A classroom activity that teaches students about the different atmospheric aerosols and gases released during volcanic eruptions and how they can affect climate.

Students will analyse the data of emissions of water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulphur dioxide(SO2) from volcanic eruptions. They will learn that water vapour and carbon dioxide being greenhouse gases, contribute directly towards warming of the Earth’s surface. Students will learn that sulphur dioxide, on the other hand, has an indirect effect on climate by forming sulfate aerosols that directly absorb or reflect light energy or indirectly, through cloud formation, cause heating and cooling on the Earth’s surface.