Volcan Ecuador and Puyehue in Chile

Photo courtesy of Global Volcanism Volcan Ecuador straddles the equator on Isabella Island in the Galapagos.

Ecuador has been the site of recent volcanic activity. In April 2011, when Tungurahua ejected pyroclastic boulders the size of trucks, and sent people scurrying for their lives, the nation declared an amber alert, reports the BBC.

Near Santiago in neighbouring Chile, Puyehue erupted in May. The ash plume travelled across Argentina and over the Atlantic. Pyroclastic flows down the Nilahue River raised the temperature of the water to 45 degrees, reports John Seach.

In the past couple of years, a lot of volcanic ash has entered the atmosphere. Could that be why we've had such a cold spring here? I wonder.