Logo link to homepage

Report on Atmospheric Effects (1980-1989) — August 1986


Atmospheric Effects (1980-1989)

Scientific Event Alert Network Bulletin, vol. 11, no. 8 (August 1986)
Managing Editor: Lindsay McClelland.

Atmospheric Effects (1980-1989) Ruiz aerosol layer broader and less intense

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1986. Report on Atmospheric Effects (1980-1989) (McClelland, L., ed.). Scientific Event Alert Network Bulletin, 11:8. Smithsonian Institution.



Atmospheric Effects (1980-1989)

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Stratospheric aerosols from from the November 1985 eruption of Ruiz persisted through over Mauna Loa, Hawaii. The zone of enhanced lidar backscattering was distinctly broader and less intense than it had been several months earlier (figure 30). However, total backscatter has remained relatively stable since the arrival of Ruiz aerosols over Mauna Loa in late November. At Hampton, VA, peak backscattering remained at about the same altitude as in June, but total backscatter had declined since late June.

Figure with caption Figure 30. Average monthly lidar profiles at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, March-August, 1986. The dotted line superimposed on each profile represents the average 5-22 November 1985 data, before the arrival of Ruiz aerosols.

Information Contacts: Thomas DeFoor, Mauna Loa Observatory, P.O. Box 275, NllO, Hawaii 96720 USA; William Fuller, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665 USA.