[johnb838]

The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines blew out so much of the gas that the resulting haze spread around the globe and lowered average surface temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere by nearly one degree.

Wait a minute... I thought greenhouse gasses were supposed to paradoxically make the temperature go UP!

[Outland]

In reference to Libloather's excerpt, johnb838 pondered: "Wait a minute... I thought greenhouse gasses were supposed to paradoxically make the temperature go UP!"

And here is what was left out...

Yes, volcanos spew out tons of CO2. But the "haze" referred to in Libloather's excerpt pertains to sulphur dioxide. CO2 does not create a haze. Volcanos spew out more sulphur dioxide than carbon dioxide or almost any other gas.

Sulphur dioxide is not a "greenhouse gas".. it's quite the opposite. The sulphur dioxide haze actually reflects sunlight back into space. This creates a cooling effect.