount Pinatubo in 1991 could certainly cool the planet for several years, although this disaster has also brought current climate woes on Earth due to pollution, contributing to global warming alongside tremendous loss of life and property.
