The Mount Pinatubo Eruption

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "The Effects of the Mt. Pinatubo Erup­ tion on the Atmosphere and Climate" was held in Rome, September 26-30, 1994. In addition to NATO, the workshop was supported by Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. The Organizing Committee was fortunate to enlist the participation of many of the experts in the field, and this book is an account of their contributions. The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991 was readily recognized as one of the major eruptions of the century. In a sense it was the global experiment the atmospheric scientific community was waiting for to assess theories developed on ozone depletion and greenhouse warming. In September of that same year the launching of the UARS satellite added a new tool for observers all around the world. Three years later was a good time to convene a NATO Workshop to sum up what had been measured and theorized about the effects of the eruption. This book is divided in four chapters which cover respectively: the characterization of the aerosol cloud, the measured or simulated effects on temperature, on ozone and on climate.

Inhalt

1. The Characterization of Volcanic Aerosol.- Mount Pinatubo Stratospheric Aerosol Decay During 1992 and 1993, as Seen by the Camaguey Lidar Station.- Stratospheric Aerosol After Pinatubo: Results from the 1991/92 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE II).- The Evolution of the Pinatubo Stratospheric Aerosol Layer Observed by Lidar at South Pole, Rome, Thule: a Summary of Results.- Some Physical Properties of Mount Pinatubo Aerosols as Derived by Lidar.- Properties of the Mt. Pinatubo Aerosol Cloud Determined from ISAMS Measurements at 12.1?m.- Microphysical Processes Affecting the Pinatubo Volcanic Plume.- Three Years of Remote Sensing of Pinatubo Aerosol Extinction, Mass, and Surface Area.- 2-Dimensional Modelling the Time Evolution of the Pinatubo Aerosol Cloud.- 2. The Effects on Temperature.- Stratospheric Temperatures after Volcanic Eruptions.- The Effect of Tropical Explosive Volcanic Eruptions on Surface Air Temperature.- The Effect on the Stratosphere of Three Tropical Volcanic Eruptions.- Scientific Results of the EPIC Projects.- 3. The Effects on Ozone.- Evolution of the Mt. Pinatubo Volcanic Cloud and Analysis of Its Effect on the Ozone Amount as Observed from Ground-Based Measurements Performed in Northern and Southern Latitudes.- Tropical Stratospheric Ozone Changes Following the Eruption of Mount Pinatubo.- Observations and Interpretation of Changes in Stratospheric Ozone Following the Pinatubo Eruption.- Pinatubo Aerosols and Ozone Observed During Three Winters at Thule by Balloonborne Backscattersondes.- The Ozone Depletion During 1992 and 1993: A Three-Dimensional Study.- Recent Volcanic Signals in the Ozone Layer.- 4. The Climatic Effects.- Modelling Mt. Pinatubo Climate Effects.- A Pinatubo Climate Modelling Investigation.- Volcanic Eruptions and Climate Changes.- Preliminary Results of the Short Term Regional Climatic Effects of the Eruption of Volcano Pinatubo: Aerosol Parameterization.- Alphabetical Index of the Authors.