Harmful Effects of Volcanic Eruptions on the Environment - Essay Example

?Volcanic impact on environment Human beings have long been fascinated and terrified by the spectacular display of discharging energy through volcanoes in the form of lava, molten rocks, ash, and toxic gases. The impact of volcanic activity on the environment and society has been a favorite topic of research for long and it has been emphasized by various studies in the field that volcanoes have devastating effects on human life as well as on the global environment. For example, volcanic eruptions have a destructive impact on the environment and the most dangerous hazards of eruptions include the emission of toxic gases, lava, ash fall, lahars and landslides. The positive and negative impact of volcanic eruptions should be considered and, as Joan Marti and Gerald Ernst maintain, “a key are of the impact of eruptions on our environment and activities is through providing materials that can be used in industry. The exploitation of these materials in turn has a direct impact on the environment.” (Marti and Ernst, xiii) Significantly, the direct and indirect impact of volcanoes on the environment and society requires significant public awareness as volcanic eruptions never get public attention unless when people and buildings are harmed directly by these volcanoes. The crucial impact of hazardous volcanic processes on the environment and the society needs to be analyzed comprehensively and it is important to realize that the direct volcano hazards include fall processes, flowage processes, and other processes, while the indirect volcano hazards include earthquakes and ground movement, tsunami, atmospheric impact and climate change, etc. A profound analysis of the volcanic impact on the environment confirms that the volcanic eruptions are extremely harmful to the environment, primarily because of the number of toxic gases emitted in the process. Significantly, the toxic gases emitted in volcanic eruptions include carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, carbon monoxide, volatile metal chlorides, etc. and these are extremely hazardous to the environment. This paper makes a reflective exploration of the volcanic impact on the environment in order to discover the various hazardous ways in which volcanic eruptions and process influence the environment and the society, directly and indirectly. One of the major research questions of an analysis of the volcanic impact on the environment should be how the volcanic gases have an impact on climate, the environment, and the society. Thus, it is fundamental to comprehend that the gases emitted during volcanic eruptions give rise to numerous issues that affect the climate as well as the environment precariously. Scientists from the various parts of the world have conducted several influential studies on the volcanic impact on the environment recently which come up with stimulating evidences on how volcanic gas produced during eruptions work as an important agent of global change. Significantly, copious gases are released to the surface of the earth and to the environment before, during, and after volcanic eruptions which include water vapor, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, and others. “Huge amounts of volcanic gas, aerosol droplets, and ash are injected into the stratosphere during major explosive eruptions. Some gases, such as carbon dioxide, are greenhouse gases that promote global warming, while others, like sulfur dioxide, can cause global cooling, ozone destruction, and polluted air known as volcanic smog or ‘vog’.” (McGee, et.al.) Therefore, the recent studies on volcanic emissions have proved that volcanic gas outputs can hazardously affect the environment and climate. For example, the recent research evidences suggest that the eruptions of volcanoes in Iceland have had a significant impact on the environment of northern Britain and Ireland. It is important to relate here that the volcanic gases have been a major cause for acid rain, deterioration of aircraft surface materials and engines. In the same way, these studies establish that the volcanic gas also affects human beings, animals, and plants harmfully, and these hazardous impacts of volcanoes are most suffered by the areas directly surrounded by volcanoes. The impact of volcanic eruptions on environment and climate becomes lucid from an understanding of the plausible linkage between the environmental changes in the British Isles and the volcanic eruptions in Iceland. As Grattan and Gilbertson (2000) point out, recent research throws lights on the detectable impacts of the eruptions of volcanoes in Iceland on the environment of northern Britain and Ireland. The published literature on the topic confirms that volcanic eruptions have been the basic cause for numerous distinctive prehistoric and historic tephra-related pal-environmental ‘events’ that are related with adverse environmental effects. Grattan and Gilbertson (2000) “explored the link that might have existed between changes in Bronze Age settlement and environment in parts of the north and west British Isles and volcanic eruptions in Iceland. A significant academic literature has suggested that Icelandic volcanic eruptions did act in this manner.” Grattan and Gilbertson, 2000, p. 40). It is also maintained that severe environmental damage can be caused by the acid volatiles emitted in Icelandic volcanic eruptions, and the hazardous impact of volcanic eruptions on environment is underlined by the archeological and paleo-ecological evidences. Therefore, the volcanic impact on environment becomes more palpable from the example of the link between the changes in the environment of northern Britain and Ireland and the eruptions of volcanoes in Iceland. In a profound investigation of the volcano hazards, it becomes lucid that volcanic eruptions affect environment in a variety of ways and at a variety of scales. One of the most destructive impacts of the volcano hazards is the problems related to the fallout of ash (or tephra) subsequent to volcanic eruptions. Another major hazard associated with volcanic eruptions is the risk from lava flows which involves the seepage of red-hot lava from the volcanic vent. Similarly, the impact of volcanic eruptions on climate cannot be overlooked, as the enormous amount of energy released from explosive eruptions can result in climatic changes. Chris C. Park maintains that “the vapor and dust clouds produced in volcanic eruptions can cause long-lasting atmospheric and climatic effects… Much more localized problems are sometimes posed by the release of toxic gases in volcanic eruptions.” (Park, 2001, p. 185). Significantly, a large amount of gas as well as molten rock is produced from the magma which affects climate and the environment drastically. The most notable examples of volcanic eruptions in the world include the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and the 1986 Lake Nyos volcanic gas explosion, and these volcanic eruptions provide convincing illustration of the volcanic impact on environment. The effect of volcanic eruptions on the climate of the Earth is closely connected with the volcanic impact on environment and there are stimulating evidences to prove volcanic impact on climate. Thus, it has been established by the recent research evidences that volcanic eruptions affect global climate and alters it constantly. According to the scientists who conducted researches in this field, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 had a significant effect on the climate and the average global temperatures dropped considerably following the eruption. Similarly, the eruption of Tambora in 1815 had a drastic impact on the climate of North America and Europe. “Volcanologists believe that the balance of the Earth’s mild climate over periods of millions of years is maintained by ongoing volcanism. Volcanoes affect the climate through the gases and dust particles thrown into the atmosphere during eruptions. The effect of the volcanic gases and dust may warm or cool the earth’s surface, depending on how sunlight interacts with the volcanic material.” (Volcanoes & Climate, 2004). It is fundamental to realize that sulfur compounds released from volcanoes, including sulfur oxide or sulfur dioxide, affect the climate in a hazardous way and the volcanic eruptions affect global climate change. Therefore, it becomes obvious that the hazardous effects of volcanoes can be seen not only on environment, but on climate, and the health of the exposed humans, animals and vegetation. Evidence on the impact of volcanic eruptions on the environment, climate, and the health of the exposed humans, animals and vegetation is provided by the study conducted by Zuskin, Mustajbegovic, Doko, Pucarin-Cvetkovic, and Milosevic (2007). According to this study, the five hundred active volcanoes on Earth today pose a serious threat to the environment, climate, and human beings. “Volcanic eruptions produce hazardous effects for the environment, climate, and the health of the exposed persons, and are associated with the deterioration of social and economic conditions.” (Zuskin, Mustajbegovic, Doko, Pucarin-Cvetkovic, and Milosevic, 2007). According to their study, the environment is filled with the discharge of the volcanic gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon sulphide (CS), carbon disulfide (CS2), hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), hydrogen fluoride (HF), and hydrogen bromide (HBr). These gases affect the human life and the environment catastrophically which makes them confirm the impact of volcanic eruptions on the environment, climate, and the health of human beings. (Zuskin, Mustajbegovic, Doko, Pucarin-Cvetkovic, and Milosevic, 2007). In conclusion, a profound investigation of the harmful effects of volcanic eruptions on the environment suggests that it is a dangerous issue affecting not only human beings, but the entire universe as well. An analysis of the volcanic impact on environment mainly should be on the subject of the hazardous impacts of the volcanic gases on the environment and the climate. The dissolved gases in the magma are released into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions and these volcanic gases cause heavy damage to the entire environment. As the studies by the U.S. Geological Survey confirm, these volcanic gases, together with the tephra and entrained air, are spread in the atmosphere of the Earth during large explosive eruptions. “Once airborne, the prevailing winds may blow the eruption cloud hundreds to thousands of kilometers from a volcano. The gases spread from an erupting vent primarily as acid aerosols (tiny acid droplets), compounds attached to tephra particles, and microscopic salt particles.” (Volcanic Gases and Their Effects, 2010). Therefore, volcanic gases emitted during volcanic eruptions dangerously affect the atmosphere and the environment in general. It is also pertinent to maintain that the impact of volcanic eruptions is traceable not only on the environment, but also on the climate, and the health of human beings and the entire living organisms of the world. References Grattan, John P. and Gilbertson, David D. (2000). “Prehistoric ‘Settlement Crisis’, Environmental Changes in the British Isles, and Volcanic Eruptions in Iceland: An Exploration of plausible linkage.” Volcanic hazards and disasters in human antiquity. Floyd W. McCoy and Grant Heiken. Geological Society of America. p. 40. Marti, Joan and Gerald Ernst. Volcanoes and the Environment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2005. P xiii. McGee, Kenneth A. et.al. “Impacts of Volcanic Gases on Climate, the Environment, and People.” U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-262. USGS. 1997. Feb 28, 2011. Retrieved 02 March 2011, from http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/of97-262/of97-262.html Park, Chris C. (2001). The Environment: Principles and Applications. London: Routledge. p. 185. “Volcanic Gases and Their Effects.” (2010). U.S. Geological Survey. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 02 March 2011, from http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/index.php “Volcanoes & Climate.” (2004). Exploring the Environment. Wheeling Jesuit University. Retrieved 02 March 2011, from http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/volcanoes/vclimate.html Zuskin E., Mustajbegovic J., Doko Jelinic J., Pucarin-Cvetkovic J., and Milosevic M. (2007). “Effects of Volcanic Eruptions on Environment and Health.” Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 58(4). pp. 479-86. Retrieved 02 March 2011, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18063533 Read More