Case Study - Eyjafjallajokull volcano

Question 1

What is the full name of E15?

Answer 1

Eyjafjallajokull

Question 2

What is E15?

Answer 2

A volcano completely covered by an ice cap

Question 3

What area does the ice cap cover?

Answer 3

100 square kilometers

Question 4

Where is E15?

Answer 4

Iceland

Question 5

What type of volcano is E15?

Answer 5

A stratovolcano

Question 6

How tall is E15?

Answer 6

1,651 metres at its highest point

Question 7

When did it erupt?

Answer 7

March and May 2010

Question 8

Why did it erupt?

Answer 8

It lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which is a constructive plate boundary separating the North American and Eurasian plate

Question 9

What happens on a constructive plate boundary?

Answer 9

The two plates move apart due to ridge push where as the plates move apart magma fills the magma chamber.

Question 10

What made this eruption so ‘normal’?

Answer 10

The eruption scaled 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) which occurs in Iceland around 15 times a year

Question 11

What magnified the impact of this relatively ordinary eruption?

Answer 11

A settled weather pattern with winds blowing towards Europe, very fine ash, and a persistent eruption lasting 39 years.

Question 12

What were the social primary effects?

Answer 12

• Day turned to night as the ash blocked the sun.
• Rescuers wore face masks to prevent choking on ash clouds.

Question 13

What were the economic primary effects?

Answer 13

• European airspace was brought to a standstill, costing billions of euros in delays.
• Airlines lost around £130m per day due to the no-fly zone across much of Europe.
• The price of shares in major airlines dropped between 2.5 and 3.3%.
• Imports and exports across European countries were disrupted, but the net trade position remained relatively unaffected.

Question 14

What were the Environmental Primary Effects?

Answer 14

• Homes and roads were damaged, and services were disrupted.
• Crops were destroyed by ash.
  Roads were washed away.

Question 15

What were the secondary effects?

Answer 15

• Sporting events were cancelled or affected due to cancelled flights.
• Fresh food imports stopped, and industries were affected by a lack of imported raw materials.
• Local water supplies were contaminated with fluoride.
• Flooding was caused as the glacier melted.

Question 16

What were the international effects?

Answer 16

The eruption affected Kenya’s horticulture industry, with 5,000 workers laid off as flowers and vegetables rotted at airports. Kenya lost $1.3m daily in exports to Europe, where 97% of its 500 tonnes of daily flower exports are sent. In 2009, horticulture, Kenya’s top foreign exchange earner, generated 71 billion shillings (£594m).

Question 17

What opportunities did the eruption of E15 bring?

Answer 17

• The grounding of European flights prevented 2.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
• Alternative transport modes, such as Eurostar, saw increased demand, with passenger numbers rising by nearly a third (50,000 extra passengers).
• Ash from the eruption deposited dissolved iron into the North Atlantic, triggering a plankton bloom and boosting biological productivity.
• Iceland launched the Inspired by Iceland tourism campaign to counter negative publicity, promoting the country’s beauty and hospitality.
• Tourism in Iceland increased significantly as a result of the campaign.

Question 18

What was done to reduce the impact of the eruption of E15?

Answer 18

• The area around the volcano was evacuated, with 700 people evacuated three times within a month, including during nighttime flash floods.
• The European Red Cross provided food, counselling, and psychosocial support, especially for traumatised children in farming communities near the glacier.
• The European Union implemented a new air traffic management structure, reducing 27 airspace zones to nine Functional Airspace Blocks (FABs), aiming to limit airspace closures during future volcanic eruptions.