Bristol Science Cafe

Did you know about this? The Bristol Science Cafe is at Tobacco Factory, Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol BS3 1TF. It meets on the last Monday of each month at 8.00 p.m. Directions can be found on its website.
April 28th - The speaker is Adam Durant from the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol. His topic is: Volcanoes, dust, and climate.
Small silicate particles suspended in the atmosphere redistribute energy from the sun and surface of the Earth and consequently impact climate. The main sources of these particles are from suspension of surface dust in arid regions, such as the Sahara Desert, and from direct injection by explosive volcanic activity (volcanic ash). The image shown here is from 1991 Pinatubo eruption and shows a volcanic aerosol veil, taken from the space shuttle.
We will discuss the types and origin of particles in the atmosphere, how they interact with solar and terrestrial radiation, how clouds are modified, and ultimately how climate is affected.