Real-time observations of the Laki sulfuric aerosol cloud in Europe during 1783 as documented by Professor S. P. van Swinden at Franeker, Holland

The 1783-84 Laki (i.e.Skaftáreldar) eruption and the resulting Haze Famine caused the worst environmental and social-economic disasters in Iceland's history.However, the effects of the eruption were far reached and the sulfuric aerosol cloud produced by Laki generated a persistent haze (dry fog) that hovered over large parts of the Northern Hemisphere during the summer of 1783.This extraordinary state of the atmosphere caused great public concern at the time and generated a wide-ranging interest among scholars and commoners alike.Contemporary records contain a wealth of information on the occurrence of the Laki haze in Europe and provide an invaluable insight into its immediate effects on the communities.Here we present one of the most remarkable contemporary report on the subject; an essay written in 1784 by van Swinden, a Professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.This essay gives a vivid narrative of the appearance and effects of the Laki haze and was published in 1785 by Meteorological Society of Mannheim.The first part of van Swinden's essay is allocated to his personal observations regarding the nature and appearance of the Laki haze, followed by a comprehensive synopsis on its effects on the fauna.The latter half of the essay contains a compendium of observations made on the appearance and impact of the Laki haze in Europe.Among the key characteristics of the Laki haze was its dryness and for this very reason the haze was often referred to as the "dry fog", simply because it did not produce the moisture and dewdrops that accompany "normal fog". ¢ ¤£Century communities in Iceland.The resulting Haze Famine (i.e.Móðuharðindin) is the worst environmental and social-economic disaster in Iceland's history (Finnsson, 1796;Thorarinsson, 1979;