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Case Study: Eyjafjallajokull volcano (The eruption (South of Iceland, sits…
Case Study: Eyjafjallajokull volcano
The eruption
South of Iceland, sits astride from the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
Minor eruptions began in March on south-east side of volcano.
permanent ice sheet covered 1000m of the volcano, so when it erupted in April meltwater formed.
phreatomagnetic eruption.
:!!:
1660m high.
hot ash cloud
= water entered the caldera and mixed with lava.
jokulhlaup
= meltwater rushing down slope mixed with other substances
plume rose to 8km in height but deflected
to east by westerly winds, disrupting airline routes and farmers.
Main period of impact lasted 2 weeks.
Local impacts
Economical
Tourism boosted while eruptions occurred. :check:
Local roads blocked by glacial flooding, disrupting delivery trucks and farm business. :red_cross:
Social
Tourism increase :check:
Height of eruptions the area was in darkness and gas masks were recommended. :red_cross:
Glacial flood disrupted local supply of water :red_cross:
Environmental
Crop yield improved.
Land already rich in minerals but ash encouraged more vegetation growth and was plowed into the soil to increase fertility. :check:
Ash became wet and compact, covering large areas of crops. :red_cross:
Ash contains
flouride
which contaminates water supplies and dangerous to animals :red_cross:
Runny basaltic lava melts ice in little as 10 minutes causing outburst floods. :red_cross:
National impacts
Economic
Channel Tunnel, Channel ferries, Taxi services had extra business.
Eurostar rail services from London to France and Germany had an extra 50,000 passengers a day.
:check:
Globally airlines estimated a loss of £1.05 billion.
:red_cross:
Fresh fish exports, a major local industry, lost income. :red_cross:
Social
Huge reduction in air traffic and pollution
= temporary improvement in quality of life :check:
100,000 flights cancelled.
Aid deliveries (organ transplants) and car parts for factories could not be carried out. :red_cross:
Environmental
The eruption was not large by world standards :check:
Response - proactive
social
communication with Icelandic MET office and London aviation advice centre made in April 2010
trained evaluation team who provided residents with 30 minutes to leave their houses and reach the safe zones provided for them.
economic
Visitors centre opened up to generate income from tourist attraction
improvements in technology which give detailed and accurate figures of exact heights of ash clouds to minimise disruption of flights.
aviation industry experimenting with infrared sensors to detect and avoid ash clouds.
environmental
Ploughing ash into existing soil to improve fertility