#Indonesia’s Mount #Ruang has erupted at least 3X this wk, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people.
On Wed evening, the #volcano’s #eruption shot #ash nearly 70k ft high, possibly spewing aerosols into the #stratosphere, the atmosphere’s second layer.
The #volcano is part of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, in the Sangihe Islands archipelago. That puts it ~60 miles NNE of Manado, the province’s capital.
#CitizenScience opportunity: photos of unusual, brightly colored sunsets in the wake of major volcanic eruptions in the recent past can be used to extract color ratios that indicate #aerosol loading of the #stratosphere. In turn, that can help researchers constrain the ash "yield" of eruptions and improve atmospheric models.
If you're interested in contributing, DM me and I will put you in touch with the research team.
As we know, when damaged or redundant #satellites re-enter the Earth's atmosphere they burn up... now studies have found that around 10% of aerosol particles in #stratosphere contain aluminium and/or other metals derived from satellites that burned up on re-entry.
As the population of orbiting objects continues to grow, so does the number returning to earth & burning up; this issue will only expand.
The Q. is (like previous environmental degradation): what will be the impact of such change(s)
I recently got quite some flak for discussing what #Starlink satellites burning up in the atmosphere after their planned lifetime of 6 years could do to the stratosphere. Adding tons of aluminium and other elements as fine aerosol particles. Well. New research has just been published:
@gbraad What's your point here? The #stratosphere isn't at ground level. The part of the #atosmphere at ground level is called the #troposphere. And anything in the stratosphere certainly has no direct impact on things at ground level.
#Perlan is in the air for another altitude record attempt!
They expect to encounter 160 kt winds at altitude. When they are flying at 40-54 kt indicated airspeed at altitude, their true airspeed will be about 350-400kts, and they will have to "crab" strongly into the 160 kt winds to stay in the wave lift they are predicted to find. 🤞
Tidying my office the other day and I found my favourite ever certificate, from ten years ago. We had helped with the release of a stratospheric balloon in Texas and then tracked it to recover the data once it was back on the ground. Steely-eyed ballooner! #science#stratosphere
"It was 👉the most powerful volcanic eruption on earth since #Krakatoa in 1883. 👈"
"👉Typically, volcanic eruptions cool the surface of the earth👈 in the same way as extra #sulphur#emissions from #ships – it shades the surface of the earth. "
"👉Water is a #GreenhouseGas like carbon dioxide👉, so more of that in the #stratosphere warms the surface of the planet.
"...that 👉the water above the #volcano was literally launched into the #stratosphere, where it stays to this day. "
“We think that influence will 👉be there to the end of the decade👈 because that water #vapor - once it's up there because there’s no cloud and no rain – it will stay up there for a very long time,” he said."
There is a fourth issue, which IMO, is only local..."