Lunar eclipses illuminate timing and climate impact of medieval volcanism

Article Article scientifique Article Lunar eclipses illuminate timing and climate impact of medieval volcanism eng 2023-04-05 2023-04-05 author Guillet Sébastien 0000-0002-0602-0518 866180 Services communs de l'Institut des sciences de l'environnement (ISECO) author Corona Christophe 0000-0002-7645-6157 947557 author Oppenheimer Clive 0000-0003-4506-7260 author Lavigne Franck author Khodri Myriam 0000-0003-1941-1646 author Ludlow Francis 0000-0003-0008-0314 author Sigl Michael 0000-0002-9028-9703 author Toohey Matthew 0000-0002-7070-405X author Atkins Paul S. 0000-0002-4048-5036 author Yang Zhen author Muranaka Tomoko 923528 author Horikawa Nobuko author Stoffel Markus 0000-0003-0816-1303 131626 Forel Communs (FOREL) 90-95 10.1038/s41586-023-05751-z 37020006 0028-0836 PMC10076221 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05751-z <p>Explosive volcanism is a key contributor to climate variability on interannual to centennial timescales. Understanding the far-field societal impacts of eruption-forced climatic changes requires firm event chronologies and reliable estimates of both the burden and altitude (that is, tropospheric versus stratospheric) of volcanic sulfate aerosol. However, despite progress in ice-core dating, uncertainties remain in these key factors. This particularly hinders investigation of the role of large, temporally clustered eruptions during the High Medieval Period (HMP, 1100–1300 ce ), which have been implicated in the transition from the warm Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age. Here we shed new light on explosive volcanism during the HMP, drawing on analysis of contemporary reports of total lunar eclipses, from which we derive a time series of stratospheric turbidity. By combining this new record with aerosol model simulations and tree-ring-based climate proxies, we refine the estimated dates of five notable eruptions and associate each with stratospheric aerosol veils. Five further eruptions, including one responsible for high sulfur deposition over Greenland circa 1182 ce , affected only the troposphere and had muted climatic consequences. Our findings offer support for further investigation of the decadal-scale to centennial-scale climate response to volcanic eruptions.</p> Dewey 550 Dewey 333.7-333.9 Swiss National Science Foundation CALDERA - EffeCts of lArge voLcanic eruptions on climate and societies: UnDerstand the impacts of past Events and related subsidence cRises to evAluate potential risks in the future 183571 CH Programmes European Commission Human History of Marine Life: Extraction, Knowledge, Drivers & Consumption of Marine Resources, c.100 BCE to c.1860 CE 951649 4-OCEANS EU H2020 European Commission Timing of Holocene volcanic eruptions and their radiative aerosol forcing 820047 THERA EU H2020 42 Département des sciences de la Terre 154 41 Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l'environnement et de l'eau 153 18 Institut des sciences de l'environnement 0DB false 1394 C-CIA Climate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene Nature 616 7955 36ad62f0-d636-4902-9e8c-daa90830591a Article (Published version) Public Article_scientifique_from_unpaywall.pdf 3950536 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 44730cdd5e0e6d40c58c776fee5861813e760e303efd4daa7eb45de704b363f0 openAccess Faculté des sciences / Section des sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement / Département des sciences de la Terre Faculté des sciences / Section des sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement / Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l'environnement et de l'eau Centres et instituts / Institut des sciences de l'environnement

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Lunar eclipses illuminate timing and climate impact of medieval volcanism	Nature			2023	109	39

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