Ice Core Records of Changes in Volcanic Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosols and Climate

The major driver of changes in atmospheric composition and climate are large volcanic eruptions. Of particular interest are eruptions whose plumes reach the stratosphere, where sulfate aerosols have the longest residence time and largest dispersion in the atmosphere, and thus the greatest impact on planetary radiative forcing. Sulfur isotopes in sulfate from ice cores can be used to distinguish between stratospheric and tropospheric volcanic sulfate providing a means to refine the historic record of explosive volcanism, stratospheric aerosol loading, and its forcing of climate. Here I will present results revisiting forcing from some of the major volcanic eruptions over the last 2,500 years, highlighting the strong sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere summer temperatures to Northern Hemisphere extratropical eruptions, and the profound impact of these events on society.

Andrea Burke received her PhD in Geochemistry at the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography in 2011. Following this, she received funding for a Stanbeck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for two years before starting a faculty job at the University of St Andrews in 2014 where she set up a new isotope geochemistry facility. In 2023, she was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant, and last year she was promoted to full professor.

Moderation: Professor Dr. Christian von Savigny