Eruptions ‘pause’ climate change
Volcanoes have cancelled out some of the effects of global warming over the past decade and given a false impression of the rate of climate change, research has shown.
The atmospheric impact of volcanic eruptions was not included in climate forecasts, leading them to overestimate the speed at which temperatures were rising, say US scientists, led by Dr Benjamin Santer of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
Critics have questioned the predictions of climate experts after surface temperature measurements indicated a slowdown in warming since 1998. The new research suggests volcanic activity played a major role in bringing about the climate change “pause”.