The following natural disaster is uncommon, rare in nature and is more often seen as a silent killer because unless it's investigated and observed intently, no one will know that it's occurring. Living things unknowingly inhale the gas through their breathing patterns and end their lives through that.
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A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn, is a rare type of natural disaster in which carbon dioxide (CO2) suddenly erupts from deep lake water, suffocating wildlife, livestock and humans. Such an eruption may also cause tsunamis in the lake as the rising CO2 displaces water. Scientists believe landslides, volcanic activity, or explosions can trigger such an eruption. Lakes in which such activity occurs may be known as limnically active lakes or exploding lakes. Some features of limnically active lakes include:
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A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn, is a rare type of natural disaster in which carbon dioxide (CO2) suddenly erupts from deep lake water, suffocating wildlife, livestock and humans. Such an eruption may also cause tsunamis in the lake as the rising CO2 displaces water. Scientists believe landslides, volcanic activity, or explosions can trigger such an eruption. Lakes in which such activity occurs may be known as limnically active lakes or exploding lakes. Some features of limnically active lakes include:
- CO2-saturated incoming water
- A cool lake bottom indicating an absence of direct volcanic interaction with lake waters
- An upper and lower thermal layer with differing CO2 saturations
- Proximity to areas with volcanic activity
Scientists have recently determined, from investigations into the mass casualties in the 1980s at Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos, that limnic eruptions and volcanic eruptions, although indirectly related, are actually separate types of disaster events.
To date, this phenomenon has been observed only twice. The first was in Cameroon at Lake Monoun in 1984, causing the asphyxiation and death of 37 people living nearby. A second, deadlier eruption happened at neighbouring Lake Nyos in 1986, this time releasing over 80 million cubic meters of CO2 and killing between 1,700 and 1,800 people, again by asphyxiation. Due to the nature of the event, it is hard to determine if limnic eruptions have happened elsewhere. However, a third lake — Lake Kivu — containing massive amounts of dissolved CO2 exists on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Sample sediments from the lake were taken by Professor Robert Hecky from the University of Michigan which showed that an event caused living creatures in the lake to go extinct approximately every thousand years, and caused nearby vegetation to be swept back into the lake.
References:
Sigurdsson, H., Devine, J.D., Tchua, F.M., Presser, F.M., & Pringle, M.K.W. (1987). Origin of the lethal gas burst from Lake Monoun, Cameroun. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 31(1-2), Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VCS-48BCK0F-W&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F1987&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=57f1d2012ffbe3e963e37cf81b1598dd&searchtype=a doi: 10.1016/0377-0273(87)90002-3
Kling, G.W., Clark, M.A., Wagner, G.N., Compton, H.R., & Humphrey, A.M. (1987). The 1986 Lake Nyos gas disaster in Cameroon, West Africa. Science , 236(4798), Retrieved from http://www.sciencemag.org/content/236/4798/169 doi: 10.1126/science.236.4798.169
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