Natural
Climate Change
and Variability

Country	Catalog Number	Type of Item	Year of Issue	Notes on Content
Ice ages
Ice ages are major climatic events that have occurred many times in the past. In the 1920s the Serbian mathematician Milutin Milanković hypothesized that there are relationships between long-term cycles in the Earth's climate and changes in its orbital eccentricity, axial tilt and precession, and derived formulas that describe the cycles and show how they can interact so that at some times there is more sunlight striking the Earth, and at others there is less. When there is less, snow and ice can accumulate and glaciers can advance, forming an ice age. When there is more, there is warming and the ice retreats. The theory of Milanković cycles remained controversial, but a paper published in the journal Science in 1976 ("Variations in the Earth's orbit: pacemaker of the Ice Ages" by Hayes, Imbrie and Shackleton) confirmed the basic ideas. In it, measurements from deep ocean sediment cores along with new understanding of celestial mechanics were used to show that variations in solar insolation were the main cause of the advance and retreat of ice sheets in the Quaternary period. One secondary effect of ice ages is that as the temperature decreases and the ice sheets advance, the sea level drops as some of the water is taken into the glaciers, and vice-versa.
Jersey (Great Britain)	285 (Mi?)	From MS20 (285a (20x 285))	1982	16,000 BC: ice begins to retreat from the point of greatest glaciation of last ice age; sea level is at its lowest
Jersey (Great Britain)	286 (Mi?)	From MS20 (286a (20x 286))		10,000 BC: ice continues to retreat and sea level is rising
Jersey (Great Britain)	287 (Mi?)	From MS20 (287a (20x 287))		7,000 BC: with continued warming, ice has retreated more and sea level has continued to rise
Jersey (Great Britain)	288 (Mi?)	From MS20 (288a (20x 288))		4,000 BC: Temperatures and sea level have risen to almost modern values
Jersey (Great Britain)	285-288 fdc1	Four stamps on FDC		(As above for stamps)
Jersey (Great Britain)	285-288 fdc2	Four stamps on FDC (different)
Jersey (Great Britain)	559-562 pack	Presentation pack inside page2, also inside page1 and front	1991	Jersey stamps 285-288 "illustrate in sequence how, over thousands of years, the sea level gradually rose due to the melting of the vast icesheets which had extended over much of the continent, with the Island of Jersey finally separating from what is now France in around 4000 BC"
The seasons
This table presents a selection of philatelic items that depict or refer to individual seasons or the four seasons of the middle latitudes, or show Earth orbiting the Sun in the context of the seasons, with different seasons in different parts of the orbit. The latter items are highlighted in yellow. (In this page, no attempt is made to be complete.)
Belgium	2655 (BL176, Mi4398-4402)	Four of five stamps on MS5 (2655 (a-e))	2013	Four seasons depiction (in four of the five stamps, in which heat-sensitive ink is used, so that when their temperature rises to 25°C or higher, the contents change to more clearly represent the four seasons, and also seasonal weather icons appear)
Belgium	2655 changed	MS5 (2655 (a-e)) with changed colors (when above 25°C in strip of 4 (2655f) and also in lower-left margin); also hot-and-cold animation
Belgium	2655a-e fdc	Four of five stamps and cachet on FDC
Canada	535 (Mi?)		1971	The four seasons
Canada	535 fdc	Stamp(s) and cachet on FDC
Canada	536 (Mi?)
Canada	536 fdc	Stamp(s) and cachet on FDC
Canada	537 (Mi?)
Canada	537 fdc	Stamp(s) and cachet on FDC
Canada	538 (Mi?)
Canada	538 fdc	Stamp(s) and cachet on FDC
Canada	535-538 folder	Folder (535-538), also inside p1, inside p2, and envelope
Canada	1283 (Mi?)		1990	Forests and the four seasons
Canada	1283a	Pane of 4 (1283)
Canada	1283a pack	Pack (1283)
Canada	1284 (Mi?)
Canada	1284a	Pane of 4 (1284)
Canada	1284a pack	Pack (1284)
Canada	1285 (Mi?)
Canada	1285a	Pane of 4 (1285)
Canada	1285a pack	Pack (1285)
Canada	1286 (Mi?)
Canada	1286a	Pane of 4 (1286)
Canada	1286a pack	Pack (1286)
Canada	1286b	Block of 4 (1283-1286)
Canada	1286b fdc	Block of 4 on FDC, also back
Canada	1286c	Sheet of 20 (5x (1283-1286))
Cyprus	1201 (Mi?)		2014	winter
Cyprus	1202 (Mi?)			spring
Cyprus	1203 (Mi?)			summer
Cyprus	1204 (Mi?)			fall
Cyprus	1201-1204 fdc	Four stamps and (pictorial) cancel and (Cyprus Post) cachet on FDC		(As above for stamps)
Cyprus	1212 (Mi?)	1201 overprinted (surcharged)	2014	winter
Cyprus	1213 (Mi?)	1202 overprinted (surcharged)		spring
Cyprus	1214 o/p (Mi?)	1204 overprinted (surcharged)		fall
Cyprus	1212-1214 fdc	Three stamps and (Cyprus Post) cachet on FDC		(As above for stamps)
Finland	1052a (Mi?)	Booklet pane of 4 (1052a (1049-1052)), with booklet outside (front and back) and inside	1997	The four seasons
Finland	1052a fdc	Booklet pane of 4 on FDC, also back
Finland	1379 (Mi?)	Strip of 2 (1379 (a-b))	2011	The four seasons
Finland	1379 fdc	Strip of 2 and cachet on FDC
Finland	1552a (Mi?)	Strip of 4 (1552a (1549-1552))	2017	The four seasons
France	B244-B247 (Mi877-880)	Set of 4 stamps	1949	"Le printemps, l'été, l'automne, l'hiver" (from Edmé Bouchardon's Fontaine des Quatre Saisons in the rue de Grenelle in Paris (built from 1739 to 1745); the four stamps show four of the fountain's bas-reliefs that depict children in the fields in each season)
France	1849-1852	Set of 4 stamps	1983	The four seasons
Fujeira	BL132	On stamp of SS1	1973	"Printemps, Été, Automne, Hiver" (the four seasons, in French text)
Great Britain	1421 (Mi?)		1992	"Wintertime"
Great Britain	1422 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1423 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1424 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1425 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1421-1425 pack	Presentation pack
Great Britain	1425a	Booklet pane of 4 (142?-142?) from Prestige Booklet BK156
Great Britain	1510 (Mi?)		1993	"Autumn"
Great Britain	1511 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1512 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1513 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1514 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1510-1514 pack	Presentation pack
Great Britain	1572 (Mi?)		1993	"Summertime"
Great Britain	1573 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1574 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1575 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1576 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1572-1576 pack	Presentation pack
Great Britain	1591 (Mi?)		1993	"Springtime"
Great Britain	1592 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1593 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1594 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1595 (Mi?)
Great Britain	1591-1595 pack	Presentation pack
Great Britain	1966a fdc (BL10, Mi1924-1927 fdc)	(A.G. Bradbury Leicester) cachet on FDC	2001
Hungary	1668 (BL46A, Mi2110) i1668 (BL46B)	SS1 Imperforate SS1	1965
Hungary	1668 fdc i1668 fdc	SS1 on FDC Imperforate SS1 on FDC
Iceland	1405 (Mi1498)	Self-adhesive	2016	spring
Iceland	1406 (Mi1499)	Self-adhesive		summer
Iceland	1407 (Mi1500)	Self-adhesive		winter
Iceland	1408 (Mi1501)	Self-adhesive		fall
Iceland	1405-1408 fdc	Four stamps and (pictorial) cancel and (Iceland Post) cachet on FDC		(As above for stamps)
Israel	Unknown ms (Mi?)	MS4 (a-d)	2016	"Seasons in Israel"
Jordan	Unknown ms (Mi?)	MS4 (a-d)	2016	"The Four Seasons"
Monaco	2851 (Mi?)		2016	"Les saisons"
Poland	1677+label (Mi1943+label)	From MS4 (1677a (4x 1677 and 2 labels))	1969	"Babie Lato" ("Indian Summer", in Polish text); painting by Józef Chelmonski, 1875
St. Pierre and Miquelon	885 (Mi?)		2009	"Winter colors" (in French text)
United States	None	(Red text) meter on cover	1940	"Macy's heralds Spring"
United States	5071 fdc (Mi5245 fdc)	(Bullfrog) cachet on FDC	2016	"Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.4º away from the perpendicular of its orbital plane, producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface with a period of one tropical year (365.24 solar days)".
United States	5319 fdc (Mi5539BE fdc)	(Pictorial) cancel and (ROMP) cachet on FDC	2018	"winter"
United States	5320 fdc (Mi5540BD fdc)	(Pictorial) cancel (different) and (ROMP) cachet (different) on FDC
Effect of large comets/asteroids striking the Earth
Germany	None	(Pictorial) cancel	1995	"Comet collision with Earth?" (65 million years ago)
Guinea-Bissau	Mi4557-4561_ms5	MS5 (Mi4557-4561 + label)	2010	(probable) asteroid (or comet) impact with Earth 65 million years ago
Guinea-Bissau	BL741	SS1 (Mi4562)
Guinea-Bissau	BL741 fdc	SS1 and cachet on FDC
Ivory Coast	BL94A_var fdc	(Multi-color printed) cachet on (possible Puvilland-design) SS1 FDC	2005	Major comet/asteroid impact on Earth (possibly the Chicxulub impactor of 65 million years ago)
Niger	Unknown ss (Mi none) Unknown iss	SS1 [known illegal issue] Imperforate SS1	1998	The Chicxulub impactor (an asteroid or a comet), estimated to have been around 10 km in diameter, struck Earth around 66 million years ago. The devastating impact changed the climate and caused (or at least contributed to) the extinction of almost three-quarters of the plant and animal species then living on Earth, including the dinosaurs (except for the few that became modern birds)
Solar effects
The Sun provides the energy (solar radiant energy of approximately 1361 W/m2, known as the solar constant) that drives Earth's weather and climate. The solar constant is in fact not perfectly constant: there are small variations, some periodic and some aperiodic. The main periodic variation is referred to as the solar cycle, perhaps more commonly known as the 11 year sunspot cycle. It was discovered in 1843 by the German astronomer Samuel Heinrich Schwabe. Various attempts have been made to link solar variability as seen in the sunspot cycle, or longer term solar variability, with variability in Earth's climate. None have been conclusive. This table contains philatelic items that include references to the Sun or show solar images, including sunspots and other solar effects, in the general context of the Sun as the source of the Earth's energy and the driver of the Earth's climate. (No attempt is made to be complete.)
Argentina	None	(Purple rubber-stamp) cachet on (airmail) cover, or in more detail in this black version	1993	Vicecomodoro Marambaio Solar Radiation [measurement] Station (in Spanish text)
Australia	None	stamped envelope	1983	Solar World Congress
Australia	None fdc1	stamped envelope FDC (Parramatta NSW cancel)
Australia	None fdc2	stamped envelope FDC (Solar World Congress cancel)
Australia	None fdc3	stamped envelope FDC (Katoomba NSW cancel)
Australia	None fdc4	stamped envelope FDC (Southport QLD cancel)
Australia	None fdc5	stamped envelope FDC (Fremantle WA cancel)
Australia	None fdc6	stamped envelope FDC (Modbury SA cancel)
Australia	None fdc7	stamped envelope FDC (Brisbane QLD cancel)
Austria	2083 (Mi?)		2007	"Fire [the Sun] and Earth"
Austria	2083 black	Blackprint
Belgium	2016 (Mi3328) i2016	From MS10 (2016a (10x 2016)) Imperforate	2004	"Sun-Earth relationships"
Belgium	2016 fdc	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel and (multi-color printed) cachet on FDC (Liege cancel)
Belgium	2016 fdc2	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel and (multi-color printed) cachet (different) on FDC (Liege cancel)
Belgium	2016 maxi	Maxicard (Liege cancel)
Belgium	2018 (Mi3330) i2018	From MS10 (2018a (10x 2018)) Imperforate		Sun, sunspots and schematic variations of solar energy output with time
Belgium	2018 fdc1	Stamp and (multi-color printed) cachet (design like stamp) on FDC (Liege cancel)
Belgium	2018 maxi	Maxicard (Liege cancel)
Belgium	2015-2018 fdc	Two of four stamps on FDC (Liege cancel)		(As above for stamps)
Belgium	2015-2018 fd-sheet	Two of four stamps on FD sheet (Brussels cancel)
Belgium	2434d (Mi4064)	One of strip of 5 (2434 (a-e)) (Mi4061-4065), or two of MS10 (2434f (2x (2434 (a-e)))	2010	Symbolic Sun heating the Earth
Great Britain	3113 (Mi3366)	From presentation pack (3113-3118) (Mi3366-3371)	2012	Sun seen by SOHO satellite
Great Britain	3113-3118 fdc1	One of six stamps on FDC (Tallents House, Edinburgh cancel, Royal Mail cachet)
Great Britain	3113-3118 fdc2	One of six stamps on FDC (Star Gaerwen, Gwynedd cancel, Royal Mail cachet)
Great Britain	3113-3118 fdc3	One of six stamps on FDC (Sunbeam Way, Birmingham cancel, Royal Mail cachet)
Great Britain	3113-3118 fdc4	One of six stamps on FDC (Picadilly, London cancel, Royal Mail cachet)
Great Britain	3113-3118 fdc5	One of six stamps on FDC (Macclesfield, Cheshire cancel, Cotswold Covers/BPCPA cachet)
Guinea Republic	BL1584A BL1584B	In (upper) margin of SS1 In (upper) margin of imperforate SS1	2008	STS-122/Atlantis brought to the ISS "a solar observatory and a European platform with eight instruments for the study of the space environment" (in French text); the solar observatory continuously monitored the solar flux: the energy flowing from the Sun. Those observations contribute to a better understanding of solar physics and also of how the Sun may be contributing to global warming and climate change.
Hong Kong	1714 (Mi1968)	One of strip of 6 (1715a (1710-1715)) (Mi1964-1969)	2015	sunspots
Hong Kong	1714 maxi	Maxicard
Hong Kong	1713-1714_ms3	On one of MS3 (d-f)
Hong Kong	1713-1715_ms3 fdc1	MS3 on FDC
Hong Kong	1713-1715_ms3 fdc2	MS3 on FDC (different cachet)
Hungary	1217 (Mi1576A)		1959	sunspots
India	2288 (Mi2320)		2008	sunspots
Russia (USSR)	2986 (Mi3006)		1964	Galileo and sunspots
Sri Lanka	1954 (Mi?)	One of MS10 (1963a (1957-1863)), or one of MS10 (1963b (1954-1963)) inscribed	2014
United States	None	(Coverscape) cachet on cover	2011	The anomalous "Year without a Summer" of 1816 is believed to have been caused by a combination of "a historic low in solar activity" and "a succession of major volcanic eruptions capped off by the Mount Tambora eruption of 1815"
United States	None	(Zazzle.com) personalized postage	2016	For an unknown reason, sunspots virtually disappeared between 1645 and 1715 in what is now known as the "Maunder minimum", named after E.W. Maunder (1851–1928), an English astronomer who studied that period of minimum solar activity
Effect of continental drift
Continental drift is the movement of the Earth's land masses relative to each other over geological time periods. The geophysicist and meteorologist Alfred Wegener developed the theory starting in around 1912 and coined the term die Verschiebung der Kontinente (continental drift). The South African geologist Alexander du Toit, working more or less independently, proposed similar ideas. The climatologist Wladimir Köppen worked with Wegener to build the theory. They were convinced that the movement of continents over time could account for the geological and paleoclimatic evidence that ancient climates had been vastly different from modern ones. Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition of 1908-9 had found fossilized plants and coal seams in the Beardmore Glacier area that indicated a previous warmer and wetter climate. Robert Scott's ill-fated 1912 South Pole expedition discovered fossilized leaves of glossopteris1, an extinct tree of the gymnosperm family. Similar fossils had previously been found in Africa, India, Australia and southern South America. This fact led the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess (1831-1914) to hypothesize in the late 19th Century that those areas must formed a single land mass in the distant past (a supercontinent that he named Gondwanaland). Suess did not believe in the motion of continents, however; he thought that the separation into distinct landmasses had been caused by rising waters. (Suess is featured in Austria Scott 1454; (see also a FDC and a maxicard). Scott's find gave more support to the idea of Gondwanaland and to the idea that Antarctica must have had a very different climate in the past. Other fossilized warm climate plants such as ferns1 have since been found in the polar regions. In addition, fossilized leaves of some other plants1 including the nothophagus1 tree have recently been found in Antarctica. Members of this species, known commonly as the southern beech, still grow in New Zealand, New Caledonia, southern Australia and southern South America. All these finds provide consistent support for the idea of continental drift and the resulting changes in climates of the moving landmasses. Wegener and Köppen were unable to suggest a plausible physical process that could drive continental drift, so most scientists rejected their revolutionary theory. It was only in the 1960s that geophysical understanding advanced to the point where an updated theory, known as plate tectonics, became widely accepted. It is now known that new oceanic crust is created at "spreading centres" at oceanic rifts where material from the deeper mantle flows upward and forms underwater mountain ridges. The seafloor spreads away from the ridges, which in turn forces the motion of continents. In the table below, philatelic items highlighted in yellow make explicit reference to climate change related to continental drift. The reference to climate change in all other items is implicit. 1Stamps depicting various finds of fossilized plants in the polar regions are included in the table below.
Ascension Island	268 (Mi?)		1980	Continental drift and mid-Atlantic ridge
Austria	1169 fdc1 (Mi1660 fdc1)	(Pictorial) cancel on FDC	1980	Continental drift
Austria	1169 fdc2 (Mi1660 fdc2)	(Pictorial) cancel on FDC (different)
Austria	1169 fdc3 (Mi1660 fdc3)	(Pictorial) cancel on FDC (different)
Austria	1169 sc (Mi1660 sc)	Souvenir card
British Antarctic Territory	86 (Mi88)		1982	"Continental drift and climatic change"
British Antarctic Territory	87 (Mi89)
British Antarctic Territory	88 (Mi90)
British Antarctic Territory	89 (Mi91)
British Antarctic Territory	90 (Mi92)
British Antarctic Territory	91 (Mi93)
British Antarctic Territory	86-91 fdc	Six stamps and cachet on FDC, also insert and insert back
British Antarctic Territory	86+89 fdc	Two stamps and cachet (different) on FDC
British Antarctic Territory	157 (Mi160)		1990	Fossil leaf of gymnosperm family from Antarctica
British Antarctic Territory	158 (Mi161)			Fossil fern from Antarctica
British Antarctic Territory	172 (Mi173)		1991	Nothofagus tree from late Cretaceous forest (fossilized Nothofagus leaves have been found in Antarctica)
British Antarctic Territory	280 (Mi293)		1999	Crustal microplates of west Antarctica (the stamp is reproduced in the insert)
British Antarctic Territory	280-284 fdc	One of five stamps on FDC, also insert
British Antarctic Territory	401 (Mi475)		2008	Fossil ferns from Snow and Alexander Islands in Antarctica
British Antarctic Territory	402 (Mi476)
British Antarctic Territory	403 (Mi478)
British Antarctic Territory	404 (Mi477)
British Antarctic Territory	401-404 fdc	Four stamps and cachet on FDC
Croatia	None	(Meteorologial and Hydrological Service/Croatian Meteorologial Society) cachet on cover	1998
Faroe Islands	513 (Mi?)	MS6 (513 (a-f))	2009	Faroe Islands geology - illustration of mid-Atlantic ridge and seafloor spreading
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	311 (Mi496-497)	MS2 (311 (a-b + label))	2002	"Programme CartoKer" - Cartographie des Îles Kerguelen (Kerguelen Islands mapping in the context of the local plate tectonics - "tectonique des plaques")
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C97 (Mi?)		1987	Continental drift
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C97 fdc	Stamp on FDC (Éditions P.J. cachet)
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 (Mi616)		1980	Wegener and continental drift
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 fdc	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel on FDC
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 fdc2	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel and cachet (different) on FDC
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 fdc3	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel and cachet (different) on FDC
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 fdc4	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel on FDC
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 maxi	Maxicard
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 sc	Souvenir card
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 cover1	Stamp cover	1980	Wegener and continental drift
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 cover2	Stamp cover (different)	1980	Wegener and continental drift
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 cover3	Stamp on cover (different)	1980	Wegener and continental drift
Germany (Berlin)	9N451 cover4	Stamp on cover (different)	1980	Wegener and continental drift
Germany (East)	2091 (Mi?)		1980	Wegener and continental drift
Germany (East)	2088+2091+2093 fdc	One of three stamps on FDC
Germany (East)	2091 cover (Mi? cover)	Stamp on cover	1980	Wegener and continental drift
Germany (East)	2146 (Mi2560)	One of block of 4 (2146a (2143-2146)) (Mi2557-2560)	1980	Cross-section showing Earth's crust, upper and lower mantle and core. The tectonic plates, part of the crust, drift with currents in the fluid viscoplastic upper mantle.
Germany (West)	1404 sc (Mi1187 sc)	Souvenir card back, also front	1983	"Place techtonics" and "continental drift" (in German text)
Greenland	533 (Mi?)		2009	Schizoneura carcinoides fossil conifer needles from Greenland
India	1623 (Mi?)		1997	Glossopteris fossil leaf from India
India	1622-1625 fdc	One of four stamps on FDC
Korea (North)	3585 (Mi3881-3885) i3585	In stamps 'd' and 'e' of MS5 (3585 (a-e)) In stamps 'd' and 'e' of imperforate MS5 (i3585 (a-e))	1996	Earth eras with continental drift illustrated from Mesozoic to Cenozoic (last two stamps)
Korea (North)	3585 fdc	MS5 on FDC
Mongolia	1145 (Mi?)	SS1	1980	"Continental drift"
Mongolia	1145 fdc	SS1 on FDC
St. Vincent	2764f (Mi4835)	One of MS18 (2764 (a-r + label)) (Mi4830-4847)	1999	Wegener and continental drift
Sierra Leone	3981a (Mi7788)	One of MS4 (3981 (a-d)) (Mi7788-7791)	2016	Major tectonic plates around the Americas
Somalia	582 (Mi?)		1987	Somali plate and continental drift in area of East Africa, Arabian Peninsula and India, from 160 million years ago to present
Somalia	583 (Mi?)
Somalia	584 (Mi?)
Somalia	585 (Mi?)
Somalia	585a (Mi?)	MS2 (584-585)
South Africa	None	(Red rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1981	Continental drift
South Africa	None	(Purple rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1983	Continental drift
South Africa	813 (Mi828)		1991	du Toit and "continental drift/plate tectonics" (in maxicard text)
South Africa	813 maxi	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel and (orange and red and blue printed) cachet on maxicard
South Africa	810-813 fdc	One of four stamps on FDC
South Africa	KM350	2.5 cents (silver coin)	2007
Tristan da Cunha	283 (Mi?)		1980	Mid-Atlantic ridge
Zambia	98 (Mi101)		1973	Glossopteris fossil leaf from Zambia
Volcanic effects
Major volcanic eruptions have a temporary cooling effect because the material ejected into the stratospher circulates some years and reflects or absorbs solar radiation, which reduces the amount of energy reaching the ground. In extreme cases, the effect can be termed a "volcanic winter". Material ejected into the troposphere has less of a climate effect because "weather events quickly wash volcanic detritus out of this layer, leaving the wider climate unchanged". These and other related ideas are discussed here. The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a measure of the intensity of volcanic eruptions. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_Explosivity_Index. Large eruptions can affect the climate temporarily (for a few years). The eruptions described below, with VEIs of 5 or greater, had measurable effects on the climate. Philatelic items that feature those volcanoes are included in the table below. This graphic shows the probable effects on global mean near-surface temperatures (the black line) of several 20th Century volcanoes, including Agung and Pinatubo, which are included below. Laki (VEI 6) The eruption of Laki (in Iceland, the event is known as the Skaftáreldar, or the Skaftá fires) lasted from June 1783 to February 1784. In the second half of 1783, a persistent haze referred to as a "dry fog" (in modern terms characterized as a "stratospheric sulphate aerosol veil") covered Europe, and was observed to be the densest such fog since the eruption of another volcano, Eldgjá, in 934 AD. The following winter (1783-1784) was very cold both in Europe and in eastern North America. Benjamin Franklin, who was living in Paris at the time (he was the first American ambassador to France) saw the effects for himself and concluded that the eruption could be the cause of the dry fog and the subsequent cold weather. Several years of climate extremes followed in Europe, with the eruption as one probable cause. Tambora (VEI 7) Tambora (Indonesia) erupted in April 1815. It was the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. As a result, European and North American weather was so cold that it came to be known as the "Year without Summer", during which there were crop failures, losses of livestock and an eventual food shortage and famine. Average global temperatures decreased (possibly by up to 0.7°C) after the eruption, and research has shown that 1816 was the coldest northern hemisphere year since around 1400, with the exception of 1601 (which itself followed a major volcanic eruption, that of Huaynaputina in Peru). As in Europe in 1783 after the eruption of Laki, a persistent "dry fog" occurred after the eruption of Tambora, this time over the northeastern US. China also experienced a major cold temperature period after the Tambora eruption. The volcanic ash in the atmosphere from the Tambora eruption caused some spectacular sunsets. The British artist J.M.W. Turner, who was always fascinated by the Sun and its light, was inspired by those sunsets in some of his work. Krakatoa (VEI 6) Krakatoa (Indonesia) began to erupt in May 1883 and was destroyed in the final massive eruption on 27 August 1883. The material ejected into the upper atmosphere resulted in spectacular sunsets around the world, and fast-moving plumes of dust tracked by weather watchers in the low latitudes became known as the "equatorial smoke stream" and were the first hints of strong narrow currents of upper winds that came to be known as jet streams. In the year following the eruption, global temperatures are estimated to have fallen by up to 1°C, and it was called another "year without summer" in some parts of the world. The temperatures did not return to normal until several years later. Pinatubo (VEI 6) Pinatubo (Philippines) erupted massively in June 1991, with worldwide effects. Measurements show a global mean near-surface temperature decrease just after the eruption of approximately 0.2° C. Stratospheric temperatures, on the other hand, were measured to rise after the eruption. This was due to absorption of sunlight by the dust and aerosols, which persisted for three years. Another likely effect of the eruption was an increase in stratospheric ozone destruction, caused by volcanic aerosols eventually spreading to polar latitudes and catalyzing ozone-destroying catalyzing reactions. The largest ever Antarctic ozone hole was measured at the end of 1993 by the TOMS instrument aboard Nimbus-7. It is possible that the aerosols from the Pinatubo eruption contributed to the size of that hole. Mount Agung (VEI 5) This volcano, in Bali, erupted on 17 March 1963 and again on 16 May of that year. Measurements show a global mean near-surface temperature decrease just after the eruption of approximately 0.3° C.
Argentina	2966 brochure (BL181, Mi3924-3927 brochure)	Brochure outside	2022	Volcanic ash plume (from the eruption of Puyehue-Cordón Caulle that started on 4 June 2011) over South America in a true-color image from EOS-Terra on 6 June 2011; a shift in the upper winds caused the prominent kink in the ash plume seen in the photo (not the 2015 eruption of Calbuco volcano as in the text)
Central African Republic	Unknown a (Mi?)	One of MS4 (a-d)	2013	Krakatoa
France	3363 personalized	(La Poste) personalized postage	2012	Krakatoa
Guinea-Bissau	Mi3902A Mi3902B	One of MS4 (Mi3899A-3902A) One of imperforate MS4 (Mi3899B-3902B)	2008	Krakatoa
Guinea-Bissau	Mi3899A-3902A_ms4 fdc	MS4 on FDC
Guinea-Bissau	Unknown b (Mi?)	One of MS4 (a-d)	2013	Krakatoa
Guinea-Bissua	Unknown fdc	MS4 on FDC
Iceland	557 (Mi?)		1983	"Skaftáreldar 1783"; 200th anniv. eruption of Laki
Iceland	557 fdc	Stamp on FDC
Indonesia	B154 (Mi?)		1963	Agung
Indonesia	B155 (Mi?)
Indonesia	B154-B155 fdc	Two stamps and (pictorial) cancel and (orange and black printed) cachet on FDC
Indonesia	1204 (Mi1110)		1983	100th anniv. eruption of Krakatoa
Indonesia	1205 (Mi1111)
Indonesia	1204-1205 fdc	Two stamps and cachet on FDC
Indonesia	2028 (Mi?)	Two of MS10 (2032a (2x 2028-2032))	2003	(120th anniv. eruption of Krakatoa)
Indonesia	2030 (Mi?)			Tambora
Indonesia	2028-2029+2031 fdc	One of three stamps on FDC		Krakatoa
Indonesia	2030+2032 fdc	One of two stamps on FDC		Tambora
Indonesia	2414 (BL?)	SS1	2015	200th anniv. Tambora eruption
Mali	1032e (Mi2429)	One of MS9 (1032 (a-i))	1999	Krakatoa
Micronesia	651c (Mi?)	One of MS4 (651 (a-d))	2005	Krakatoa
Niger	Mi3005	One of MS4 (Mi3002-3005)	2014	Krakatoa
Niger	Mi3002-3005_ms4 fdc	MS4 on FDC
Niger	BL997	Stamp (Mi6502) from SS1	2019	Relationship between a volcanic eruption and the "Effet de serre" (greenhouse effect)
Philippines	RA1 (Mi2219)		1992	Mt Pinatubo fund; lahar mudflow
Philippines	RA2 (Mi2220)	From block of 4 (RA5a (RA2-RA5))		Mt Pinatubo fund; Pinatubo erupting
Philippines	RA3 (Mi2221)			Mt Pinatubo fund; cattle searching for food
Philippines	RA3+2144 cover (Mi2221+? cover)	One of two stamps and address on cover		"Mt Pinatubo surcharge paid"
Philippines	RA4 (Mi2222)	From block of 4 (RA5a (RA2-RA5))		Mt Pinatubo fund; evacuation camp
Philippines	RA5 (Mi2223)			Mt Pinatubo fund; clearing ash
Philippines	RA5 fdc	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel on FDC, also back
Poland	4362b+selvedge (Mi5017+selvedge)	One of MS3 (4362 (a-c)) (BL276, Mi5016-5018)	2018	Volcanic eruption (in a climate context)
Romania	None	Printed stamp and cachet on postal card	2011	"Laki"
Sierra Leone	3998 stamp (Mi7787)	Stamp from SS1 (3998) (BL1089)	2016	"Krakatoa"
Togo	Unknown a (Mi?)	From MS4 (a-d)	2011	Krakatoa
UN (New York) UN (Geneva) UN (Vienna)	636a fdc1 243a fdc1 159a fdc1	One of 3 strips of 4 on FDC (636a+243a+159a)	1993	Volcanic eruption (in a climate change context)
UN (New York) UN (Geneva) UN (Vienna)	636a fdc2 243a fdc2 159a fdc2	One of 3 strips of 4 and (UNPA) cachet on FDC (636a+243a+159a)
UN (New York) UN (Geneva) UN (Vienna)	636a folder 243a folder 159a folder	One of 3 strips of 4 on FDC folder, also folder front
United Nations (Geneva)	243a fdc (Mi239-242 fdc)	(UNPA) cachet on FDC	1993	Volcanic eruption (in a climate change context)
United Nations (Vienna)	159a (Mi156-159)	Strip of 4 (156-159), from MS24 (159b (6x (156-159))	1993	Volcanic eruption (in a climate change context)
United Nations (Vienna)	159a fdc1	Strip of 4 and (UNPA) cachet on FDC
United Nations (Vienna)	159a fdc2	Strip of 4 on FDC (UN Headquarters cachet)
United Nations (Vienna)	159a maxi1	Maxicard (Vienna cancel)
United Nations (Vienna)	159a maxi2	Maxicard (Sindelfingen cancels)
United States	None	(Coverscape) cachet on cover	2010	"Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted in April 1815 with a rating of 7 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, making it the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history ... The eruption created global climate change. 1816 became known as the 'Year Without a Summer' because of the effect on weather in New England" (and elsewhere, such as Europe)
United States	None	(Coverscape) cachet on cover	2011	20th anniv. eruption; Pinatubo "injected large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere ... over the following months ... global temperatures dropped by about 0.9°F (0.5°C)"
United States	None	(Coverscape) cachet on cover	2011	After "a succession of major volcanic eruptions capped off by the Mount Tambora eruption of 1815", 1816 was the "Year without a Summer", during which "severe climate abnormalities caused average global temperatures to decrease by about 0.4 - 0.7°C (0.7 - 1.3°F)"
United States	None	(Coverscape) cachet on cover	2013	130th anniv. eruption of Krakatoa
United States	None	(Coverscape) cachet on cover	2018	135th anniv. eruption of Krakatoa
Ocean effects and Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
Australia	571 (Mi582)		1975	"Oceanography employs satellites which track free-drifting buoys, tracking the ocean currents and transmitting data on physical and chemical properties of the water masses"; (those data include the SST - sea surface temperature)
Australia	563+566+569+571 fdc1	One of four stamps on FDC (Sydney NSW cancel)
Australia	563+566+569+571 fdc2	One of four stamps on FDC (Darlinghurst NSW cancel)
Australian Antarctic Territory	Unknown folder (Mi? folder)	Folder back, also front and inside	2018	"the impact of ocean acidification"
British Antarctic Territory	180-183 fdc (Mi181-184 fdc)	(British Post) cachet on FDC	1991	Satellite observations of phytoplankton around Antarctica (black is areas of no data), similar to the map in https://www.antarctica.gov.au/magazine/issue-25-december-2013/science/measuring-phytoplankton-from-space/.
Central African Republic	BL1672	Stamp (Mi7359) from SS1	2017	Map of an "El Niño" ocean temperature event
France	None	(Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1979	"Campagne ... SINODE4"
Franklin Mint (USA)	None	(Bronze) medallion reverse, also obverse	1970s	"GOES-1 transmits images and information about ocean currents"
France	3362 personalzied booklet (Mi?)	(La Poste) personalized postage booklet of 10 "Save the Oceans" stamps sponsored by the Maud Fontenoy Foundation, with booklet outside (front and back)	2010	"ocean currents move heat from the tropics to cooler regions of the globe" (in French text in one of the boxes in left margin)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	None	(Magenta rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1983	"Campagne SINODE4"
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	172 (Mi293)		1992	"Programme WOCE" (World Ocean Circulation Experiment)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	172 fdc	Stamp and (Éditions J.F.) cachet on FDC
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	172 maxi	Maxicard
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	468a (Mi782)	One of strip of 5 (468 (a-e + 5 labels)) (Mi782-786), or one of MS25 (468f (5x 468 (a-e + 5 labels))	2012	The Antarctic circumpolar current3 (in red)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	693 (Mi?)		2023	"monitoring of the Southern Ocean" (in French text); symbolic depiction of the Antarctic circumpolar current
Germany	None	(Purple rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1994	"MEridionale TRAnsporte im NordAtlantik - METRANA" (North Atlantic Meridional Transport (of heat), part of the "WOCE" (World Ocean Circulation Experiment))
Germany?	None	(Blue rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	2009	"Climate variability in the Baltic and the North Atlantic" (in German text)
Great Britain	1966a fdc (BL10, Mi1924-1927 fdc)	(Benham) back of FDC, also front and insert	2001	"the warming effect of the Gulf Stream Drift adds a further influence" (to the weather and climate of Great Britain)
India	2725-2726 brochure1	Brochure outside, also inside	2015	"SARAL is designed to perform altimetric measurements [with the ALTIKA altimeter] designed to study ocean circulation and sea surface elevation" and to "intensively observe ocean systems"
India	2725-2726 brochure2	FDC brochure
Malagasy (DR)	1047 (Mi1347A) i1047 (Mi1347B)	One of MS6 (1050a (1045-1050)) (Mi1345A-1350A) One of imperforate MS6 (i1050a (i1045-i1050)) (Mi1345B-1350B)	1992	"TOPEX-Poseidon observation des océans"; (probable) anomaly maps of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) (in various colors) and near-surface marine winds (indicated by arrows)
Malagasy (DR)	1047b (BL178A) i1047b (BL178B)	On stamp of SS1 (1047) On stamp of imperforate SS1 (i1047)
Marshall Islands	678 (BL24)	SS1	1998	"drought brought on by El Niño"
Micronesia	297 (BL39)	SS1	1998	El Niño
Micronesia	298 (BL40)	SS1
New Caledonia	C268 (Mi1022) iC268	Imperforate	1994	Typical El Niño pattern of abnormally warm water in red and yellow tones stretching across the Pacific (rotate -130 degrees to see the usual orientation with north upward) inferred from TOPEX-Poseidon observations of sea-surface topography
New Caledonia	C268 fdc	Stamp and (multi-color printed) cachet (design like stamp) on FDC
New Caledonia	C268 ds	Deluxe sheet (C268)
New Zealand	2172 (Mi2484)	From block of 6 (2172-2177) (Mi2484-2489)	2008	The Gisborne drought depicted in the stamp was the result of the strong 1997-1998 El Niño that brought drought conditions to many parts of the western south Pacific
New Zealand	2172-2177 fdc1	One of six stamps on FDC, also back
New Zealand	2172-2177 fdc2	One of six stamps on FDC (different, available only in a special limited-edition album, below)
New Zealand	2172-2177_album	Limited-edition album pages 1-3, also outside, page2, page3, certificate of authenticity; album contains MS5 (2177a (2172-2177))
Norway	892 fdc (Mi? fdc)	(Fleetwood) back of FDC, also front	1986	Norway is "warmed by Gulf Stream breezes"
Norway	893 fdc (Mi? fdc)	(Fleetwood) back of FDC, also front		"The gentle Gulf Stream current keeps the fjord areas temperate despite their location above the Arctic Circle"
Peru	1423 (Mi1938)		2004	Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomaly chart illustrating El Niño conditions; "impacts of the climatic anomalies associated [with] El Niño ... such as intense precipitation and floods, drought, fires and freezes, infectious illnesses, [all] can have a much bigger duration" (in folder text)
Peru	1423 folder	FDC folder, also inside, and back
Switzerland	None	(Nestlé) cinderella (poster stamp), also back	~1953	Three principal Atlantic Ocean currents: the Equatorial current (A), the Gulf Stream (B) and the Labrador current (C) (from the Nestlé series 69 of poster stamps)
Switzerland	None	(Nestlé) cinderella (poster stamp), also back		The Gulf Stream and some typical SSTs in it (from the Nestlé series 69 of poster stamps)
United States	2952 fdc (Mi2554 fdc)	(Mystic Stamp Company) back of FDC, also front	1995	"the oceans ... act as a stabilizing force in climate control"
United States	None	(WSE2000) postcard, also back	2000	"Using radar altimetry, Jason-1 will continue to measure sea surface height with unprecedented accuracy"
United States	None	Jason-1 postcard	200?	Series of graphics over the Pacific, probably of sea surface height anomalies, showing the development of a strong El Niño (possibly the El Niño of 1997-1998)
United States	4893 (Mi5079)	From MS10 (4893a (10x 4893))	2014	Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) (in colors on the stamp and in the cachet of fdc4); "Sea surface temperatures - satellite measurements provide vital data for weather forecasts and climate study" (in the ArtCraft cachets); "This image also combines the depiction of sea-surface temperatures with visible vegetation on the landmasses" (in the souvenir page text)
United States	4893 fdc1	Stamp and (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC (DCP cancel)
United States	4893 fdc2	Stamp and (ArtCraft) cachet on FDC (normal cancel)
United States	4893 fdc3	Stamp on FDC (DCP cancel, no cachet)
United States	4893 fdc4	Stamp and (?) cachet on FDC (DCP cancel)
United States	4893 fdc5	Stamp and (HL) cachet on FDC (DCP cancel), also back
United States	4893 fdc6	Stamp on FDC (DCP cancel, on top card for pack of 100 panes)
United States	4893 fdc7	Stamp and (Romp) cachet on FDC, also back
United States	SP1936	(USPS) souvenir page (4893)
United States	None	(Zazzle.com) personalized postage	2016	SSTs and Pacific ocean thermocline in "El Niño & La Niña" conditions
United States	None	(Zazzle.com) personalized postage	2016	"Typical January - March weather anomalies and atmospheric circulation during moderate to strong El Niño & La Niña"
United States	None	(Zazzle.com) personalized postage	2016	"Pacific Ocean - world's largest air conditioner" (refers to its effect of moderating temperatures on parts of the western coasts of North and South America)
Wallis and Futuna Islands	Unknown4 (Mi?)	One of strip of 4 (1-4)	2017	"Ocean acidification" (in French text)
Wallis and Futuna Islands	Unknown4 fdc	Stamp on FDC
Monsoons
Egypt	None	Postcard back, also front	1936	"Before the storm and rains" (probably refers to the arrival of the monsoon into northeastern India)
France India	4798-4799 folder1 2725-2726 folder1	Dual-country folder inside, also outside	2015	The SARAL and Megha-Tropiques satellite missions are for "climate and environmental monitoring" that "aim to observe climatic phenomena in order to understand the mechanisms and anticipate their consequences on a planetary level (global warming, cyclones, monsoons, flooding and droughts)"
France India	4798-4799 folder2 2725-2726 folder2	Dual-country FDC folder inside, also outside
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	None	(Rectangular black printed) cachet on cover	2001	"Monsoon"
Forests and vegetation and climate
Antigua and Barbuda	3284 (BL?)	SS1	2015	In photosynthesis, plants absorb CO2 and give off O2
Germany (East)	1103 (Mi1464)		1969	Forests as regulators of climate
Moldova	713-714 fdc (Mi? fdc)	(Multi-color printed) cachet on FDC	2011	Trees as the symbolic lungs of the atmosphere
Tuvalu	1198 (Mi?)		2012	"Plant a tree to help reduce greenhouse gases"
United States	2953 fdc (Mi2555 fdc)	(Mystic Stamp Company) back of FDC, also front	1995	Forests "renew the atmosphere by providing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide"
Climate records from proxies:
No postal items available yet
— Ice coring and glaciology
Argentina	1064 (Mi1253)		1975	Ice coring and glaciology
Australia	1182 (Mi?)		1990	Ice coring and glaciological studies, joint Australia-Russia
Australia	1182-1183 fdc	One of two stamps on FDC
Australia	1183a	On one of MS2 (1182-1183)
Australia	1183a fdc	MS2 on FDC
Australia Russia	1182-1183 fdc 5902-5903 fdc	Dual-country FDC	1990	Ice coring and glaciological studies, joint Australia-Russia
Australia Russia	1182-1183+1183a 5902-5903 folder	Dual-country folder
Australian Antarctic Territory	L117q (Mi141)	One of MS20 (L117 (a-t)) (Mi125-144)	2001
Australian Antarctic Territory	L141 (Mi174)	One of strip of 2 (L141a (L140-L141)), or two of MS4 (L143b (2x (L140-L141)))	2008	"Glaciology" (and ice coring)
Australian Antarctic Territory	L141 maxi	Maxicard, also back
Australian Antarctic Territory	L140-L143 fdc1	One of four stamps on FDC, also back		Also text on back: "Glaciology - Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ice drilling)"
Australian Antarctic Territory	L223 (Mi?)	One of MS4 (L226a (L223-L226))	2018	Researcher with "section of ice core from short-core drilling at Aurora Basin North field camp, 2013" (quoted text is from the folder back)
Australian Antarctic Territory	L223-L226 fdc	One of four stamps on FDC
Australian Antarctic Territory	L226a folder	Folder inside (with 4 stamps and MS4), also front and back
Belgium	B800 (Mi?)	In (lower-left) margin of SS1, also detail	1966
Belgium	B797-B800+B800 stamp folder	SS1 in FDC folder
British Antarctic Territory	236 (Mi246)		1996
British Antarctic Territory	235-238 fdc1	One of four stamps on FDC
British Antarctic Territory	235-238 fdc2	One of four stamps on FDC (different)
British Antarctic Territory	281 (Mi294)		1999
British Antarctic Territory	280-284 fdc	One of five stamps on FDC, also insert
British Antarctic Territory	343 (Mi381-382)	Pair (343 (a-b))	2004	Long term temperature record from EPICA2 Dome C ice cores
British Antarctic Territory	343c	MS20 (10x (343 (a-b)))
British Antarctic Territory	342-344 fdc	One of three pairs of stamps on FDC
British Antarctic Territory	478 (Mi?)		2014	"Surface radar" (In the iStar-NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) project, ground-based radar and seismic equipment were used to examine the characteristics of the bedrock beneath the Pine Island glacier in Antarctica, in order to measure variations in ice-flow from the ice shelf to the upper tributaries of the glacier)
Canada	2205a fdc1 (Mi2391-2392 fdc1)	(Canada Post) cachet on FDC (2 stamps)	2007
Canada	2205a fdc2 (Mi2391-2392 fdc2)	(Canada Post) cachet on FDC (4 stamps)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	105 (Mi182)		1984	"Glaciologie - forage" (ice coring and glaciology)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	106 (Mi183)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	106 cover (Mi183 cover)	Stamp on cover	1985	"Glaciologie - forage" (ice coring and glaciology)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	None	(Circular black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1985	"Expéditions polaires françaises - Antarctic Glaciol.[ogy] Project"
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	None	(Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1988	"Programme de glaciologie"
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C145 (Mi379)		1998	EPICA2 Dome C ice coring program (the ice cores provided a long term temperature record)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C145 fdc	Stamp and (pictorial) cancel and (black printed) cachet on FDC
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	702 (Mi?)	In (lower-left and right) margins of MS2 (702 (a-b))	2023	"Major glaciological expeditions [in] Adélie land" (in French text); ice coring (in right margin); preparing an ice core sample (in lower-left margin)
Germany	None	One of two (blue rubber-stamp) cachets on cover	2001	EPICA2 project, year 6
Greenland	526 (BL42)	In (right) margin of MS3 (526 (a-c))	2008	Ice coring in Greenland
Greenland	526 fdc1	MS3 and (?) cachet on FDC
Greenland	526 fdc2	MS3 on FDC (Greenland Post cachet)
Greenland	775 (Mi?)		2018	Camp Century9
Japan	None	(?) cachet on cover	1972	Ice coring in "JARE XIII" (the 13th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition)
New Zealand	793 (Mi891)		1984
New Zealand	791-794 fdc	One of four stamps on FDC
New Zealand	794a (Mi889-892)	MS4 (791-794)
New Zealand	794a cover1	MS4 on cover	1985
New Zealand	794a cover2	MS4 on cover (different)
Norway	1500 (BL34)	In (lower) margin of MS2 (1500 (a-b))	2007	Researcher holding ice core
Norway	1500 fdc	MS2 on FDC
Norway	1500 folder	MS2 in FDC folder
Poland	None	(Pictorial) cancel on cover	1977	Glaciotectonics Symposium
Poland	None	(Pictorial) cancel on cover	1980	Glaciotectonics Symposium
Russia (USSR)	None	(Blue and red printed) cachet on cover, also detail	1980	"Glaziologie"
Russia (USSR)	5902 (Mi6095)		1990	Ice coring and glaciological studies, joint Australia-Russia
Russia (USSR)	5902-5903 fdc	One of two stamps on FDC
Russia (USSR)	5903a (BL213)	MS2 (5902-5903)
Russia (USSR)	5903a fdc	MS2 on FDC
Russia	None	(Purple rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1990	"Glaciological expedition"
Russia	5902 cover (Mi6095 cover)	(Multi-color printed) cachet on cover, also detail	1991	Ice coring and glaciological studies, joint Australia-Russia
Russia Australia	5902-5903 fdc 1182-1183 fdc	Dual-country FDC	1990	Ice coring and glaciological studies, joint Australia-Russia
Russia Australia	5902-5903 1182-1183+1183a folder	Dual-country folder
Russia	6741 (BL51)	On one stamp and in (upper-left) margin of MS2 (a-b)	2003	Estimation of historical temperatures from ice cores; also ice coring drilling shelter tower in the lower stamp (also depicted in this diagram)
Spain	None	(Blue and red printed) cachet on cover	1979	"Molodjoshnaja Glaziologie"
Sweden	1749 (Mi1553)	One of booklet pane of 6 (1754a (1749-1754)), with booklet outside (front and back) and booklet interior	1989	"Climate changes studied in ice cores from East Greenland"
United States	None	(Dark blue rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1967	"USARP6" and "CRREL7 Deep Core Drilling in Ice"
United States	None	(Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1968	"USARP6" and "CRREL7 Deep Core Drilling in Ice"
United States	None	(Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1977	Ice coring at Dome C in the IAGP8 program
United States	None	(Black rubber-stamp and black printed) cachet on (airmail) cover
United States	None	(Black printed) cachet on cover	1983	IAGP8; "Forage/sondage climatopique Pôle Sud" (South Pole ice coring for climate research)
— Marine sediments and coring
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C97 (Mi?)		1987	Ocean floor coring (for studies of climate and climate continental drift)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C97 fdc	Stamp and (Éditions P.J.) cachet on FDC
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	None	(Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1988	"JOIDES Resolution10 Ocean Drilling Program"
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C116 (Mi278A) iC116 (Mi278B)	One of strip of 2 (C116a (C115-C116 + label)), or five of MS10 (C116b (5x 166a (115-116))) One of imperforate strip of 2 (iC116a (iC115-iC116 + label))	1991	"Paléoclimatologie sédimentaire"; "Évolution des climats" (in cachet text)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C116a fdc1	One of strip of 2 and cachet on FDC
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C116a fdc2	One of strip of 2 and cachet (different) on FDC
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C116a fdc3	One of strip of 2 and cachet (different) on FDC
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C116a fdc4	One of strip of 2 on FDC
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	C116a sc	Souvenir card
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	196 (Mi?)		1994	"Carottage en mer" (ocean floor coring)
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	611 (Mi1038-1040)	Strip of 3 stamps (611 (a-c))	2019	Project PALAS5 sediment coring in Lake Armor and other lakes in the Kerguelen Islands (described briefly in French in different text in each of the three stamps)
Micronesia	296 (BL41)	In (right) margin of SS1	1998	Ocean floor coring; "sea bottom sediment contains the history of the Earth's environment"
New Zealand	None	Personalized postage	2007	ANDRILL1 program; (ocean floor sediment coring for past climate changes)
New Zealand	None cover	Three personalized postage stamps and (black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover
New Zealand	None	Personalized postage (different)
United States	None	(Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1987	"JOIDES Resolution10 Ocean Drilling Program"
United States	None	(Black rubber-stamp) cachet on cover	1988	"JOIDES Resolution10 Ocean Drilling Program"
United States	None	(Yourstamps) personalized postage	2007	ARISE (ANDRILL1 Research Immersion for Science Educators) program
United States	None	(Yourstamps) personalized postage (different value)
United States	None	(Yourstamps) personalized postage		ANDRILL1 program; "Coring for past climate changes"
United States	None	(Yourstamps) personalized postage (different value)
United States	None	(Yourstamps) personalized postage		ANDRILL1 program; (ocean floor sediment coring for past climate changes)
United States	None	(Yourstamps) personalized postage (different value)
United States	None	(Yourstamps) personalized postage
United States	None	(Yourstamps) personalized postage (different value)
United States	None	(Zazzle.com) personalized postage	2007	ANDRILL1 program; (ocean floor sediment coring for past climate changes)
United States	None	(Zazzle.com) personalized postage (different)
United States	None	(Multi-color printed) cachet on postcard	2007	ANDRILL1 program; (ocean floor sediment coring for past climate changes); "The ANDRILL1 Program drills deep into Antarctic sediments to reveal this continent's past glacial history and to predict Earth's future climate."
— Tree rings (dendrochronology)
No postal items available yet

Country	Cancel Date	Cancel Location	Type of Item	Notes on Content
Solar effects
United States	1967-12-13	Patrick AFB, FL (hand cancel)	(SpaceCraft/Swanson) cachet on Pioneer-8 and TETR-1 launch cover, also insert	"Interplanetary Weatherman - to monitor solar events as the Sun reaches the climax of its 11-year cycle in 1969"
United States	1967-12-13	Patrick AFB, FL (machine cancel)	(SpaceCraft/Swanson) cachet on Pioneer-8 and TETR-1 launch cover, also insert
United States	1967-12-13	Cape Canaveral FL (lhand cancel)	(SpaceCraft/Swanson) cachet on Pioneer-8 and TETR-1 launch cover, also insert
United States	1967-12-13	Cape Canaveral FL (machine cancel)	(SpaceCraft/Swanson) cachet on Pioneer-8 and TETR-1 launch cover, also insert
United States	1968-03-05	Wallops Island VA (hand cancel)	(SpaceCraft/Swanson) insert from Explorer-37 (SolRad-9) launch cover, also front	"The Sun is now in the ascending part of its activity cycle with maximum solar activity expected in late 1969"
United States	1968-03-05	Wallops Island VA (machine cancel)	(SpaceCraft/Swanson) insert from Explorer-37 (SolRad-9) launch cover, also front
United States	1968-08-08	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Sarzin?) cachet on Explorer-39 and Explorer-40 launch cover	"to make detailed scientific study of density and radiation in Earth's upper atmosphere at the time of high solar activity"
United States	2010-02-11	Cape Canaveral FL	(Mission 57) back of SDO launch cover, also front	Among other measurements, the satellite observes "solar extreme-ultraviolet irradiance ... to understand its influence on Earth's climate and near-Earth space"
United States	2011-03-04	Cape Canaveral FL	(Mission-57) back of Glory and E1P and KySat-1 and Hermes launch cover, also front	"measure solar irradiance and its effects on Earth's long-term climate - knowing how the [Sun's] electromagnetic spectrum fluctuates, scientists will understand how the Sun affects the Earth's temperature"
Effect of continental drift
United States	1976-05-04	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Orbit Covers) cachet on LAGEOS-1 launch cover	"Continental drift" and maps of "Earth 225 million years ago" and "8 million years hence"
Volcanic effects
United States	1994-09-30	Houston TX	(Colorano silk) cachet (different) on STS-68 launch cover	"Within hours of Endeavour's launch, the Klyuchevskaya volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula erupted, sending a plume of ash and gas 60,000 ft [18.3 km] into the atmosphere".
United States	2022-11-011	Vandenberg SFB, CA (red hand cancel)	(JM) cachet on JPSS-2 (NOAA-21) launch cover	"helps detect environmental hazards like ... volcanic eruptions"
Ocean effects and Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
United States	1970-12-11	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Orbit Covers) cachet on NOAA-1 launch cover	"To prepare global maps of sea surface temperatures"
United States	1971-10-21	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Orbit Covers) cachet on ITOS-B [failed] launch cover	"Global maps of sea surface temperatures"
United States	1971-10-21	Lompoc CA, Vandenberg AFB	(Solar Covers no.25) insert from ITOS-B [failed] launch cover, also front	"The scanning radiometer also was to measure surface temperatures in cloud-free areas. NOAA's Satellite Service has developed a technique for preparing global maps of sea-surface temperatures from satellite infrared measurements".
United States	1972-07-23	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Solar Covers no.42) insert from Landsat-1 launch cover, also front	The satellite took some photographs that "showed what changes currents are causing in the ocean floor off Cape Cod"
United States	1972-10-15	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Orbit Covers) cachet on NOAA-2 and OSCAR-6 launch cover	"Measure temperature levels of oceans"
United States	1972-12-09	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Orbit Covers) cachet on Nimbus-5 launch cover	"Monitor disappearing [ocean] current off western S. America"
United States	1972-12-10	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Centennial) cachet on Nimbus-5 launch cover	"Atmosphere, ocean and surface monitoring satellite" (ocean monitoring refers to measurement of SSTs as well as observation of cloud systems over the oceans)
United States	1973-12-06	Houston TX	(MSC) cachet on Skylab-4 event cover	"Unexpected cold spots found in Caribbean" (from EREP2 observations)
United States	1974-05-17	Cape Canaveral FL	(Orbit Covers) cachet on SMS-1 launch cover	"transmit data for ... sea conditions"
United States	1975-02-06	Cape Canaveral FL	(Orbit Covers) cachet on SMS-2 launch cover	"transmit data for ... sea conditions"
United States	1975-04-09	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Vandy? green rubber-stamp) cachet on GEOS-3 launch cover	"An oceanographic-geodetic satellite designed to measure topography of ocean surface and sea state - wave height, period and direction"
United States	1975-04-09	Lompoc CA, Vandenberg AFB	(Vandy? green rubber-stamp) cachet on GEOS-3 launch cover
United States	1975-04-09	Lompoc CA, Vandenberg AFB	(Vandy? green rubber-stamp) cachet (and signature) on GEOS-3 launch cover
United States	1975-06-12	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Orbit Covers) cachet on Nimbus-6 launch cover	"Study sea ice in polar regions"
United States	1975-10-16	Kennedy Space Center FL	(Space Voyage) cachet on GOES-1 launch cover	"observation of ocean currents"
United States	1975-10-16	Cape Canaveral FL	(Space Voyage) cachet on GOES-1 launch cover
United States	1977-06-16	Cape Canaveral FL	(Orbit Covers) cachet on GOES-2 launch cover	"measure topography of ocean surface and sea state wave height"
United States	1977-11-22	Cape Canaveral FL	(Orbit Covers) cachet on Meteosat-1 launch cover	"measure topography of ocean surface and sea state wave height"
United States	1978-06-16	Cape Canaveral FL	(Orbit Covers) cachet on GOES-3 launch cover	"measure topography of ocean surface and sea state wave height"
United States	1978-06-26	GSFC, MD	(GSFC Stamp Club) cachet on SeaSat launch cover	"objectives are global monitoring of the ocean geoid, wave topography, wave directional spectrum, surface wind speed and direction, ocean surface temperature and ice field extent and dynamics"
United States	1978-06-26	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Centennial) cachet on SeaSat launch cover	"to study the world's oceans"
United States	1978-06-27	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Space Voyage) cachet on SeaSat launch cover	"for global monitoring of ocean, wave topography, surface wind speed & direction, ocean surface temperature and ice field extent and dynamics"
United States	1979-06-27	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Zaso silk/IASP no.16) cachet on NOAA-6 launch cover	"The Gulf Stream and the Gulf of Mexico's loop current appear orange in a color-coded infrared image from a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite ... launched June 27th, 1979"
China (People's Republic)	1990-09-03	?	(China Taiyun Satellite Launch Center) back of FY-1B launch cover, also front	capable of measuring the "temperatures of the ocean surface"
France	1992-08-10	Toulouse	(JPL Stamp Club) cachet on TOPEX-Poseidon launch cover	"Understanding ocean circulation"
French Guiana	1992-08-10	Kourou	(JPL Stamp Club) cachet on TOPEX-Poseidon launch cover
United States	1992-08-10	Pasadena CA	(JPL Stamp Club) cachet on TOPEX-Poseidon launch cover
United States	1995-08-10	Pasadena CA	(JPL Stamp Club) cachet on TOPEX-Poseidon event cover	"Understanding our ocean and climate"
United States	1997-08-01	Lompoc CA, Vandenberg AFB	(Black printed) cachet on SeaWiFS/OrbView-2 launch cover	Study of the role of the Earth's oceans in the carbon cycle and of the impact of phytoplankton on global climate.
United States	2003-01-12	Vandenberg AFB, Lompoc CA	(Multi-color printed) cachet on Explorer-82 and ICESat launch cover	"Sea Level"
United States	2008-01-20	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Mission-57) cachet on Jason-2 launch cover, also back	Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomaly chart over Pacific, probably illustrating La Niña conditions
United States	2008-06-20	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Multi-color printed) cachet on Jason-2 launch cover	"to measure the distance between the orbiting spacecraft and the ocean surface"
United States	2016-01-17	Hawthorne CA	(Multi-color printed) cachet on Jason-3 launch cover	"sea surface height measurements"
United States	2020-11-17	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Red Eagle) cachet on Jason-CS1 (Sentinel-6A) launch cover	"Sea level measurement [by] climate change monitoring satellite"
United States	2020-11-21	Vandenberg AFB, CA	(Ranski) cachet on Jason-CS1 (Sentinel-6A) launch cover	"to study changing sea levels" and Pacific Ocean sea level map
United States	2022-11-011	Vandenberg SFB, CA (red hand cancel)	(JM) cachet on JPSS-2 (NOAA-21) launch cover	"The satellites also monitor global oceans, measuring sea-surface temperature and tracking sea ice and harmful algal blooms"