Mt Redoubt volcano

Hidden from the news headlines has been the recent eruption of Mt Redoubt volcano, Alaska:

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090323/ap_on_re_us/alaska_volcano

There have actually been a series of small eruptions, but the largest occurred just a couple of days ago.

With ash thrown as high as 60,000 feet up in the atmosphere, there is a good possibility that this could have hemispheric weather/climate implications several months or even years from now.  Volcanic ash can get trapped in the very stable stratospheric layer of the upper atmosphere, spreading horizontally over time over very large areas.  By decreasing net solar insolation, ultimately surface weather and jet stream patterns can be affected.

It will be interesting to follow.

Posted by Jim Duncan