The recently concluded conference on Climate Forcing of Geological and Geomorphological Hazards came up with the conclusion that ‘even slight changes in weather and climate can rip the planet’s crust apart, unleashing the furious might of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides.’

The warning signs have been up: ‘climate change could tip the planet’s delicate balance and unleash a host of geological disasters.’ In fact, the attempts to slow down global warming such as reduction of carbon dioxide emissions cannot stop these catastrophic events. ‘Rock has been found to be sensitive to the air, ice, and water above.’

According to Bill McGuire of the University College London (UCL) who organized the conference, “The changes can be tiny. You don’t need huge changes to trigger responses from the crust.” Scientists have shown that ‘subtle changes in sea level may affect the seismicity of the East Pacific Rise, one of the fastest-spreading plate boundaries.’

David Pyle of the University of Oxford says that ‘small ocean changes can also influence volcanic eruptions.’ He and his university colleagues have been studying the series of volcanic eruptions occurring over the past 300 years. They found that ‘there are around 20 per cent more eruptions worldwide during the northern hemisphere’s winter than the summer. The reason may be that global sea level drops slightly during the northern hemisphere’s winter. Because there is more land in the northern hemisphere, more water is locked up as ice and snow on land than during the southern hemisphere’s winter.’

Various researchers have also ascertained that ‘the vast majority of the world’s most active volcanoes are within a few tens of kilometres of the coast.’ According to Pyle, ‘this suggests the seasonal removal of some of the ocean’s weight at continental margins as sea level drops could be triggering eruptions around the world.’

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Via NewScientist