An ash and gas cloud from the Mount Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines will reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the tropics, for at least two years, slightly lowering temperatures, according to NASA scientists.
A team of scientists who recently measured solar radiation over the region said they expected the amount of sunlight reaching the lower atmosphere and the earth’s surface in the tropics to be 3-5% lower than normal.
Francisco PJ Valero , one of the atmospheric scientists in the team from the Ames Research Centre, said sulphurous gases injected into the stratosphere will form sulphuric acid droplets that absorb thermal radiation, raising temperatures near the volcanic cloud but slightly cooling lower altitudes.
“Effects on the ozone layer are also a possibility, “ he said.
Ready-Mix Pinatubo Ash
Material from the volcanic Mt. Pinatubo has been developed for a variety of uses by a group of Filipino inventors.
The Filipino Inventors Society (FIS) developed the new technology which makes the volcanic ash, pumice, and other debris into a pre-mixed pack and sold as raw materials for numerous commercial applications. Test show it can also be transported to remote areas before it can gel and harden.
One commercial variety is Pinatubo Blocks, a concrete block reported by the Industrial Technology Development Institute to be stronger than the imported Portland Cement and cheaper than the load-bearing hollow blocks, reports International Environmental Update correspondent Ysabel San Pedro in Manila.
Other alternative uses include road fillers, industrial abrasives, concrete paint and raw mats for industrial furnaces and ovens.
The mixture provides new livelihood opportunities for refugees of the Mt. Pinatubo disaster. According to FIS , construction of sinks, balustrades, toilet bowls, concrete figurines, decorative blocks and souvenir items are being developed with the assistance of non-governmental institutions and foundations.
A Shandwick Group Publication in New South Wales, Australia
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