Increased Perchlorate in the Environment Following the 1600 C.E. Huaynaputina Volcanic Eruption

• Main Authors: Gibson, Joseph, Shea, Amanda
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange 2019
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Chemistry; Environmental Chemistry; Greenland; ice core
• Online Access: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/jur/vol16/iss1/2; https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/context/jur/article/1176/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf

Perchlorate is an environmental contaminant that can have adverse health effects on humans. Although our knowledge about how natural perchlorate is formed is very limited, volcanic eruptions are believed to play an important role. An ice core obtained from Summit Station, Greenland was used to study the effects of the Huaynaputina eruption on the amount of perchlorate in the environment. The section of ice core sampled was determined to span the years 1594 through 1610. The results indicate that the Huaynaputina eruption caused a temporary but significant increase in the amount of perchlorate in the atmosphere.