GeoLog

albedo

Wildfires in the wake of climate change

May 9, 2018
Wildfires in the wake of climate change
The 2017 Thomas Fire in California. (Credit: Kari Greer, Forest Service / Wikimedia Commons.)

Last year saw some of the biggest blazes in history, and may be a sign of things to come. 2017 was a record year for wildfires. California and neighboring western states saw the most destructive fire in US history, with an estimated 18 billion dollars worth of damage over the season. In central Portugal, fires caused 115 deaths over the same period. Researchers presenting at a press conference at ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: Tracing Toba

June 12, 2013

Large volcanic eruptions have a significant impact on the Earth’s climate as aerosols (including sulphur dioxide and water vapour), together with ash are released into the atmosphere and increase the amount of sunlight reflected back into space (the albedo). This increase in reflectance (or decrease in energy absorption) can cause widespread climatic cooling, known as a ‘volcanic winter’. However, ...[Read More]