The year without a summer

[+OverSword]

Interesting wikipedia article about the year 1816 when a lot of volcanic ash in the atmosphere combined with a solar low for disastrous weather.

From the article:

The year 1816 is known as the Year Without a Summer (also known as the Poverty Year, The Summer that Never Was, Year There Was No Summer, and Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death^[1]), because of severe summer climate abnormalities that caused average global temperatures to decrease by 0.4–0.7 °C (0.7–1.3 °F),.^[2] This resulted in major food shortages across the Northern Hemisphere.^[3][4] Evidence suggests that the anomaly was caused by a combination of a historic low in solar activity with a volcanic winter event, the latter caused by a succession of major volcanic eruptions capped by the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), the largest known eruption in over 1,300 years. The Little Ice Age, then in its concluding decades, may also have been a factor.^[

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[rodentraiser]

The year without a summer was caused by ash created from a volcanic eruption by Mt. Tambora only - I doubt sunspot activity had a lot to do with that one.

I can't remember for sure, but I think it was Pinataubo when it blew that caused a drop in Earth's temperatures because of the ash. And all you have to do is ask the people east of Mt. St. Helens how much sun they got after she erupted. Ranier, Vesuvius, and a few others have the ability to also lower Earth's temperature if they decide to go. Definitely it could happen again - it's a question of when, not if - but I think the main reasons why they erupt are here on Earth, not because of anything that happens out in space. And I don't think the Little Ice Age had anything to do with it either.

Dude, I was in Seattle this afternoon! Next time I'm there, I'll wave at you!

[Frank Merton]

Even though we know from history that a global crop failure is possible, there seems to be no effort to stockpile foods to avoid mass starvation should it happen sometimes soon.

[Doug1029]

Strange that tree rings from the central US show no sign of a "year without a summer." Could be, in part, that we don't have very many good chronologies from that place and time. Or maybe, we just don't know enough about the "volcano signature" to recognize it.

Doug

[Doug1029]

Even though we know from history that a global crop failure is possible, there seems to be no effort to stockpile foods to avoid mass starvation should it happen sometimes soon.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the US stock-piled a three-year supply of grain. But to conservatives, that sounded like the dread plague of SOCIALISM! They decided it was better to starve under a capitalist system than eat under a socialist one.

Doug

[Bavarian Raven]

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the US stock-piled a three-year supply of grain. But to conservatives, that sounded like the dread plague of SOCIALISM! They decided it was better to starve under a capitalist system than eat under a socialist one.

Doug

In canada it was done to save money...

[Doug1029]

In canada it was done to save money...

They used the same excuse here.

Doug

[Oppono Astos]

The year without a summer was caused by ash created from a volcanic eruption by Mt. Tambora only - I doubt sunspot activity had a lot to do with that one.

I can't remember for sure, but I think it was Pinataubo when it blew that caused a drop in Earth's temperatures because of the ash. And all you have to do is ask the people east of Mt. St. Helens how much sun they got after she erupted. Ranier, Vesuvius, and a few others have the ability to also lower Earth's temperature if they decide to go. Definitely it could happen again - it's a question of when, not if - but I think the main reasons why they erupt are here on Earth, not because of anything that happens out in space. And I don't think the Little Ice Age had anything to do with it either.

Dude, I was in Seattle this afternoon! Next time I'm there, I'll wave at you!

The factor causing a 3-year cycle of poor European summers is the sulphuric acid aerosol from volcanic eruptions, this became largely understood after Mt St Helens; actually Pinatabu didn't have the sulphuric acid aerosol.

[Doug1029]

The factor causing a 3-year cycle of poor European summers is the sulphuric acid aerosol from volcanic eruptions, this became largely understood after Mt St Helens; actually Pinatabu didn't have the sulphuric acid aerosol.

I haven't read that. Where did you get this information?

Doug

[Oppono Astos]

I haven't read that. Where did you get this information?

Doug

Will need to search the net for info dating back from the recognition of the sulphuric acid aerosol impact; but only yesterday BBC news had an item on current MO research into climate effects from volcanic gases as opposed to ash - http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27239321

[Ashotep]

Just think what its going to be like when a super volcano like Yellowstone decides to go off. There will be more than one bad growing season.

If temperatures get too cold or too hot there's not going to be enough food.