Articles | Volume 14, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-969-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-969-2018
Research article
 | 
04 Jul 2018
Research article |  | 04 Jul 2018

Evaluating the link between the sulfur-rich Laacher See volcanic eruption and the Younger Dryas climate anomaly

James U. L. Baldini, Richard J. Brown, and Natasha Mawdsley

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Cited articles

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Short summary
The Younger Dryas occurred ~13 ka BP and is an iconic millennial-scale climate anomaly. However, the cause of the event is still ambiguous. Here, we propose that the event was triggered by a large, sulfur-rich eruption of the Laacher See volcano (Germany). The eruption's direct (sulfate aerosol-induced) cooling effects lasted less than 5 years, and we suggest these were amplified and extended by a sea-ice–ocean circulation positive feedback, leading to the event's characteristic features.