In “How a Volcanic Eruption in 1815 Darkened the World but Colored the Arts,” William J. Broad writes about the global effects of Mount Tambora’s explosion.
Before Reading
- What happens during a volcanic eruption?
- How can an eruption affect the people living near the volcano?
- How might an eruption affect people living far away?
After Reading
1. Where is Mount Tambora? When did it explode with the most powerful volcanic blast in recorded history?
2. How did the eruption affect the communities living around the volcano?
3. How did the eruption affect the entire globe?
4. How were scientists able to link weather events in different parts of the world with the Tambora explosion? What evidence did they use?
5. How did the eruption influence literature and art during the time period? What are examples?
6. What are some of the many other repercussions of the planetary chill that the article discusses?
Going Further
The article concludes with the following lines:
The countless victims and occasional beneficiaries of Tambora’s fury were oblivious to the volcanic roots of their circumstances, Dr. Wood noted, making the challenge of writing about it formidable and “occasionally mind-bending.”
More generally, he said, the revelation of global volcanic ruin — a portrait 200 years in the making — offers a kind of meditation on the difficulty of uncovering the subtle effects of climate change, whether its origins lie in nature’s fury or the invisible byproducts of human civilization.
In what way does the eruption of Mount Tambora offer a “meditation” on the challenges of documenting climate change, even for scientists today? Explain your answer.
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