A report, entitled “Iceland's Volcanic Ash Halts Flights Across Europe” by Jill Lawless and carried by Associated Press on April 16, 2010 details the widespread disruption to European air travel caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano, Mount Eyjafjallajokull. This report notes that the volcanic ash, in effect pulverized rock, was spewed between 20,000 to 40,000 feet into the atmosphere right where modern aircraft ply their trade. The report explains that this atmospheric dust not only hinders visibility but can also damage aircraft engines, forcing them to shut down completely. The report highlights the fact that this disruption is not only affecting the countries of Europe, but has a knock on effect on all worldwide flights that have a European destination.
Icelandic Volcano Erupts
The UK Daily Telegraph, in an article entitled “Iceland Volcano Eruption Triggers Fears for Glacier”, reported on March 21, 2010 that a previously dormant Icelandic volcano, Mount Eyjafjallajokull, had begun to erupt, raising fears for the Eyjafjallajokull glacier under which it sat. Although local residents were temporarily evacuated, the article quotes Agust Gunnar Gylfason, a risk analyst at the Icelandic Civil Protection Department as saying that, “"The eruption is a small one." Very quickly the volcanic activity subsided and the residents were allowed to return. Less than a month later, a much stronger eruption has taken place, with more widespread environmental impacts.
Environmental Effects of Volcanic Eruptions
“Volcanic Gases and Their Effects”, available on the Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey website (retrieved on May 16, 2010) lists a number of the environmental effects of volcanic eruptions and atmospheric dust caused by such eruptions.
- Volcanoes can spew atmospheric dust and gases tens of kilometers into the earth’s atmosphere where prevailing winds can very quickly transport them thousands of kilometers from the original eruption.
- Volcanic ash can lower visibility in the upper atmosphere and knock out aircraft engines.
- Widespread ash from volcanic eruptions increase the Earth’s “Albedo Effect”, cooling the temperature of the lower troposphere while increasing the temperature of the stratosphere.
- Volcanic activity is estimated to be responsible for the release of 130 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually.
- Sulfur dioxide, a major ingredient of volcanic activity, is the primary cause of environmentally damaging acid rain. It also forms sulfuric acid mists which causes pulmonary damage to both people and animals.
- Hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas with an offensive odor, causes irritation of the upper respiratory tract and pulmonary edema.
- Atmospheric dust from volcanoes can act as a magnet for other pollutants and water vapor, giving rise to atmospheric hazes and heavy fogs.
Environmental Effects of Previous Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanoes in Human History, by Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Sanders, published by Princeton University Press in 2002 lists a number of previous volcanic eruptions and their environmental impacts.
- The last time Mount Eyjafjallajokull erupted was in 1823 and it lasted 13 months. It lowered temperatures throughout Europe and North America for the next 4 years and Iceland lost half of its cattle and three quarters of its sheep because of the poisonous gases from the eruption.
- The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption cost 57 lives and sent a column of ash 80,000 feet into the atmosphere. High altitude winds spread the ash cloud over a wide area and within two weeks the ash had spread to all parts of the globe. Over the nine hours of the eruption over 500 million tons of ash fell over an area of more than 20,000 square miles.
- Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in June 1991. The environmental effects of the Mount Pinatubo eruption were felt worldwide. It ejected 10 billion tonnes of magma and 20 million tonnes of sulfuric dioxide. Global temperatures are reckoned to have fallen by a half degree Celsius and the ozone depletion was substantially increased.
- The largest recorded volcanic eruption was the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia. The death toll was between 30,000 and 120,000, world temperatures fell by over 1 degree Celsius and it took 5 years for the local weather patterns to return to normal.
Laurence O'Sullivan - Larry O'Sullivan, Irish short story and freelance Article writer now living in Thailand. I am Irish, 55 years old and am now living in ...
Join the Conversation