Volcanic Activity Thread!

[stewfox]

Im just glad its not windy, with flights grounded we only have the ferry's at the moment, if the ferry's where cancelled we really would be cut off.

How bad is it up there ??.

Ferry's cancelled and cars travel band in scotland

www.scotlandnews.com

No that's just called 'Scottish Weather' Mr M.

Interesting isn't it? As far as I can make out it's very high (plane crusing altitude) and not visible, but could cause usn a very good sunset tonight.

Is there any chance any of this could give us a dusting?

Reminds me I have some good pictures following that Hemel Hempstead explosion a few years back, I live less then a mile from the site and pictures of how the sky clouded over, it was very interesting.

[Mondy]

The main volcanic cloud is at altitude 20-35,000ft. At 20,000ft that's considerably less than cruising altitude.

[Beverley Lass]

A BBC (one) news special on as I type

about this.

BL.

[Cookie]

How bad is it up there ??.

Ferry's cancelled and cars travel band in scotland

not that bad and thanfully ferry's aint cancelled, haven't been outside yet.

[Roo]

Reminds me I have some good pictures following that Hemel Hempstead explosion a few years back, I live less then a mile from the site and pictures of how the sky clouded over, it was very interesting.

Mmmmm I remember flicking small bits of sooty nasty off my, then baby's, pram blanket! Nice!

My mum and dad in scotland are saying that local news is suggesting that flights could be cancelled for several days.

One of those interesting times where you realise what we actually 'need', what is luxury, and how it can all be overturned by nature!

I bet there's a lot of scientists frantically gathering data in the absence of plane traffic!

Edited April 15, 2010 by Roo

[Mondy]

http://avherald.com/img/iceland_volcano_100414_est.jpg

The red line is Flight Level up to 20,000ft - which is what I see here.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Mondy

[The PIT]

Oh dear BBC news trying to ramp up the panic. Asthma suffers told to be careful while the expert saying there's no problem at the moment.

Cookie Beeb saying the gas can be smelt. Can it???

[Mondy]

Why it's important not to fly today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLM_Flight_867

[Weather-history]

I don't understand i cant see any ash on the SAT 24 website, whats all the fuss about?

Its weird because its looks an ordinary day here.

[kar999]

'I CAN'T COME INTO WORK BECAUSE OF THE VOLCANO'

THOUSANDS of people across Britain are planning an early start to the weekend today as the Icelandic volcano presented them a fascinating new excuse.

Innovative shirkers are claiming that ash from the massive eruption 800 miles north of the British Isles has interfered with the electrics in their car, or obscured their view of the bus stop.

Meanwhile there are growing fears that the massive ash cloud may be unable to prevent tonight's party leaders' TV debate.

Gordon Brown has accused the Tories of a 'do-nothing' approach to volcanoes, while Lib Dem treasury spokesman Vince Cable has chartered a steam boat to Reykjavik, promising to put all the ash and lava back in to the big hole in the middle.

[Weather-history]

Why it's important not to fly today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLM_Flight_867

Yes but it does say a thick cloud of ash. I look out the window to blue sky, the sky don't look any different than normal. Are they erring on the side of caution?

Edited April 15, 2010 by Mr_Data

[glasgow-guy]

was a really bright sunny morning here but now there is thick dark cloud above me now better bring in the washing just in case

[Rollo]

I think the main concern is if the nearby volcano called Katla (I think)erupts-I think it last did in 1740 and it was preceeded then by this current volcano erupting,goodness knows what the result would be if that happened. My son is running an F1 radio controlled car race at a new shopping centre in Aberdeen this weekend and competitors and film crews were due to fly in from many points of the compass-looks like all his work may come to nought-poor lad.

[glasgow-guy]

a question?

could this ash in the atmosphere make this coming cold spell any worse due to the blocking of the sun?

[Cookie]

Oh dear BBC news trying to ramp up the panic. Asthma suffers told to be careful while the expert saying there's no problem at the moment.

Cookie Beeb saying the gas can be smelt. Can it???

im now worried a little being an Asthma suffer.

been outside for the first time today. Deffiantly a bit of smell out thier.

[Mondy]

I think the main concern is if the nearby volcano called Katla (I think)erupts-I think it last did in 1740 and it was preceeded then by this current volcano erupting,goodness knows what the result would be if that happened. My son is running an F1 radio controlled car race at a new shopping centre in Aberdeen this weekend and competitors and film crews were due to fly in from many points of the compass-looks like all his work may come to nought-poor lad.

If Katla blows it will cool the Earth by 3-4c. She is a sleeping MONSTER

[HighPressure]

17 plans left in the sky in UK airspace, 15 on final approach.

[mezzacyclone]

VAT thread never seen so many part-timers? (self shamefully included)

Any reports of visible fall?

maybe a temp local "ash fall" thread?

[Coast]

news.bbc.co.uk

Why we cannot fly through a cloud of volcanic ash

More than 1,000km from the event itself, Iceland's second volcanic eruption in the space of a month has caused flights in the UK to be grounded. Scientists and aviation authorities are continuing to monitor a plume of volcanic ash that is moving southwards over the UK. The entirety of UK airspace will be closed from noon on Thursday.

National Air Traffic Services said: "No flights will be permitted in UK controlled airspace other than emergency situations" until 1800 BST at the earliest. The eruption ejected the plume, which is made up of fine rock particles, up to 11km into the atmosphere. "This ash cloud is now drifting with the high altitude winds," said Dr David Rothery, a volcano researcher from the UK's Open University. "The main mass is over Scandinavia, but it is also over the north of Great Britain and is likely to spread south over the whole island by the end of [Thursday]."

The plume is so high that it will neither be visible nor pose a threat to the health of humans on the ground, although Dr Rothery added that we may have a "spectacularly red sunset" on Thursday evening. The major concern is that the ash could pose a very serious hazard to aircraft engines. Dr Dougal Jerram, an earth scientist at the University of Durham, UK, explained: "Eruptions which are charged with gas start to froth and expand as they reach the surface.

"This results in explosive eruptions and this fine ash being sent up into the atmosphere. "If it is ejected high enough, the ash can reach the high winds and be dispersed around the globe, for example, from Iceland to Europe. These high winds are exactly where the aeroplanes cruise." "Air traffic restrictions have very properly been applied," said Dr Rothery. "If volcanic ash particles are ingested into a jet engine, they accumulate and clog the engines with molten glass."

In 1982, British Airways and Singapore Airways jumbo jets lost all their engines when they flew into an ash cloud over Indonesia. Reports said that the ash sandblasted the windscreen and clogged the engines, which only restarted when enough of the molten ash solidified and broke off. A KLM flight had a similar experience in 1989 over Alaska. Stewart John, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and former president of the Royal Aeronautical Society, explained that the ash can cause severe damage.

"This dust really is nasty stuff," he told BBC News. "It's extremely fine and if it gets into a jet engine, it blocks up all of the ventilation holes that bleed in cooling air. "Jet engines operate at about 2,000C, and the metals can't take that. The engine will just shut down." In the case of the 1982 British Airways flight, Dr John explained, when the plane emerged from the cloud, the pilot repeatedly tried and failed to restart the engines. "They were going down and down, and had just about accepted that they would have to ditch. "But, at the last minute, one engine started. By repeatedly turning the engine over and having a clean airflow going through, he managed to blow the ash out."

Dr Rothery explained that as a result of those incidents, emergency procedure manuals for pilots were changed. "Previously, when engines began to fail the standard practice had been to increase power. This just makes the ash problem worse," he said.

"Nowadays, a pilot will throttle back and lose height so as to drop below the ash cloud as soon as possible. The inrush of cold, clean air is usually enough to shatter the glass and unclog the engines. "Even so, the forward windows may have become so badly abraded by ash that they are useless, and the plane has to land on instruments."

Time to get the cameras out for that sunset later then?

[Mondy]

Play this in its entirety. It takes a little to load, but worth it: http://www.yr.no/satellitt/europa_animasjon.html

[LadyPakal]

http://oiswww.eumetsat.org/IPPS/html/MSG/RGB/ASH/ICELAND/

Meteosat image of the ash coming from Iceland - time loop.

Meto ash charts:

http://metoffice.com/aviation/vaac/data/VAG_1271309704.png

Interesting discussion here (including comments from some local guys - Jón Frímann is one of them):

http://scienceblogs.com/eruptions/2010/04/subglacial_eruption_underway_a.php

Edited April 15, 2010 by LadyPakal

[MR EXTREMES]

can some one tell me what is the concerns its not really intence eruption so why is this a big news story?

[risk of sleet]

Looks like sferics from the ash plume? http://andvari.vedur.is/athuganir/eldingar/

[dogs32]

Looks like sferics from the ash plume? http://andvari.vedur.is/athuganir/eldingar/

yes saw this phenomena in other large clouds of smoke....

very peculiar

[liamcymro]

http://sat24.com/Eyjafjallajokull-volcano.aspx

http://sat24.com/Eyjafjallajokull-volcano.aspx