It’s possible for volcanoes to have a short-term impact on the climate – including global temperature cooling – due to the gases they inject high into the upper atmosphere. But Mount Ruang’s influence on the climate will likely be minimal, according to Greg Huey, professor and chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. And the day-to-day weather conditions near Mount Ruang in Indonesia – things like temperature, clouds and rain – probably won’t be influenced by the volcano for long, Huey told CNN. “The ash itself is short-lived in the atmosphere because it’s heavy, it’s big and it tends to settle out quickly,” Huey told CNN. It’s the gases that are able to reach much higher in the atmosphere. (This story also appeared at WRAL.)