I wonder how much events like this volcanic eruption cover up the fact that we're so effed in terms of global warming. It's still mind-boggling how much more atmospheric CO2 there is now compared to the lowest points in the last million years (~2x).
that's a big relief!
It’s also wrong. Or, at least, incomplete: a lot of water was injected into the atmosphere. It is reflecting the heat, on both sides: reflecting heat from the sun, but also reflecting lower atmospheric heat, trapping it against the earth instead of radiating into space. So… pretty much a wash. Literally, once the water precipitates out.
The article covers this. The stratosphere is already significantly cooler in parts of the Southern Hemisphere (up to 10 degrees departure from normal) but the expected effect on the troposphere is warming. The article also suggests stratospheric cooling could effect weather by changing the polar vortex.