Lunar eclipses illuminate timing and climate impact of medieval volcanism

Sébastien Guillet (), Christophe Corona, Clive Oppenheimer, Franck Lavigne, Myriam Khodri, Francis Ludlow, Michael Sigl, Matthew Toohey, Paul S. Atkins, Zhen Yang, Tomoko Muranaka, Nobuko Horikawa and Markus Stoffel
Additional contact information
Sébastien Guillet: University of Geneva
Christophe Corona: University of Geneva
Clive Oppenheimer: University of Cambridge
Franck Lavigne: Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Myriam Khodri: IPSL, Sorbonne Université/IRD/CNRS/MNHN
Francis Ludlow: Trinity College Dublin
Michael Sigl: University of Bern
Matthew Toohey: University of Saskatchewan
Paul S. Atkins: University of Washington
Zhen Yang: Trinity College Dublin
Tomoko Muranaka: University of Geneva
Nobuko Horikawa: University of Washington
Markus Stoffel: University of Geneva

Nature, 2023, vol. 616, issue 7955, 90-95

Abstract: Abstract Explosive volcanism is a key contributor to climate variability on interannual to centennial timescales1. Understanding the far-field societal impacts of eruption-forced climatic changes requires firm event chronologies and reliable estimates of both the burden and altitude (that is, tropospheric versus stratospheric) of volcanic sulfate aerosol2,3. However, despite progress in ice-core dating, uncertainties remain in these key factors4. This particularly hinders investigation of the role of large, temporally clustered eruptions during the High Medieval Period (HMP, 1100–1300 ce), which have been implicated in the transition from the warm Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age5. Here we shed new light on explosive volcanism during the HMP, drawing on analysis of contemporary reports of total lunar eclipses, from which we derive a time series of stratospheric turbidity. By combining this new record with aerosol model simulations and tree-ring-based climate proxies, we refine the estimated dates of five notable eruptions and associate each with stratospheric aerosol veils. Five further eruptions, including one responsible for high sulfur deposition over Greenland circa 1182 ce, affected only the troposphere and had muted climatic consequences. Our findings offer support for further investigation of the decadal-scale to centennial-scale climate response to volcanic eruptions.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05751-z

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