--- title: Undersea Volcanoes May Be Impacting Climate Change description: A new study claims that volcanic eruptions along the ocean floor may impact earth’s climate cycle canonical: https://time.com/3698572/science-maya-tolstoy-geophysical-research-letters-volcanoes-climate-change/ author: Kevin McSpadden article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-06T09:49:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:05:49.226Z article:section: Science og:title: Undersea Volcanoes May Impact Climate Change og:description: Our predictive models of climate may need to be adjusted og:url: https://time.com/3698572/science-maya-tolstoy-geophysical-research-letters-volcanoes-climate-change/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7261c97e048d1a8/69877dee524fc055a9dec563/volcanoes-global-warming-climate-change.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1996 og:image:height: 1123 og:image:alt: An underwater volcanic erupts in the Pacific Ocean og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Undersea Volcanoes May Impact Climate Change twitter:description: Our predictive models of climate may need to be adjusted twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7261c97e048d1a8/69877dee524fc055a9dec563/volcanoes-global-warming-climate-change.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Undersea Volcanoes May Be Impacting Climate Change > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Kevin McSpadden](https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Feb 6, 2015 9:49 AM UTC  An underwater volcanic erupts in the Pacific Ocean An underwater volcanic erupts in the Pacific OceanJapan Agency for Marine-Earth Science—AP by [Kevin McSpadden](https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Feb 6, 2015 9:49 AM UTC A new study claims that volcanic eruptions along the ocean floor may [impact earth’s climate cycle](http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/seafloor-volcano-pulses-may-alter-climate) and that predictive models, including those that analyze humanity’s impact on climate change, may need to be modified. “People have ignored seafloor volcanoes on the idea that their influence is small—but that’s because they are assumed to be in a steady state, which they’re not,” said Maya Tolstoy, a geophysicist and author of the study that appeared in _Geophysical Research Letters_ and was also reported on in [Science Daily](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150205142921.htm). Until now, scientists presumed that seafloor volcanoes exuded lava at a slow and steady pace, but Tolstoy thinks that not only do the volcanoes erupt in bursts, they follow remarkably consistent patterns that range anywhere from two weeks to 100,000 years. The reason why the study is important is because it offers up the idea that undersea volcanoes may contribute to the beginning of a global warming cycle. ### See The Best Biology Photos Of The Year  Two Bisons on the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Lukas Gawenda  A spider at sunset in Predel, Bulgaria. Krasimir Matarov  Parasitoid wasps building clay pots in Borneo, Brunei. Thomas Endlein  Siblings watering newly planted seedlings in Rizal, The Philippines. Ysabel M Victoriano  A leopard in its natural habitat in Karantaka, India. Nagarjun Ram  A farmer protects his family and animals from mosquitos in Gujarat, India. Dimple Pancholi  A tarsier in its natural habitat in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Wolfgang Weinhardt  A plant takes advantage of the available shelter in a dilapidated house in Kolmanskop, Namibia. Kelsey Green  A female blackbird holding a dried mealworm in her mouth in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. Billy Clapham  A chick embryo in a hardened eggshell is sustained until full development in Rizal, The Philippines. Robert Cabagnot  An adult female Italian crested newt stationed below the fresh water surface in Piedmont, Italy. Matteo Riccardo Di Nicola  A sea turtle eating a jellyfish in The Maldives. Boris Barath Here’s how: Scientists believe as the Earth warms and ice melts, pressure is released which causes more land volcanoes to erupt. More eruptions means more CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere, causing the Earth to warm further and creating a cycle. But undersea volcanoes erupt for the opposite reason. When more ice is created on a cooling Earth, that lowers sea levels and relieves pressure on undersea volcanoes, bringing about more eruptions. So that begs the question, could the undersea volcanoes be releasing enough CO2 to affect the warming process on land? 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