Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics www.atmos-chem-phys.net 1680-7316 1680-7324 7 15 2007 10.5194/acp-7-4027-2007 http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/7/4027/2007/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/7/4027/2007/acp-7-4027-2007.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/7/4027/2007/acp-7-4027-2007.pdf 4027 4042 2007-08-02 Atmospheric effects of volcanic eruptions as seen by famous artists and depicted in their paintings C. S. Zerefos zerefos@geol.uoa.gr V. T. Gerogiannis D. Balis S. C. Zerefos A. Kazantzidis National Observatory of Athens, Athen, Greece Academy of Athens, Athen, Greece National Meteorological Service, Athen, Greece Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens, Athen, Greece Paintings created by famous artists, representing sunsets throughout the period 1500–1900, provide proxy information on the aerosol optical depth following major volcanic eruptions. This is supported by a statistically significant correlation coefficient (0.8) between the measured red-to-green ratios of a few hundred paintings and the dust veil index. A radiative transfer model was used to compile an independent time series of aerosol optical depth at 550 nm corresponding to Northern Hemisphere middle latitudes during the period 1500–1900. The estimated aerosol optical depths range from 0.05 for background aerosol conditions, to about 0.6 following the Tambora and Krakatau eruptions and cover a period practically outside of the instrumentation era. Anderson, G., Clough, S., Kneizys, F., Chetwynd, J., and Shettle, E.: AFGL Atmospheric Constituent Profiles (0–120 km), Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, AFGL-TR-86-0110, Environmental Research Paper No. 954, 1986. Bockemuhl, M., "Turner", Taschen, 2000. Clausen, H. B. and Hammer, C. U.: The Laki and Tambora eruptions as revealed in Greenland ice cores from 11 locations, Annals of Glaciology 10, 16–22, 1988. Deirmendijian, D.: On Volcanic and Other Particulate Turbidity Anomalies, Advan. Geophys., 16, 267–296, 1973. Hammer, C. U., Clausen, H. B., and Dansgaard, W.: Greenland ice sheet evidence of post-glacial volcanism and its climatic impact, Nature, 288, 230–235, 1980. Humphreys, W. J.: Physics of the air, New York and London: McGraw-Hill, 1940. Jameson, D. and Hurvich, L. M.: Some quantitative aspects of an opponent-colors theory I, Chromatic responses and spectral saturation, J. Opt. Soc. Am., 45, 546–552, 1955. Kylling, A., Bais, A. F., Blumthaler, M., Schreder, J., Zerefos, C. S., and Kosmidis E.: Effect of aerosols on solar UV irradiances during the Photochemical Activity and Solar Ultraviolet Radiation campaign, J. Geophys. Res., 103(20), 26 051–26 060, 1998. Lamb, H. H.: Volcanic dust in the atmosphere, with a chronology and assessment of its meteorological significance, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 266, 425–533, 1970. Lamb, H. H.: Supplementary volcanic dust veil assessments, Climate Monitor, 6, 57–67, 1977 Lamb, H. H.: Uptake of the chronology of assessments of the volcanic dust veil index, Climate Monitor, 12, 79–90, 1983. Mayer, B. and Kylling, A.: Technical note: The LibRadtran software package for radiative transfer calculations: Description and examples of use, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 1855–1877, 2005 Mayer, B. and Emde, C.: Comment on "Glory phenomenon informs of presence and phase state of liquid water in cold clouds" by Nevzorov, A N., Atmos. Res., 84, 410–419, 2007 Newhall, C. G. and Self, S.: The volcanic explosivity index (VEI): an estimate of explosive magnitude for historical volcanism, J. Geophys. Res., 87, 1231–1238, 1982. Nicolet, M.: On the molecular scattering in the terrestrial atmosphere: An empirical formula for its calculation in the homosphere, Planet. Space Sci., 32, 1467–1468, 1984. Robertson, A., Overpeck, J, Rind, D., Mosley-Thompson, E., Zielinski, G., Lean, J., Koch, D., Penner, J., Tegen I., and Healy, R.: Hypothesized climate forcing time series for the last 500 years, J. Geophys. Res., 106(D14), 14 783–14 803, 2001. Robock, A. and Free M. P.: The volcanic record in ice cores for the past 2000 years, in Climatic Variations and Forcing Mechanisms for the Past 2000 Years, edited by: Jones, P. D. and Bradley, R. S., Springer-Verlag, New York, 533–546, 1996. Robock, A. and Free, M. P.: Ice cores as an index of global volcanism from 1850 to the present, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 11 549–11 567, 1995. Robock, A.: A latitudinally dependent volcanic dust veil index, and its effect on climate simulations, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 11, 67–80, 1981. Robock, A.: Volcanic eruptions and climate, Rev. Geophys., 38, 191–219, 2000. Sandick, R. A.: In het rijk van Vulcaan. De uitbarsting van Krakatau en hare gevolgen, Zutphen, W.J. Thieme & Cie, 1890. Sapper, K.: Beitrage zur Geographie der tatigen Vulkane, Z. Vulk, Berlin 3, 65–197, 1917. Sato, M., Hansen, J. E., McCormick, M. P., and Pollack, J. B.: Stratospheric aerosol optical depths 1850–1990, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 22 987–22 994, 1993. Schefrin, B. E. and Werner, J. S.: Loci of spectral unique hues throughout the life span, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, 7, 305–311, 1990. Shaw, N.: Manual of meteorology, vol. II: Comperative meteorology, Cambridge University Press, 1936. Shevell, S. (Ed.): The science of color, 2nd edition, Optical Society of America, Elsevier, 2003. Stamnes, K., Tsay, S.-C., Wiscombe, W., and Jayaweera, K.: Numerically stable algorithm for discrete-ordinate-method radiative transfer in multiple scattering and emitting layered media, Appl. Optics, 27, 2502–2509, 1988. Stothers, R. B.: Major optical depth perturbations to the stratosphere from volcanic eruptions: Pyrheliometric period 1881–1960, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 3901–3920, 1996. Stothers, R. B.: Mystery cloud of AD 536. Nature 307, 344–345, 1984a. Stothers, R. B.: The great Tambora eruption in 1815 and its aftermath, Science, 224, 1191–1198, 1984b. Symons, G. J. (Ed.): The eruption of Krakatoa and subsequent phenomena, 494pp. London, Trubner and Co., 1888. Wyszecki, G. and Stiles, W. S.: Color Science – Concepts and Methods, Quantitative Data and Formulae, 2nd edn. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1982. Zielinski, G. A.: Use of paleo-records in determining variability within the volcanism-climate system, Quat. Sci. Rev., 19, 417–438, 2000. Zielinski, G. A.: Stratospheric loading and optical depth estimates of explosive volcanism over the last 2100 years derived from the GISP2 Greenland ice core, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 20 937–20 955, 1995.