Pyroclastic?????

Question

Dore a Pyroclastic have any affect on global warming or environment?

Answer 1

Pyroclastic flows destroy everything in their path so in this respect their is an immediate environmental consequence.

The ash is acidic and if this is blown further afield it can kill vegetation and render the ground sterile. In the longer term it's actually good for the ground and some of the most fertile soils are found on the flanks of volcanoes.

As for global warming - the effect of just the pyroclastic flow is negligible. However, these events usually go hand in hand with an eruption or venting of the volcano. When this happens sulphur dioxide is emited into the atmosphere and this cools the earth down - it's a reflective molecule that reflects sunlight back into space. Following the huge 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo global temperatures fell by about 0.5 degrees Celsius, as the suplhur dioxide dispitated the temperatures rose again. It happened to an even greater extend following the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora - the biggest volcanic eruption in recent history.

Answer 2

Sounds right to me. The behavior of hot pyroclastic flows when they interact with cold seawater has been a topic of great debate in the field of volcanology, largely because the process has rarely been observed. As a result of the Soufriere Hills eruption, this process was captured on video for the first time. A remarkable feature of this interaction is that part of the hot flow continues over the surface of the water. There is speculation that as a flow travels across the sea surface it is supported by a layer of steam that develops at its base, much like a hovercraft skimming over water at high speed. An extreme example of a pyroclastic flow travelling over water occurred during the great eruption of Krakatau volcano in Indonesia. On August 27, 1883, a large pyroclastic flow was generated during the eruption and part of the flow traveled over 40 kilometers of water to the coast of Sumatra, where the hot gases and particles killed more than 1,000 people. Good picture at the second link!

Answer 3

Yes it can change weather patterns.