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Arctic warming from a high-latitude effusive volcanic eruption
Tómas Zoëga1, Trude Storelvmo2,3, Kirstin Krüger4,5
1Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. tomas.zoega@geo.uio.no.
Scientific Reports
|April 26, 2025
Summary
The 2014-15 Holuhraun eruption caused Arctic surface warming by increasing cloud cover and trapping heat. This volcanic sulfur emission extended cloud lifetime, unlike its cooling effect elsewhere.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Climate Science
- Volcanology
Background:
- The 2014-15 Holuhraun eruption released significant sulfur dioxide into the troposphere.
- Volcanic aerosols typically cause surface cooling by reflecting sunlight, primarily impacting lower latitudes.
- Arctic regions receive limited sunlight, making their response to volcanic aerosols less studied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the Holuhraun eruption's sulfur emissions on Arctic surface temperature.
- To determine the mechanisms by which volcanic activity affects Arctic climate.
- To assess the potential consequences of high-latitude effusive eruptions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of observational data.
- Utilizing climate model simulations.
- Quantifying changes in cloud properties and radiative fluxes.
Main Results:
- Volcanic sulfur emissions led to increased cloud liquid water path and cloud cover in the Arctic.
- Extended cloud lifetime reduced longwave radiative cooling, resulting in surface warming.
- This contrasts with the cooling effect observed in lower latitudes.
Conclusions:
- Effusive volcanic eruptions can cause regional surface warming in the Arctic by enhancing cloud radiative properties.
- This study is the first to demonstrate this warming effect from an effusive volcanic eruption.
- Findings highlight the need to consider high-latitude volcanic activity in climate change research and geoengineering assessments.
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