Could volcano ash relate to global warming?

I've heard that the eruption of Krakatoa causes massive cooling in the atmosphere and these effects are diminishing. Could this be a cont...

21 January 2007

Part of the show Climate Change and Renewable Energy

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Question

I've heard that the eruption of Krakatoa causes massive cooling in the atmosphere and these effects are diminishing. Could this be a contributing factor to global warming?

Answer

The particles that go into the atmosphere from volcanoes do cause cooling but it only tends to last for a couple of years before the particles all drop out again back to the background level. You'd have to have really big volcanoes going off all the time into the upper atmosphere to really have an effect like that.