Latest news with #PabloMorenoYaeger
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Horrifying Research Finds Melting Glaciers Could Activate Deadly Volcanoes
Scientists are warning that glaciers melting due to global warming could trigger explosive — and potentially deadly — volcanic eruptions around the world. As detailed in a new study presented at the Goldschmidt international geochemistry conference this week and due to be peer-reviewed later this year, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison analyzed six volcanoes in southern Chile to study how retreating ice sheets may have influenced past volcanic behavior. Using advanced argon dating and crystal analysis methods, they found that around the peak of the last ice age, around 20,000 years ago, a thick ice cover subdued volcanic activity, allowing a huge reservoir of magma to accumulate six to nine miles below the surface. However, the end of the ice age led the ice sheets to retreat rapidly. The sudden loss of ice weight allowed gases in the magma to expand, setting the stage for explosive eruptions from newly formed volcanoes. Now, scientists are warning that a similar scenario could unfold thanks to global warming. "Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them," said University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student and lead author Pablo Moreno-Yaeger in a statement. "But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively." Scientists previously found that melting glaciers could increase volcanic activity by observing the phenomenon in Iceland. However, other places in the world could also be at risk. "Our study suggests this phenomenon isn't limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica," Moreno-Yaeger explained. "The key requirement for increased explosivity is initially having a very thick glacial coverage over a magma chamber, and the trigger point is when these glaciers start to retreat, releasing pressure — which is currently happening in places like Antarctica." "Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention," he added. Worse, in the long term eruptions themselves could contribute to "long-term global warming because of a buildup of greenhouse gases," as Moreno-Yaeger explained. "This creates a positive feedback loop, where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, and the eruptions in turn could contribute to further warming and melting," he said. More on volcanoes: Scientists Say Something Is Corking the Yellowstone Supervolcano
Fast Company
09-07-2025
- Science
- Fast Company
More great news about climate change: It's also causing more volcanic eruptions
As global temperatures increase because of climate change, glaciers around the world are melting —contributing to rising sea levels, more extreme weather events, and habitat loss for all sorts of species. But scientists have recently identified another explosive consequence from this disappearing ice: Melting glaciers may lead to more frequent, and more damaging, volcanic eruptions. Those volcanic eruptions could then cause even more climate impacts by spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which will then melt more glaciers. Though individual volcanic eruptions may temporarily cool global temperatures (by releasing aerosols that reflect the sun away from the Earth's surface), multiple, consecutive volcanic eruptions can actually contribute to global warming. 'This creates a positive feedback loop, where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, and the eruptions in turn could contribute to further warming and melting,' Pablo Moreno-Yaeger, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher, said in a statement. Moreno-Yaeger presented his team's findings at the geochemistry Goldschmidt Conference in Prague this week; a peer-reviewed paper on the research is forthcoming. Melting glaciers increase volcanic activity because of the way they sit over stores of magma underground. When ice sheets melt and glaciers retreat, it releases the pressure on those magma chambers, making it easier for the magma to break through the surface in a volcanic eruption. That process has already been observed in Iceland, but the new study looking at volcanoes in Chile is one of the first to show how the phenomenon played out at the end of the last ice age. The last ice age peaked around 26,000 to 18,000 years ago, and the thick layer of ice over the planet then suppressed volcanic eruptions. That led a reservoir of magma to build up below the surface. When the ice sheets melted, the loss of all that heavy ice released the pressure over the magma, making the gases in the magma expand so that they erupted from the Earth's surface—like popping the top of a soda can. For the study, the researchers, with funding from the National Science Foundation, looked at rocks around six volcanoes in the Chilean Andes. They were able to date previous volcanic eruptions and analyze the chemistry of these rocks to track how volcanic explosions increased as glacial ice melted. 'The key requirement for increased explosivity is initially having a very thick glacial coverage over a magma chamber, and the trigger point is when these glaciers start to retreat, releasing pressure,' Moreno-Yaeger explains. This activity is currently happening in places like Antarctica, where more than 100 volcanoes sit below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The entire Antarctic Ice Sheet covers an area larger than the U.S. and Mexico combined. Climate change, fueled by the burning of fossil fuels, is already causing Antarctic ice to melt more quickly than it can be replaced—and at a rate six times faster than it was melting in the 1990s. The West Antarctic Ice sheet specifically is the 'frontier of dramatic ice loss in Antarctica,' and one of the most rapidly changing ice sheets on the planet, according to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. It's not just Antarctica that could see more volcanic eruptions because of melting ice. The researchers say scientists should monitor parts of North America, New Zealand, and Russia for this risk as well. The impact isn't immediate, though; in the Chilean Andes, the volcanic eruptions lagged a few thousand years behind the melting glaciers. But the researchers warn that different volcanoes, made up of different minerals, could respond to this change over a different amount of time. And it's not the only climate impact that could be increasing volcanic activity. Previous research has found that more extreme, heavy rain—which is also increasing because of climate change —could trigger eruptions. And once those eruptions increase, they create a feedback loop that causes even more warming and rain.
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.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Melting glaciers could make volcanic eruptions more explosive, scientists warn
Dormant volcanoes across the Earth could become more active and erupt more violently as the climate crisis accelerates glacier retreat, scientists warn in a new study. The research, presented on Tuesday at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, assessed six volcanoes in the Chilean Andes and found evidence that rapidly melting glaciers across the planet could set the stage for more explosive and frequent volcanic eruptions. A link between retreating glaciers and an increase in volcanic activity has been known since the 1970s from studies conducted in Iceland. However, the latest research is one of the first to establish this association in continental volcanic systems. 'Our study suggests this phenomenon isn't limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica,' said volcanologist Pablo Moreno-Yaeger from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 'Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention,' Dr Moreno-Yaeger said. The latest findings could help scientists better predict volcanic activity in glacier-covered regions. In the study, researchers conducted crystal analysis across six volcanoes in southern Chile, including the now dormant Mocho-Choshuenco volcano. They assessed how the advance and retreat of the Patagonian Ice Sheet influenced past volcanic behaviour in the region. The analysis of crystals found at these sites helped precisely date previous volcanic eruptions. It also helped determine how the weight and pressure of glacial ice change the characteristics of magma underground. Scientists found that during the peak of the last ice age – around 26,000–18,000 years ago – thick ice cover suppressed the volume of eruptions and allowed a large reservoir of silica-rich magma to accumulate 10-15 km below the surface. Then, as the thick ice sheet melted rapidly at the end of the last ice age, the sudden loss of weight caused the crust to relax, and gases in the magma to expand, according to the yet-to-be peer-reviewed study. As pressure built up from underneath, it triggered explosive eruptions, causing the volcano to form, researchers found. '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,' said Dr Moreno-Yaeger. 'The key requirement for increased explosivity is initially having a very thick glacial coverage over a magma chamber, and the trigger point is when these glaciers start to retreat, releasing pressure, which is currently happening in places like Antarctica,' he added. While glacier melting could be happening currently at unprecedented rates due to global warming, researchers say the process of changes in the magma system due to this happens over centuries, giving some time for monitoring and early warning.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Melting glaciers and ice caps could unleash wave of volcanic eruptions, study says
The melting of glaciers and ice caps by the climate crisis could unleash a barrage of explosive volcanic eruptions, a study suggests. The loss of ice releases the pressure on underground magma chambers and makes eruptions more likely. This process has been seen in Iceland, an unusual island that sits on a mid-ocean tectonic plate boundary. But the research in Chile is one of the first studies to show a surge in volcanism on a continent in the past, after the last ice age ended. Global heating caused by the burning of fossil fuels is now melting ice caps and glaciers across the world. The biggest risk of a resurgence of volcanic eruptions is in west Antarctica, the researchers said, where at least 100 volcanoes lie under the thick ice. This ice is very likely to be lost in the coming decades and centuries as the world warms. Volcanic eruptions can cool the planet temporarily by shooting sunlight-reflecting particles into the atmosphere. However, sustained eruptions would pump significant greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide and methane. This would further heat the planet and potentially create a vicious circle, in which rising temperatures melt ice that leads to further eruptions and more global heating. Pablo Moreno-Yaeger, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, who led the research, said: 'As glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively.' The research, which was presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Prague, and is in the final stages of review with an academic journal, involved camping high in the Andes, among active and dormant volcanoes. Detailed work on one volcano, called Mocho-Choshuenco, used radioisotope dating to estimate the age of volcanic rocks produced before, during and after the last ice age, when the 1,500-metre-thick Patagonian ice sheet covered the area. Analysis of the minerals in the rocks also revealed the depth and temperature at which the rocks formed. This data revealed that thick ice cover had suppressed the volume of eruptions between 26,000 and 18,000 years ago, allowing a large reservoir of magma to build up 10-15km (6.2-9.3 miles) below the surface. After the ice melted, from about 13,000 years ago, the pressure on the magma chamber was released, gasses in the liquid or molten rock expanded and explosive eruptions followed. 'We found that following deglaciation, the volcano starts to erupt way more, and also changes composition,' said Moreno-Yaeger. The composition changed as the magma melted crustal rocks while eruptions were suppressed. This made the molten rock more viscous and more explosive on eruption. 'Our study suggests this phenomenon isn't limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica,' he said. 'Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention.' Previous research has shown volcanic activity increased globally by two to six times after the last ice age, but the Chilean study was one of the first to show how this happened. A similar phenomenon was reported via the analysis of rocks in eastern California in 2004. A recent review by scientists found there had been relatively little study on how the climate crisis had been affecting volcanic activity. They said more research was 'critically important' in order to be better prepared for the damage caused by volcanic eruptions to people and their livelihoods and for possible climate-volcano feedback loops that could amplify the climate crisis. For example, more extreme rainfall is also expected to increase violent explosive eruptions.
