Indonesian volcanic eruptions may cause southern China drought, expert says
Climate scientist says recent volcanic activity caused recent dry spell in Malaysia, Singapore
Recent unusually dry weather in Malaysia and Singapore is probably the result of recent volcanic eruptions in Indonesia, says a Hong Kong earth scientist.
And the same volcanic activity may cause a severe drought in southern China too, climate-change veteran Wyss Yim Wai-shu says.
The honorary professor of earth sciences at the University of Hong Kong said two eruptions in Indonesia moved a large amount of ash, water vapour and other gases in Southeast Asia. The ensuing dry spell in Singapore lasted a record 27 days.
“Water vapour in the region has effectively been drawn into the direction of the volcanoes in Indonesia that began erupting in November, so that has redistributed much of the water vapour in the region’s air,” said Yim, who was deputy chairman of a Unesco climate change team between 2007 and 2009. He said his conclusions were supported by extensive weather records.
“It is likely to affect southern China too … I am sticking my neck out by only drawing on past events to deduce what’s happening and what’s going to happen, but I’m pretty confident there is a corollary … Time will tell if I am right.”
One of two eruptions Yim thinks is prompting droughts in parts of Southeast Asia – that of Indonesia’s Mount Kelud – began violently on February 13, killing two people, sending ash plumes several kilometres into the air and causing over 100,000 people to evacuate parts of Java. Mount Sinabung – another of Indonesia’s 150 volcanoes – saw sporadic activity from November until last month.
Yim said that when volcanoes erupt, gas and ash form a column that streams into the air above the volcano. In the most explosive eruptions, the column may rise more than 50 kilometres, penetrating the stratosphere. Its aerosols are then carried elsewhere by the jet stream.