On January 4, 2011, a photograph captured the moon moving in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse. You wake up to a gloomy Monday morning for the 547th consecutive day. Just a year and a half earlier, you were a dedicated farmer preparing for a successful crop season. However, the skies turned dark and remained that way for over a year, from early 536 to 537, affecting regions across eastern Europe and Asia. This prolonged darkness caused immense hardships, with millions of people facing dim conditions, polluted air, and failed crops.
This was not a fictional storyline but a harsh reality endured by those living during what some historians consider the darkest year ever. The accounts of Procopius, a prominent Byzantine historian, describe a year where the sun’s light dimmed, resembling an eclipse, leading to a period of war, disease, and death. The following decade was no better, marked by rapid climate change triggered by volcanic eruptions in 536, 540, and 547.
The aftermath of these events, known as the Late Antique Little Ice Age, led to a significant drop in average summer temperatures across Eurasia, causing widespread turmoil. Historical records speak of unprecedented weather phenomena such as summer snowfall in China and the coldest temperatures in over two millennia. The heavy smog left by the volcanic eruptions cast a dim shadow over the skies for up to 18 months, contributing to the catastrophic conditions of the year 536.
Severe agricultural challenges in Ireland during the years 536-539 AD led to a “failure of bread,” as documented in The Gaelic Irish Annals. Much of the knowledge about the impacts of the Iceland volcano eruption was uncovered through the Historical Ice Core Project, a collaboration between the University of Maine and Harvard University led by McCormick and Professor Paul Mayewski from the Climate Change Institute. By studying ice core samples from Iceland, the team established an archeological timeline to determine the timing and location of the initial volcanic eruption in Iceland, which had far-reaching and devastating consequences.
Historical accounts reveal that the sun’s brightness diminished for 14-18 months, resulting in failed harvests, famines, migrations, and unrest across Eurasia. The eruption also coincided with the outbreak of the bubonic plague in the 6th century, which decimated a significant portion of the population in the eastern Roman Empire, leading to its eventual downfall. Known as the Justinian Pandemic or the Plague of Justinian, this disease, caused by Yersinia pestis, spread from Roman Egypt to other regions over the following two centuries.
The combination of climate-altering volcanic eruptions and the darkened skies of 536 created ideal conditions for the plague to thrive. While the direct link between the volcanic event and the pandemic is not yet fully understood, the food shortages resulting from the sudden climate change likely weakened populations and made them more susceptible to the disease. The resulting famines also triggered mass migrations, potentially spreading the plague further.
In contrast to the challenges posed by COVID-19 today, the historical events of the 6th century, including the volcanic eruptions and the bubonic plague, had a much higher mortality rate. The eruption’s magnitude was significant, as evidenced by the ice core data analyzed by the research team, which provided a detailed historical record of elemental levels over 2,000 years.
Through meticulous analysis of ice core samples, researchers were able to gain insights into the magnitude of these historical events and their profound impact on societies at the time.
In connecting historical spikes and drops with disasters that have shaped our world, a recent study drew attention to the calamities of the past. Examining an ice sample from the spring of 536, graduate student Laura Hartman and volcanologist Andrei Kurbatov identified microscopic particles of volcanic glass. These particles closely resembled those found in European lakes and a Greenland ice core sample, leading Kurbatov to conclude that a mix of winds and weather guided a volcanic plume across Europe and Asia, enveloping the regions in a cold volcanic fog.
Additional research suggests that the eruption in Iceland in 536 emitted thick ash that spread across the Northern Hemisphere, releasing significant amounts of sulfate into the atmosphere. Furthermore, recent studies propose that multiple volcanoes may have been responsible for the tragic events of that period. One such eruption, comparable in strength to the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption, is believed to have occurred in Central America during the 6th century.
This Central American eruption, which was described as one of the most powerful in the last 10,000 years, left behind a vast caldera now occupied by a 28-square-mile lake. The impact of these cataclysmic eruptions led to years of disease, famine, and tragedy in the following decade. By analyzing historical records and dating techniques, researchers revealed how the dust veils from these eruptions disrupted solar radiation, causing crop failures, famine, and long-term health issues. As we continue to study natural climate records and reconstruct past events, our understanding of these historical disasters deepens.
Scientists will gain a deeper understanding of how the dust veil had a significant impact on the weather across various regions of the Northern Hemisphere. “For example, the Arabian peninsula may have experienced a slight decrease in aridity, whereas the effects were more pronounced and adverse north of the Mediterranean,” explained the expert. The majority of natural climate data used to reconstruct the LALIA period is from Eurasia and North America, particularly from more northern latitudes. Despite the tumultuous events of the past century, including World Wars and pandemics, historian McCormick emphasized that accounts of the catastrophic historical period were accurate. “The change was abrupt and substantial; it occurred rapidly,” he noted. “The ancient observers were perceptive and not exaggerating the severity of the situation.”
CORRECTION: The volcanic smog caused temperatures to drop by 2.7 to 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit across Eurasia, not the previously stated 36 degrees Fahrenheit, due to a conversion error. For the latest updates on weather conditions, visit AccuWeather.com. You can also tune in to the AccuWeather Network on various platforms, including DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios, as well as watch AccuWeather Now on your preferred streaming service.
