On the Budget and Atmospheric Fate of Sulfur Emissions From Large Volcanic Eruptions

Abstract

Today, volcanic sulfur emissions into the atmosphere are measured spectroscopically from the ground, air and space. For eruptions prior to the satellite era, two main sulfur proxies are used, the rock and ice core records, as illustrated by Peccia et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl103334). The first approach is based on calculations of the sulfur content of the magma, while the second uses traces of sulfur deposited in ice. Both approaches have their limitations. For glaciochemistry, the volcano responsible for a sulfur anomaly is often unknown and the atmospheric pathway by which the sulfur reached the ice uncertain. The petrologic method relies, too, on uncertain estimates of eruption size and a number of geochemical assumptions that are hard to verify. A deeper knowledge of processes occurring both within magma bodies prior to eruption, and within volcanic plumes in the atmosphere is needed to further our understanding of the impacts of volcanism on climate.