On June 12 a volcano, Sarychev Peak, on Matua Island north of Japan blew its top and sent millions of tons of ash, sulfur dioxide and other particles high into the atmosphere.

While volcanic eruptions are relatively common, ones of the caliber of Sarychev are much less frequent. While it was smaller than the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Phillipines, it has still proven large enough to put on a beautiful display in the evenings across much of the northern hemisphere.

While the intensitiy of the sunsets will likely wax and wane for several weeks or even months, they will likely be around for a while.

You can tell that the sunsets are volcanic by the reds and eventual vibrant purples and violets they produce.

Another, but far less certain, effect of the eruption could be on the weather.

Since the first of the year there have been two major volcanos that erupted in the northern hemisphere. The first was Mount Redoubt in Alaska and the latest was Sarychev. Both sent large amounts of particulate and sulfur dioxide into the air. Once the sulfur dioxide is high enough into the atmosphere it reacts with water vapor forming sulfate ions, which are very reflective.

The reflectivity of these molecules sends some of the incoming solar energy back into space, therefore cooling the planet below.

Researchers have determined that the greatest effects from volcanic eruptions occur when the volcanoes are located closer to the tropics. Volcanos at high latitudes, such as Redoubt and Sarychev seem to have a lesser amount of cooling.