Quaternaire, 9, (1), 1998. p. 25-35.

MODELLING THE DISTAL IMPACTS

OF PAST VOLCANIC GAS EMISSIONS

Evidence of Europe-wide environmental impacts from gases

emitted during the eruption of Italian and Icelandic volcanoes in 1783

John GRATTAN*, MarkBRAYSHAY**, Jon SADLER***

ABSTRACT

RÉSUMÉ

Introduction

This paper builds on research themes developed by the authors in earlier research (Grattan and Brayshay 1995 ; Grattan and Charman, 1994), and in particular attempts to explore the broader European response to the presence of volcanic aerosols in the lower atmosphere in 1783 AD.

Many investigations have indicated that catastrophic impacts on populations and landscapes located close to the volcanic eruptions can be reaveled in the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record ( Albore- Livadie, 1980 ; Jashemski, 1979 ; Renfrew, 1979 ; Torrence et al, 1990). Thus, while the presence of tephras well beyond the immediate "zone of calamity" may well

convince us that polluting gases and acidic aerosols certainly penetrated much further afield, there has been a tacit assumption that no important environmental consequences were experienced in areas located at long distances away from a volcanic eruption. However, several researchers have now suggested that volcanic eruptions may wield an influence on societies and environments far from the volcano itself (Blackford et al, 1992 ; Burgess, 1989 ; Camuffo andEnzi, 1995 ; Grattan and Gilbertson, 1 994), often by non climatic means.

In locations distant from a volcano, archaeological evidence alone is rarely sensitive enough to identify the subtle or short-term impacts which may have occurred as a result of increased atmospheric pollution and a fall of