This article discusses how eight months of volcanic eruptions which gave off billions of cubic feet of lava and millions
of tonnes of sulphur dioxide was the direct cause of famine and drought in Egypt in 1784. The famine was thought to have killed 17% of the population of the Nile Valley in addition to the 9000 Icelanders who perished in the immediate aftermath.
The principle cause of this link appears to be the amount of sulphur dioxide released into the
atmosphere. It is released with Hydrochloric Acid, which is often removed from the atmosphere through rainfall. Sulphur dioxide was carried south with the winds,combining with water in the atmosphere and producing small particles of sulphuricacid. This remained in the atmosphere, blocking out the sunlight.This led to the coldest winter Siberia had experienced for over 500 years.These cooler temperatures in the north led to a smaller difference in
temperature between the land and the sea in the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Oceans. With such a smaller temperature difference there were significantly less rainclouds formed, leading to drought and inevitably, famine.
It is thought that eruptions in the tropical areas could also lead to warmer climates in the Northern hemisphere.Researchers have been developing equipment that may be able to measure the amount of sulphur dioxide that is released in each eruption in order to enable a system of warning to societies, thus giving them time to formulate and implement emergency measures to avoid such catastrophe again.
This abstract was checked by WhiteSmoke Solution. Learn More.