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In this 360° video from the Sierra Nevadas' Long Valley Caldera and Antarctica's Mount Erebus, see how volcanoes belch carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere, which has slowly changed Earth's climate for millions of years.

Explore active volcanoes in the Sierra Nevada and Antarctica to learn how volcanoes affect our climate.

Explore active volcanoes in the Sierra Nevada and Antarctica to learn how volcanoes affect our climate.

How Volcanoes Affect Earth's Climate Over Millions of Years

Planet Earth

Narrator: We're at the Long Valley caldera in the Sierra Nevadas, California, where a system of hot springs sits atop one of the largest super volcanoes in the world.See all that steam? It's water vapor that has been superheated by a vast underground network of magma. Other gases, including carbon dioxide, are also rising to the surface through steam vents.When volcanoes erupt, they belch carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere. And even when they aren't erupting like here, CO2 seeps out. That CO2 traps heat. Release enough of it into the atmosphere, and it can help warm the entire planet.This is Mount Erebus in Antarctica, the southernmost active volcano in the world. And even though its surface is frozen, the volcano itself is anything but. Erebus is also pumping CO2 in the air through these ice towers. Even during times when the planet was completely frozen in ice, like Antarctica is today, volcanic activity still persisted, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, which eventually built up to warm the planet. To see how Earth's climate has fluctuated over time, play Nova's Polar Lab.

How Volcanoes Affect Earth's Climate Over Millions of Years

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Support Provided By

Explore More

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Antarctic Extremes

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