Eyjafjallajokull 2010 Flashcards
Background/causes
- Iceland sits on the mid-Atlantic ridge where the North American and Eurasian plates move apart at a rate of 2.5 cm/yr
- Volcano is on a coastal location and near other volcanoes
- The constructive boundary led to magma rising to the surface at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano and leading to an eruption
- Shield volcanoes are usually found at constructive locations
- Sub-glacial nature of volcano made eruption far more violent than would normally be expected from an Icelandic volcano (VEI 4)
- Eruption occurred under ice which was melted by magma causing a pressurised system
- Erupted from 14th to 20th April 2010
Plume
The interaction of magma and water created a plume of very fine volcanic ash and gas over 10km high, which spread out and was carried by winds south-eastwards towards the Faroe Islands, Norway, and northern Scotland.
Economic cost
. Airlines lost a combined £130 million per day in lost revenues, according to the (IATA)
. Europe’s biggest tourism businesses lost between £5 million and £6 million per day
. Different transport companies benefited
. There was a huge increase in passenger numbers on Eurostar. It saw an increase of nearly a third, with 50,000 extra passengers travelling on their trains
. Exporters of perishable goods from the Caribbean and Africa were badly affected. Kenyan farmers reportedly resorted to dumping stocks of fresh food and flowers, which would otherwise have been sold to Europe. Kenya’s economy lost £2.8 billion because of flights to Europe being cancelled
. Japanese car manufacturer Nissan halted production of several models for one day because it was not able to import parts from Ireland.
. As a result of staff being stranded abroad, meetings being cancelled and delays to air mail, many businesses worldwide lost money
. During the main 8 day travel ban around 107,000 flights were cancelled accounting for 48% of total air traffic and roughly 10 million passengers
Environmental impact
. Ash deposited dissolved iron into the North Atlantic, triggering a plankton bloom
. The mass-grounding of European flights prevented the emission of some 2.8m tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
. The eruption on 14 April set off a major flood in Iceland, when erupted lava partly melted a glacier prompting authorities to order 700 people to evacuate
. 250 million cubic metres of ash and tephra released
Social impact
. The people living in the rural areas ‘downwind’ of the volcano had to wear goggles and facemasks as the ash was so thick
. 500 local cattle farmers and their families had to be evacuated from the area around the volcano
. Many of the roads surrounding the volcano were shut down
. The ash contaminated local water supplies. Farmers near the volcano were warned not to let their livestock drink from contaminated streams and water sources, as high concentrations of fluoride from the ash mixed with river water can have deadly effects, particularly in sheep
. 20 farms totally destroyed by ash and flooding
. Flooding due to melt of 150m thick ice cape destroyed part of the route 1 road
Short term responses
. Area around volcano evacuated
. Icelandic authorities evacuated about 800 people at night - no human fatalities
. European Red Cross societies mobilised volunteers, staff + other resources
. European Red Cross provided food for farming population near glacier + gave psychological support, in particular children
. The Icelandic meteorological office are the one place that deal with hazards - easy to get information
. Iceland declared a state of emergency
. European airspace was closed
. • Dutch red cross set up 1 500 beds in Schiphol airport for trapped passengers
Long term responses
. EU has developed an integrated structure for air traffic management
. 9 functional airspace blocks will replace the existing 27 areas - controlling airspace’s made simpler
. Creation of European aviation crisis coordination cell created to facilitate a coordinated European approach in the future + platform to distribute information
. Work done to include science in policy making
. Strengthen links with volcanologists across Europe
. Practice volcanic ash contingency plan
. ICAO introduced an annual volcanic ash exercise
. Study of UK residents in 2012 showed airlines are most trusted to make decisions after eruptions
