Global ozone depletion and increase of UV radiation caused by pre-industrial tropical volcanic eruptions

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Brenna, Hans, Kutterolf, Steffen, Krüger, Kirstin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Research 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/47182/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/47182/1/s41598-019-46253-1.pdf; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/47182/2/s41598-019-45630-0.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45630-0

Large explosive tropical volcanic eruptions inject high amounts of gases into the stratosphere, where they disperse globally through the large-scale meridional circulation. There is now increasing observational evidence that volcanic halogens can reach the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Here, we present the first study that combines measurement-based data of sulfur, chlorine and bromine releases from tropical volcanic eruptions with complex coupled chemistry climate model simulations taking radiative-dynamical-chemical feedbacks into account. Halogen model input parameters represent a size-time-region-wide average for the Central American eruptions over the last 200 ka ensuring a comprehensive perspective. The simulations reveal global, long-lasting impact on the ozone layer affecting atmospheric composition and circulation for a decade. Column ozone drops below 220 DU (ozone hole conditions) in the tropics, Arctic and Antarctica, increasing biologically active UV by 80 to 400%. Our model results could potentially be validated using high-resolution proxies from ice cores and pollen records.