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Understanding the relationship between volcanic eruptions and their associated climate response requires a view extending further back than historical records can provide. Polar ice cores offer one of the best continuous records of past volcanism in the form of sulphates and ash particles preserved in the ice. Because of their light scattering effect, these sulphate aerosols are the dominant volcanic product contributing to annual and muti-annual climate perturbations. The ice-core sulphate record underpins our ability to reconstruct the climate forcing potential of past eruptions but translating the sulphate concentrations within polar ice cores to atmospheric sulphate loading requires knowledge of the volcanic source’s latitude and plume height. While geochemical analysis of the ash particles can identify the source volcano, for prehistoric eruptions there is no primary record of plume height information available.

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