Scientists Sound Alarm: Next Massive Supervolcano Eruption Could Be an Extinction Event

the Toba eruption in Indonesia 74,000 years ago nearly drove early humans to Extinction leaving only a small population to survive the aftermath now scientists are warning that a similar event May soon happen in the modern world and humanity is still not fully prepared to face such a disaster Marcus staul a climate professor at the University of Geneva recently told CNN that new geological evidence suggest another massive volcanic eruption could happen soon and it's very likely stle explained that such an eruption could cause even worse climate chaos than tambra did the world would face devastating effects on agriculture economies and human health he also highlighted a critical issue Humanity has no plan to handle a disaster of this scale now you might be wondering why are scientists suddenly warning about an upcoming eruption what makes them think it could be more catastrophic than ever and most importantly when might it happen well historical records and geological evidence are key Tools in predicting volcanic eruptions accounts from ancient documents and cultural stories from communities near volcanoes offer valuable insights into past events And Eruption patterns geological evidence such as lava flows Ash deposits and volcanic rocks helps scientists understand how volcanoes behave before an eruption by studying these physical remnants and historical data researchers can identify warning signs and make more predictions about future volcanic activity recently climate Professor Marcus staul through a new study revealed that Earth May soon experience another massive volcanic eruption according to his findings there is a one in six chance of such an eruption occurring within this Century stle said right now it is very difficult to predict when and where such a devastating eruption will occur the next eruption Could Happen anywhere there are areas scientists are watching including Indonesia one of the planet's most volcanically active regions and Yellowstone in Western America which hasn't experienced a huge eruption for hundreds of thousands of years but wait scientist aren't losing sleep over when or where the next massive eruption might happen their real worry is how it could impact today's world unlike in the past this time it would happen in a much changed world one which is not only more populated but which has also been warmed by the climate crisis Michael rampino a professor at NYU who investigates links between volcanic eruptions and climate change said this time the effects might might be even worse than we saw back in 1815 so how will the next volcanic eruption affect Earth and why scientists think it could be one of the biggest disasters in history Mount Tambora an Indonesian volcano that erupted in 1815 is considered the most powerful volcanic eruption in history the eruption was so massive that it sent an enormous cloud of Ash and tiny particles High into the Earth's atmosphere these particles called aerosols reflected sunlight away from the planet significantly cooling global temperatures the effects of this cooling were felt worldwide causing a chain reaction of disasters the year following the eruption became famously known as The Year Without a summer global temperatures plunge disrupting seasonal weather patterns crops failed across Europe North America and Asia due to frost droughts and unseasonably cold weather the resulting food shortages led to widespread famine and thousands of people died from hunger and malnutrition in some areas food prices skyrocketed sparking riots and social unrest as if famine wasn't bad enough the conditions caused by the eruption also helped spread diseases a deadly Cera outbreak started in South Asia and quickly spread around the the world killing millions of people the eruption didn't just cause physical and economic destruction it also left a lasting impact on culture since Tambora many volcanoes have erupted but Tambora Remains the planet's most recent massive eruption more than 200 years later scientists are now warning that the planet could be on the brink of another volcanic eruption well volcanoes have long shaped our world they help create continents have built the atmosphere and can change the climate when a volcano erupts it spews out a mixture of lava Ash and gases including Planet warming carbon dioxide though in much smaller quantities than those produced by humans burning fossil fuels right now scientists are particularly concerned about a gas called sulfur dioxide when it comes to climate impact during a massive volcanic eruption sulfur dioxide can be leased into the stratosphere the layer of the atmosphere about 7 mil above the Earth's surface where airplanes fly in this layer the gas forms tiny aerosol particles that scatter sunlight reflecting it back into space this process cools the planet below aerosol particles can travel around the world and remain in the atmosphere for a few years keeping the planet cooler during that time for centuries scientists have studied ice cores and tree rings which act as time capsules to learn about past volcanic eruptions and their effects on the atmosphere from this research they know that large eruptions over the last several thousand years have temporarily cooled the planet by about one to 1.5° C for example the eruption of Mount Tambora lowered global temperatures by at least 1° C another major eruption the somala eruption in Indonesia in 1257 may have even contributed to the little Ice Age A centuries long period of Colder temperatures but the world has changed it's a more unstable world now and getting warmer every year and scientists are now claiming that in a warmer World massive volcanic eruptions could have an even greater cooling effect on the planet as the world warms air moves faster in the atmosphere causing aerosol part particles to spread quickly without having time to grow larger surprisingly these smaller particles are better at scattering sunlight which increases their cooling effect on the earth however this could disrupt the climate further making weather patterns more unpredictable and intensifying climate change on Earth oceans may also play a role as the surface of the ocean heats up a layer of lighter warmer water sits on top and acts as a barrier to mixing between shallow and deeper layers this may mean eruptions disproportionately cool the ocean's top layer and the atmosphere above it a 1° Celsius drop in temperature might sound small but it's an average May Chim an earth scientist at the University of Cambridge said if we look at certain regions the impact will be much greater Oak moach in Alaska which erupted in 43 BC the year after Julius Caesar was ass fascinated could have cooled parts of southern Europe and Northern Africa by up to 7° C scientists have also found more extreme rainfall driven by climate change can seep deep into the ground where it can react with Magma to trigger an eruption according to a recent analysis Colder Weather less sunlight and shifting rainfall could affect several bread Baskets at once including the US China and Russia hitting Global Food security and potentially leading to political tensions even War the human and economic toll would be vast in an extreme scenario similar to Tambora economic losses could reach more than 3.6 trillion in the first year alone along with this scientists have also warned that an estimated $ 800 million people live within 100 kilom of an active volcano in 86 countries and additional overseas territories worldwide and a massive eruption could erase an entire city campy fagri for example has shown signs of stirring and sits just west of the Italian city of Naples home to around 1 million people Marcus stael said massive volcanic eruptions cannot be prevented but there are ways to prepare while some might say the probability of a massive eruption is still small it's really not nothing he also suggested that experts assess worst case scenarios conduct stress tests and develop plans for everything from evacuations to Aid efforts and securing Food Supplies currently the world is unprepared for impacts it would unleash we're just at the beginning of getting an idea of what could happen in the end a small request if you guys want to support our Channel then don't forget to gift our amazing web telescope image printed T-shirts to your loved ones to celebrate the Amazing Discoveries of the telescope also this will encourage us to bring more amazing videos for you that's all for today don't forget to share your thoughts about this video in the comments thanks for your time