Mount Pinatubo Eruption Cools Global Climate
June 15, 1991 · 20th Century
Mount Pinatubo on Luzon island in the Philippines produced a VEI-6 eruption that ejected ash to 34 kilometers altitude and injected approximately 20 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. The resulting sulfate aerosol cloud encircled the globe within three weeks and persisted for roughly three years, scattering incoming solar radiation and reducing global average surface temperatures by approximately 0.5 degrees Celsius through 1993. Collaborative monitoring by PHIVOLCS and the USGS enabled evacuation warnings that saved an estimated 5,000 lives.
Key Figures
Raymundo PunongbayanChris Newhall
Locations
Mount Pinatubo
Topics
volcanic aerosolsstratospheric coolingsulfur dioxideeruption predictionozone depletiondisaster mitigation
Connected Events — 4 Connections
Pinatubo's cooling signature was captured by the Keeling Curve CO2 monitoring dataset Keeling Begins Continuous Atmospheric CO2 Measurement at Mauna Loa
The Keeling Curve dataset captured Pinatubo's temporary cooling signature Keeling Begins Continuous Atmospheric CO2 Measurement at Mauna Loa
Pinatubo replicated Krakatoa's sulfur-aerosol cooling mechanism, enabling modern validation of volcanic climate models Krakatoa Erupts in the Sunda Strait
Pinatubo's eruption eleven years later applied monitoring techniques developed after St. Helens Mount St. Helens Erupts in Lateral Blast
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