Some scientists have proposed that volcanic eruptions are capable of causing global climate changes.

Question

What is the basic premise behind this idea? Can you cite any historic examples to support the link between volcanic eruptions and climate change?

Answer 1

A volcano erupts sulfur dioxide aerosol into the stratosphere, which blocks sunlight and cools the earth.

See link below:

Answer 2

Volcanic eruptions can and do cause climate change!

Look at all the Global Warming data. Right around 1992 there is a dip in the global temperature trend as a result of My Pinatubo, which erupted in 1991.

Read Krakatoa by Simon Winchester - it was a huge eruption that caused a breif climate change.

Basically there are two things that happen during an eruption - CO2 and water vapor get thrown into the atmosphere and so does a heck of a lot of dust! The dust s thrown high enough (into the stratosphere) that is causes all sorts of effects including really cool sunsets.

The atmospheric dust raises the albedo  of the earth (it become more reflective) so less sunlight is absorbed and we cool down.

A really big eruption, like we might expect for Yellowstone, could plunge us into nuclear winter.