Mount Merapi could cause huge and serious damage to the global economy when it erupts. And unfortunately, doomsday will certainly happen one day, a report claims.
Mount Merapi Eruption Will Be a Global Disaster
Mount Merapi sits off the coast of Indonesia, 1,129 miles from the Strait of Malacca, which caters to 40% of global trade. About 90,000 ships travel through the narrow channel annually carrying grain, crude oil and other types of commodities on the market, Daily Mail reported.
However, the 9,000-foot volcano is reportedly going to cause chaos in the future. The outlet noted that it would eventually shoot a cloud of ash 21 miles above the route, catering to the global trade and blanketing Earth in volcanic winter for three years.
The drop in temperature would result in food shortages, inflation and climate abnormalities, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge.
The researchers added that the ash cloud would be carried miles away, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, halting their aviation activity. Malaysia and Singapore comprise over 5.5 million seats per year, according to a study published in Nature, and a pause in tourism would cause them to lose billions. Indonesia alone would lose $3.35 billion.
They estimated the damage to reach up to $2.51 trillion.
The team predicted that the global mean temperature would fall 1°C for three years, resulting in several abnormalities and major global food shortages. Also, unpredictable rainfall and low summer temperatures would not help grow crops. Food prices will soar high and global inflation will run for years.
According to them, it will be the case until the beginning of the third year after the eruption, when technological advances will catch up with the crisis and rebalance global food supply and demand.
How's Mount Merapi Doing?
The volcano erupted in 1006, wiping out an entire Hindu kingdom that once lived in central Java. Its last major eruption was in 2010, when it sent plumes of volcanic ash over 20,000 feet above the crater, killing 353 people.
In December 2020, experts observed explosions, dome growth, incandescent avalanches and block-and-ash flows. Two new domes reportedly appeared in January and February 2021, one inside the summit crater and another at the top of the SW flank.
According to Balai Penyelidikan dan Pengembangan Teknologi Kebencanaan Geologi (BPPTKG), there was an eruption at Merapi from Jan. 6 to Jan. 12. Seismicity has reportedly remained at high levels.
The SW lava dome reportedly produced three lava avalanches travelling as far as 1.2 kilometers down the SW flank. Avalanche sounds were heard on six occasions.
No significant morphological changes to the central and SW lava domes were evident in the webcam image. However, the alert level has remained at 3, and the public was warned to stay away at least three to seven kilometers from the summit, according to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Global Volcanism Program.
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