Early Humans Were Sheltered From Worst Effects of Volcanic Supereruption
upstart writes:
Early humans were sheltered from worst effects of volcanic supereruption:
The eruption of the Toba volcano was the largest volcanic eruption in the past two million years, but its impacts on climate and human evolution have been unclear. Resolving this debate is important for understanding environmental changes during a key interval in human evolution.
[...] The results suggest there was likely significant regional variation in climate impacts. The simulations predict cooling in the Northern Hemisphere of at least 4C, with regional cooling as high as 10C depending on the model parameters.
In contrast, even under the most severe eruption conditions, cooling in the Southern Hemisphere -- including regions populated by early humans - was unlikely to exceed 4C, although regions in southern Africa and India may have seen decreases in precipitation at the highest sulphur emission level.
The results explain independent archaeological evidence suggesting the Toba eruption had modest effects on the development of hominid species in Africa. According to the authors, their ensemble simulation approach could be used to better understand other past and future explosive eruptions.
Reference:
Benjamin A. Black et al. Global climate disruption and regional climate shelters after the Toba supereruption.' PNAS (2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2013046118 |
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