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Updated: May 20, 2026

Production and Measurement of Organic Particulate Matter in the Harvard Environmental Chamber
Published on: November 18, 2018
Large volcanic aerosol load in the stratosphere linked to Asian monsoon transport
Adam E Bourassa1, Alan Robock, William J Randel
1Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. adam.bourassa@usask.ca
Abstract:
The Nabro stratovolcano in Eritrea, northeastern Africa, erupted on 13 June 2011, injecting approximately 1.3 teragrams of sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) to altitudes of 9 to 14 kilometers in the upper troposphere, which resulted in a large aerosol enhancement in the stratosphere. The SO(2) was lofted into the lower stratosphere by deep convection and the circulation associated with the Asian summer monsoon while gradually converting to sulfate aerosol. This demonstrates that to affect climate, volcanic eruptions need not be strong enough to inject sulfur directly to the stratosphere.
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