Volcanic Sunsets Alan Robock http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock Department of Environmental Sciences Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey USA This presentation discusses atmospheric emissions from volcanic eruptions and their effects on weather and climate. robock@envsci.rutgers.edu http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock

Photograph by Alan Robock El Chichón, 1982 Sunset Madison, Wisconsin July, 1982 This red sunset picture, taken a year after the El Chichón eruption in Madison, Wisconsin, latitude 43°N, is typical of red sunsets following volcanic eruptions. Photograph © Alan Robock. Photograph by Alan Robock

Robock (1983) SAGE II, III SME OSIRIS This figure shows the many ways that volcanic aerosol clouds can be measured, using El Chichón as an example. It can also be used to illustrate how red sunsets are produced following volcanic eruptions. The light from the sun is scattered by the molecules of the atmosphere (Rayleigh scattering), producing the blue sky and removing the shorter wavelengths, blue and yellow from the light, leaving red. The red light reflects off the bottom of the stratospheric cloud, producing the red color about one hour after the actual sunset. Reports of these sunsets can be used as an indication of past volcanic eruptions. By the way, there would of course also be volcanic sunrises, which would be produced the same way. Robock, A., The dust cloud of the century, Nature, 301, 373-374, 1983. Robock (1983)

Photograph by Alan Robock El Chichón, 1982 Sunset Madison, Wisconsin July, 1982 This red sunset picture, taken a year after the El Chichón eruption in Madison, Wisconsin, latitude 43°N, is typical of red sunsets following volcanic eruptions. Photograph © Alan Robock. Photograph by Alan Robock

Watercolor by William Ascroft Krakatau, 1883 Watercolor by William Ascroft This is one of about 530 watercolors done by William Ascroft in London in the years following the Krakatau eruption. It is one of six published in the frontpiece of Symons (1888), and is one of the most beautiful illustrations of a volcanic red sunset. Symons, G. J., Editor, The Eruption of Krakatoa, and Subsequent Phenomena, Trübner, London, England, 494 pp., 1888. Ascroft, William, 1888: Catalogue of sky sketches from September 1883 to September 1886, Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, England, 18 pp. Figure from Symons (1888)

Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) Sunset after Tambora Sunset without volcanic eruption “Woman in front of the Setting Sun,” 1818, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany “Evening,” 1824, Kunsthalle, Manheim, Germany Slide from “Chromatic ratios in art paintings and digital pictures as a new tool in estimating aerosol optical depths” presented by Christos Zerefos, Academy of Athens, at Tambora Conference, Bern, Switzerland, April 2015.

Sunset without volcanic eruption J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851) Sunset after Babuyan Sunset without volcanic eruption “Sunset,” 1833, Tate Gallery “Chichester Canal,” 1828, Tate Gallery Slide from “Chromatic ratios in art paintings and digital pictures as a new tool in estimating aerosol optical depths” presented by Christos Zerefos, Academy of Athens, at Tambora Conference, Bern, Switzerland, April 2015.

“Despair” Edvard Munch Painted in 1892 based on Munch’s memory of the brilliant sunsets following the 1883 Krakatau eruption. Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fortvivlan.jpg

“Despair” Edvard Munch Painted in 1894 based on Munch’s memory of the brilliant sunsets following the 1883 Krakatau eruption. Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset.

“Anxiety” Edvard Munch Painted in 1894 based on Munch’s memory of the brilliant sunsets following the 1883 Krakatau eruption. Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset. http://imgkid.com/edvard-munch-anxiety.shtml

“The Scream” Edvard Munch, 1893 Painted in 1893 based on Munch’s memory of the brilliant sunsets following the 1883 Krakatau eruption. Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/munch.scream.jpg

“The Scream” Edvard Munch, 1893 “I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired.” Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/munch.scream.jpg

“The Scream” Edvard Munch, 1893 “Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous infinite scream of nature.” Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/munch.scream.jpg

“The Scream” Edvard Munch, 1910 “I was walking along a road one evening – on one side lay the city, and below me was the fjord. The sun went down – the clouds were stained red, as if with blood.” Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset. "Edvard Munch - The Scream - Google Art Project" by Edvard Munch - Google Art Project: pic. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg#/media/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream#/media/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

“The Scream” Edvard Munch, 1910 “I felt as though the whole of nature was screaming – it seemed as though I could hear a scream. I painted that picture, painting the clouds like real blood. The colors screamed.” Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset. "Edvard Munch - The Scream - Google Art Project" by Edvard Munch - Google Art Project: pic. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg#/media/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream#/media/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

“The Scream” Edvard Munch, 1910 “Nature is not only what is visible to the eye – it also shows the inner images of the soul – the images on the back side of the eyes.” Edvard Munch was also struck by the fabulous Krakatau sunsets, and in 1893 painted his famous “The Scream” with a volcanic sunset in the sky. This is a great painting for other reasons, but is one of the best renditions of a volcanic sunset. "Edvard Munch - The Scream - Google Art Project" by Edvard Munch - Google Art Project: pic. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg#/media/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream#/media/File:Edvard_Munch_-_The_Scream_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg