G6 – The Little Ice Age 900-1000L-02

Introduction

Earth was just coming out of a centuries-long period of global cooling. This period of global cooling started in the fourteenth century and lasted until the nineteenth century. It was known as the Little Ice Age. The Little Ice Age lasted for about 500 years. During these years, it caused much distress to agriculture across the globe due to average temperatures being 0.4–0.7 °C (0.7–1.3 °F) below normal. While it was not a true ice age, the worldwide hardship brought on by the lower temperatures was still significant. Although the effects are well documented, the cause of the Little Ice Age remains elusive or difficult to pinpoint. Two of the main suspects involve Earth’s global patterns of circulation.

Volcanoes

There are many volcanoes all over the planet. Some of these volcanoes are considered active, while others are thought to be dormant. In order to be classified as active, volcanoes must have had an eruption within the past 10,000 years. Dormant volcanoes are classified as such if they have not had an eruption in the past 10,000 years.

All volcanoes, both active and dormant, are monitored and tracked carefully for changes that might indicate an imminent eruption. Volcanoes can be found all around the world, including the US. The state of Hawaii alone has three volcanoes that are considered active. Washington State on the west coast of the US is home to the volcano called Mount St Helens. Mount St Helens erupted as recently as 1989. An erupting volcano can be incredibly dangerous and have far-reaching effects. One such example of a deadly volcano eruption happened about two hundred years ago on the Island of Sumatra, just south of China.

On April 10, 1815 the Tambora Volcano of Sumatra erupted. It spewed skyward an estimated 41 km³ (9.8 cu mi) of ash, gas, lava, and earth, known as pyroclastic material. What sounded like gunshots were heard on the island of Sumatra more than 2,600 km (1,600 mi) away. The amount of pyroclastic material was so great it blocked the light of the Sun. For two days, pitch darkness covered the area as far away as 600 km (370 mi).

This was just the start of the devastation though. Tambora’s output of gas and dust into the atmosphere was so great that it actually disrupted the global climate.