Eyafjallajokull Flashcards
what date did the event occur
14th April 2010
what is Icelands GDP
$21.71 billion
what is Icelands HDI
0.891
measurement of volcano on VEI
2-4
plate boundaries associated with eruption
located on a divergent plate boundary - on the mid Atlantic ridge - where eurasian plate meats the North American plate
characteristics of the first phase of the eruption
march 10 - effusive eruption - series of lava fissures between 150m to 200m
characteristics of second phase
vulcanian eruption
large amount of ash released into atmosphere - 10km high - 58% silica
polar jet stream drove the ash particles all over Europe
Jokulhlaup - large and abrupt release of water from a subglacial lake or reservoir - down northern slope
3 social impacts of the eruption
high level of lung irritation symptoms
many sports events disrupted - Boston marathon
travel plans stopped due to closure of airports
economic impacts of the eruption (4)
total loss for the airline industry was $1.7 billion
thick ash fell on farmland in raufarfell - difficult to continue farming - loss income for farmers - less food security
disruption to supply chains - Nissan stopped the production of 4,000 vehicles - could not ship the products
in the UK 13 travel firms collapsed post eruption
Environmental impacts caused by the eruption (3)
Ash infiltrated water - contaminated water for livestock
volcano released 150,000 tonnes of CO2 each day
reduction in air travel - saved estimated 1.3 to 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere
Political impacts caused by the eruption (2)
Norwegian prime minister has to run country on iPad in airport as he could not travel home
400,000 British citizens were stranded outside the country as they could not travel home including gov officials
name 3 local impacts
High level of lung irritation - caused by ash
route 1 - main road was washed away by jokulhlaup - unable to travel - to job
good harvest longer term due to more fertile soil
short term harder to farm due to ash lying over land
name 2 regional impacts
in the UK 13 travel firms collapsed post eruption
disruption of UK general election between Tony Blair and Vince cable
name 4 global impacts from the eruption
reduction of air travel saved an estimated 1.3 million tonnes to 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere
IATA stated total loss for airline industry was around $1.7 billion
air travel disrupted - due to ash clouds - ash heated up in plane engine turn to glass - cause plane to crash - no travel in euro region
disruption to merchandise exports - Kenyas flowers costing $3.8 million each day
mitigate the loss of the eruption
less mitigation of loss as Iceland is an AC
European commission permitted state aid to those airlines and airpots who were hit badly by the shut downs
mitigate the hazard event
the jokulhlaup was redirected - as was flowing towards an expensive bridge - therefore rerouted to route 1 road - the flowed into the sea - scale of economic impacts was reduced as bridge reconstruction expensive
mitigate the vulnerability (4)
sweeper system was deployed - local volunteers - go house to house to ensure everyone has received the warnings - and are evacuating
700 people living in low lying areas were evacuated - due to Jokulhlaup - due to high education - residents aware and compliant
all volcanoes in Iceland are monitored and response units are fast to react
chief of police held meetings with scientists, local police - in response to increased seismicity - early 2010 to finalise evacuation plans
why do people live in Icelands hazardous environments (4)
geothermal energy used to create electricity for 89% of Icelandic homes - is also sustainable - in reykjavik 2200 km of pipes are used to transport the geothermal energy for the citizens
fertile land due to the ash - good for food production
tourism is a large aspect of why people live there - 345,000 in 2005 - one of main attraction is the blue lagoon hot spring - caused by groundwater heating
primary industries use the natural minerals in rocks - for infrastrucure such as roads using pumice
