Iceland Volcano Might be the cause of coldest November in UK!

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By Salar Golestanian @ Tuesday, November 30, 2010 :: 10:27 AM :: 363 Views :: 0 Comments ::

This morning I got up to see snow for the first time in November. And because I was not thinking of preparing my car for the winter, during the night the 3 years old battery in my car gave up because it is so cold, and the car alarm went off because the battery was low so I started asking myself what could be the cause. It looks I need to bring forward my yearly Winter Servicing from December to mid November

What is happening over here and the causes of it are not alarmist fantasy or 2012 babble as there are actually natural forces that are known to cause cooling are awakening simultaneously, raising speculation for a downward pressures on global temperature. These forces let loose one at a time can cause the Earth to cool and can bring about harsh winter conditions. If they all break free at once, the effects could be felt not just in the coming winter, but year-round, and for several years to come.

Volcanic eruption in Iceland by Salar Golestanain

Volcanic eruption in Iceland by Salar Golestanain

Generally Volcanic eruptions can lead to temporary global cooling. The Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991 led to slight global cooling for years. With the Iceland volcano (smaller than Mt. Pinatubo) continuing to disrupt the atmosphere, and will we be in for some global cooling effect from the volcano? Probably not, say most scientists– tentatively. It depends on how long the volcano erupts, and whether another one will join it.

On March 20, a volcano erupted on the island of Iceland. The eruption has continued at varying intensity during 2010 summer. The island is one of the few spots where the mid-oceanic ridge rears up out of the water, revealing its violent personality. The Icelandic Volcanic eruption caused much disruption to air travellers across Europe. The huge plume of ash was being steered by winds high up in the atmosphere across the UK posing a potential risk to airliners. This translated to up to 4,000 flights being cancelled in a typical day during March, April and May 2010.

Oher eruptions have caused similar consequences. Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted with cataclysmic force in April of 1815, the largest eruption in over 1,600 years. It also came during a time of very low solar activity, known as the “Dalton Minimum.” The following year was called “The Year without a summer.” During early June of 1815, a foot of snow fell on Quebec City. In July and August, lake and river ice were observed as far south as Pennsylvania. Frost killed crops across New England with a resulting famine. During the brutal winter of 1816/7, the temperature fell to -32 in New York City.

Mount Pinatubo erupted in June of 1991, after four centuries of sleep. The resultant cloud of volcanic ash in the stratosphere pounded the global temperature down a full one degree Fahrenheit by 1993. Record snowfall buried the Mid-Atlantic States and southern New England during the winter of 1993/94. Those same records were shattered just two years later in the winter of 1995/96 from the effects of the reduced sunlight.

There are other elements at work, like we have just exited the longest and deepest solar minimum in nearly 100 years. During this minimum, the Sun had the greatest number of spotless days (days where there were no sunspots on the face of the sun) since the early 1800s. The solar cycle is usually about 11 years from minimum to minimum — this past cycle 23 lasted 12.7 years.

For now this analysis is the best fit to what is happening in UK with parts of Scotland and Wales is braced for Arctic conditions as Scandinavian winds see the mercury plummet further.