Latest news with #2025GoldschmidtConference
NDTV
09-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
"More Explosive And Frequent": Melting Glaciers Might Trigger Volcanic Eruptions Globally, Study Warns
A new study suggests that the climate crisis could trigger a surge in volcanic eruptions as melting glaciers and ice caps relieve pressure on underground magma chambers. This phenomenon has been observed in Iceland, but recent research in Chile provides evidence of increased volcanism on the continent following the last ice age. Many volcanoes, particularly in regions like Antarctica, Chile, and Alaska, are covered in ice. As global temperatures rise and the ice melts, the loss of weight and pressure can trigger explosive eruptions. Scientists warn that this hidden danger requires serious attention due to the potential for powerful volcanic activity, Live Science reported. Researchers presented their findings at the 2025 Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, a premier international geochemistry event. The study examined six volcanoes in southern Chile, tracking eruptions since the last ice age. Lead researcher Pablo Moreno Yaeger found that glacier retreat leads to larger and more frequent eruptions. While this connection is established in Iceland, this study is one of the first to explore its impact on continental volcanic systems. "Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them. But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively," Mr Yaeger said in a statement. By studying crystals from past eruptions, researchers discovered that glacial ice significantly influences volcanic activity. During the last ice age, thick ice sheets pressed down on the Earth's crust, suppressing volcanic eruptions. This pressure allowed magma reservoirs to build up deep underground. As the glaciers melted, the decrease in pressure enabled gases in the magma to expand, leading to more explosive eruptions. The researchers suggest that a similar process may be occurring today as modern glaciers melt due to climate change. "Our study suggests this phenomenon isn't limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica. Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand, and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention," said Mr Yaeger. Researcher Thomas Aubry noted that precipitation, also impacted by climate change, can also influence volcanic activity by seeping deep underground and interacting with the magma system, potentially triggering an eruption. The researchers further warn that increased volcanic activity can impact the global climate. While individual eruptions can temporarily cool the planet by releasing aerosols, multiple eruptions can lead to long-term warming due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. This creates a feedback loop where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, which in turn contribute to further warming and melting.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
How melting glaciers can lead to more volcanic eruptions
The rise in melting glaciers and ice caps can result in more frequent and more explosive volcanic eruptions, according to a new study. It also stated that the greatest risk of a resurgence of volcanic eruptions lies in West Antarctica, where approximately 100 volcanoes are buried under thick ice. This ice is expected to disappear in the coming decades and centuries due to soaring global temperatures. The research was presented at the 2025 Goldschmidt Conference, which is currently underway in Prague. It is the largest international conference dedicated to geochemistry, organised by the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry. Other continental regions, such as parts of North America, New Zealand, and Russia, could also observe an increase in volcanicity, Pablo Moreno-Yaeger, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (US), said during the presentation. Climate change & volcanic eruptions Scientists first suggested that melting ice could affect volcanic activity in the 1970s. Usually, the weight of the ice exerts pressure on underground magma chambers of volcanoes. However, when glaciers or ice caps melt, this pressure is reduced, and underground gases and magma expand which can ultimately result in explosive eruptions. Such a phenomenon has already occurred on the planet. For instance, in Iceland, during major deglaciation (the last of which occurred between 15,000 and 10,000 years before the present), volcanic eruption rates were 30 to 50 times higher than they are today. Studies have also found that the decrease in pressure due to ice loss can result in the production of magma. That is because rocks held at lower pressure tend to melt at lower temperatures. Another factor which seems to affect volcanic activity is precipitation. 'Precipitation — also modified by climate change — can infiltrate deep underground and react with the magma system to trigger an eruption,' Thomas Aubry, a researcher at the University of Exeter (England), told Polytechnique Insights. The latest study has reiterated these findings. It examined Chile's Mocho Choshuenco volcano to estimate the age of volcanic rocks produced before, during, and after the last ice age. The research found that due to a thick ice sheet over the volcano, pressure had suppressed the volume of eruptions between 26,000 and 18,000 years ago. This led to the formation of a large reservoir of magma that had built up 10 to 15 km below the volcano's surface. However, once this ice sheet melted, about 13,000 years ago, explosive eruptions took place. The fallouts Volcanic eruptions can cause temporary cooling as they release ash or dust into the atmosphere which blocks sunlight. These eruptions also emit sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere which is more effective than ash particles at cooling the climate. Sulfur dioxide goes into the stratosphere and reacts with water to form sulfuric acid aerosols. These aerosols reflect incoming solar radiation, leading to the cooling of the Earth's surface. 'The aerosols can stay in the stratosphere for up to three years, moved around by winds and causing significant cooling worldwide. Eventually, the droplets grow large enough to fall to Earth,' according to the US Center for Science Education. However, sustained volcanic eruptions can release large amounts of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, which could further heat the planet. This can become a vicious cycle — as global temperatures rise, there will be a higher rate of melting of ice, which could cause more eruptions and further global warming.
