ERUPTIONS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume L, Issue 43, 28 December 1928, Page 1

ERUPTIONS.

EFFECT ON THE WEATHER. COLD SUMMER PREDICTED. SYDNEY, December 6. Because of the number of volcanoes that have erupted lately throughout the world, Australia, and New Zealand, according to some authorities, may have a cold summer this year, and next winter may be very severe. The theory, however, is not supported by the Commonwealth Meteorologist (Mr H. A. Hunt). A Melbourne authority started the controversy with -the following statement: —“The present summer in the Southern Hemisphere will be decidedly cool, and if the tremendous outpouring of lava from Etna continues there is more than a possibility that next year the Northern Hemisphere will have practically no summer, while our own hemisphere will suffer a most severe winter.” The explanation for this predicted drop in temperature is that the volcanic dust spreads throughout the upper atmosphere and completely encircles the globe. The sun’s rays have to pencil ale this blanket of dust, with the re sultant loss of heat, much of which is absorbed by Ihe dust particles. It has been pointed out that the Etna eruption is only one of a series of volcanic actions this year. There have been volcanic activities at Mount Belee, in the island of Martinique. Ometepe, on Lake Nicaragua in Central America, Rekatinde in the island of Paloweh, and at Krakatoa, in the Sunday Islands. In the years 1815 and 181(1 there was similar volcanic activity, and 1916 has been recorded as ‘‘ the year without a summer. ’ ’ All over the world where meteorological records were kept Ihe report was the same—no summer and bitterly cold winters. Despite these records Mr Hunt does not agree with the theory. Hi' thinks that undoubtedly a certain portion of the heat of the sun’s rays is lost in the volcanic dust cloud, but at the same time the cloud, acting as a blanket, checks radiation, thus balancing the position. It seems to he inerelv a coincidence that people are complaining that the present month is exceptionally cold for Australia. Mr Hunt quotes statistics to prove that it is not any colder than scores of other Novembers that have gone before it. But it will need more than statistics to satisfy the Sydney people on that point. Sydney has had a succession of cold days, following' exceptionally hot weather before the Etna eruption,