The impact of worldwide volcanic activities on local precipitation; Taiwan as an example

Abstract

Sulfur-rich volcanic activities are believed to disturb the hydrological cycles in addition to the anomalous temperature changes in the atmosphere. Two statistical analyses are performed to evaluate their impact on precipitation, which is determined by averaging the records from eight weather stations in Taiwan from 1897 to 1993. One analysis utilizes the so-called El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon as a co-factor, while the other does not. It is very note-worthy that both analyses show a statistically significant drought effect on this local region's precipitation as brought on by such sulfur-rich volcanic activities. The timing of the occurrence of these volcanic events are highly correlated with the drought periods in Taiwan, and the magnitudes of their influence are found to be two to ten times greater than those by the ENSO.

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