Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

Big news!

UPDATE – THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION INTERVENES:

Europe should reduce its volcanic ash flight ban to “several dozen kilometres” around Iceland and rethink the Met Office science behind the current no fly restrictions, said a senior European Commission official today.

Matthias Ruete, the Commission’s director general of transport, criticised national air traffic authorities for relying on a single source of scientific evidence for the four day ban, which has created a major aviation crisis.

“The science behind the model we are running at the moment is based on certain assumptions where we do not have clear scientific evidence,” he said.

“We don’t even know what density the cloud should be in order to affect jet engines. We have a model that runs on mathematical projections.”

So it was all a big scare from the UK Met Office and it will all be sorted out in time for the next party leaders' debate this Thursday.

Edited April 19, 2010 by AtlanticFlamethrower

[Guest]

So it was all a big scare from the UK Met Office and it will all be sorted out in time for the next party leaders' debate this Thursday.

Let's hope it was just a big scare and nothing bad happens when the flights resume. Only time will tell.

[Costa Del Fal]

Very odd look to the sky right now. Street lights have been on and off. Its cloudy here but with quite a haze and an orangey look to the sky. Ash in the sky?

Edited April 19, 2010 by Blizzards

[Rustynailer]

http://picasaweb.google.com/102175391233488315229/EyjafjallajokullVolcano19thOfApril2010#

Here is part of the hourly updated webcam shots there are more for mila I suspect.

More frequent than the other day,cool, I was told hourly...

Edited April 19, 2010 by Rustynailer

[cooling climate]

Has anyone got a live webcam view at the moment. I have not been able to access one for

several hours now.

[saint]

Very odd look to the sky right now. Street lights have been off. Its cloudy here but with quite a haze and an orangey look to the sky. Ash in the sky?

I have noticed that the sky has had a orange look to it this evening, I wonder if the shower at the moment has any Ash in it?

Edited April 19, 2010 by saint

[sconetone]

Has anyone got a live webcam view at the moment. I have not been able to access one for

several hours now.

All the Mila/Vodafone ones are now restricted to icelanders only which is understandable as they need the info the most.

Closest to 'live' is this one

http://www.mulakot.net/myndavelar.html 3rd pic down, just keep refreshing it

[The PIT]

Sky round here has some very dark clouds around like you're going to have a storm. It's also misty.

[coldfingers]

Very odd look to the sky right now. Street lights have been on and off. Its cloudy here but with quite a haze and an orangey look to the sky. Ash in the sky?

OH! I just looked out the window when I read your post and the same effect is showing here. Never noticed that before! Could be sea fog here of course but I have never noticed it in a sea fog before.

Looking at the webcam it seems it is spewing just as much ash but the wind is driving it along at a lower altitude.

Edited April 19, 2010 by coldfingers

[joggs]

Sky round here has some very dark clouds around like you're going to have a storm. It's also misty.

Pit we had sky like that a couple hours ago, could,ve sworn there were massive storm brewing and very misty with it. Then it just broke up to leave a beautifull crisp clear evening with a pink slightly greenish sunset.

[The PIT]

A pdf about the type of magma erupted during the eruption.

http://www.earthice.hi.is/Apps/WebObjects/HI.woa/swdocument/1015810/2010-04-19+-+Report+on+magma+chemistry+-+Olgeir+et.al+.pdf

The ash cloud certainly is getting higher as well.

Edited April 19, 2010 by The PIT

[SnowBear]

Of course, the next time we get a similar situation, everyone will be then be jittery on closing airspace due to this uproar, and next thing we know,a plane is down. Some people need to get real in these situations, god forbid if we ever get a really bad disaster, everyone will run round like headless chickens looking for someone to blame/sue/claim off, these are acts of nature, you take caution in any event like this and you wont hurry Mother Nature along no matter what, 1 day, 120 days, it will take as long as it takes.

Just want to comment on a post I saw some time back about if someone wants to take a chance flying they should be able to, right, you fly, and keep out of the airspace with populated areas underneath, take your risks, but for those of us living on flight paths we would rather we did not have risks taken if it is advised not to fly thank you.

[cooling climate]

All the Mila/Vodafone ones are now restricted to icelanders only which is understandable as they need the info the most.

Closest to 'live' is this one

http://www.mulakot.net/myndavelar.html 3rd pic down, just keep refreshing it

Much appreciated, cheers.

[Stormyking]

Have to say we too have mist with a funny looking sky as well, well we did but its still misty here but theres loads of dust on the cars and the dust actually smells like ash.

[nick sussex]

Big news!

So it was all a big scare from the UK Met Office and it will all be sorted out in time for the next party leaders' debate this Thursday.

So basically the whole of Europe shutdown because of just the UKMO! Surely the rest of Europes met offices would have had to be backing the UKMO with their own data. OMG if it was just the UKMO this could be a complete embarrassment! What next litigation against the UKMO and government by the airlines for loss of revenue!

[coldfingers]

Of course, the next time we get a similar situation, everyone will be then be jittery on closing airspace due to this uproar, and next thing we know,a plane is down. Some people need to get real in these situations, god forbid if we ever get a really bad disaster, everyone will run round like headless chickens looking for someone to blame/sue/claim off, these are acts of nature, you take caution in any event like this and you wont hurry Mother Nature along no matter what, 1 day, 120 days, it will take as long as it takes.

Just want to comment on a post I saw some time back about if someone wants to take a chance flying they should be able to, right, you fly, and keep out of the airspace with populated areas underneath, take your risks, but for those of us living on flight paths we would rather we did not have risks taken if it is advised not to fly thank you.

Quite right!! I remember many years ago a plane coming down on approach to Gatwick, crashed through the top of a house and killed two people in it, only the baby in the cot survived as something fell across the top of it and saved it's life. It's not all about the people in the plane remember!

So basically the whole of Europe shutdown because of just the UKMO! Surely the rest of Europes met offices would have had to be backing the UKMO with their own data. OMG if it was just the UKMO this could be a complete embarrassment! What next litigation against the UKMO and government by the airlines for loss of revenue!

Sounds like a lot of buck passing to me. I am begining to feel extremely sorry for the METO. Whatever they do is wrong. Don't warn and you are sued. warn and you are slated and possibly sued. What a choice!!!

Edited April 19, 2010 by coldfingers

[Cakie]

Quite right!! I remember many years ago a plane coming down on approach to Gatwick, crashed through the top of a house and killed two people in it, only the baby in the cot survived as something fell across the top of it and saved it's life. It's not all about the people in the plane remember!

Sounds like a lot of buck passing to me. I am begining to feel extremely sorry for the METO. Whatever they do is wrong. Don't warn and you are sued. warn and you are slated and possibly sued. What a choice!!!

People have short memories. I think it is down to the CAA and Nats who are the ones stopping the flights. They are using various data to make their choice but it's up to them to say nay or yay

[LadyPakal]

Something I've noticed the last few nights is that Venus is twinkling (not something planets usually do, only stars). Dust in the atmosphere do you think?

[The PIT]

People have short memories. I think it is down to the CAA and Nats who are the ones stopping the flights. They are using various data to make their choice but it's up to them to say nay or yay

We haven't short memories but it seems the airlines are blaming the met office or there's some bad reporting going on by the press.

The problem as far as I see it isn't the met office but rather Governments and Airlines just presuming that Volcanic eruptions don't cause problems over this side of the pond. Therefore there's no planning and no proper procedure in place.

It's no good jumping up and down saying simulations are no good. This has always been a risk so why haven't Governments and Airlines got to together in the past and actually created a system to deal with such an event???

I guess it comes down to money and what's the chances of this happening again in the next 50 odd years???

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

So basically the whole of Europe shutdown because of just the UKMO! Surely the rest of Europes met offices would have had to be backing the UKMO with their own data. OMG if it was just the UKMO this could be a complete embarrassment! What next litigation against the UKMO and government by the airlines for loss of revenue!

The Met Office's London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre is only one of two places in the world which specialises in tracking volcanic ash using its NAME model. The other place is I think is in America and they use a different model called HYSPLIT that is not purely theoretical - i.e. unlike the Met O model it incorporates RW data.

Under European law which was agreed should be based on the IACO blueprint, the the decision to open or close the "Single European Airspace" is taken by Eurocontrol on the back of information provided by the VAAC.

I think it says that here.

The safety implications for aircraft routing

through volcanic ash clouds are well

known and obvious. ANSPs are encouraged

therefore to consider the information

providing in the Reference material

in particular with regard to their coordination

with the Volcanic Ash Advisory

Centres/Meteorological Watch Offices,

AOs and CFMU.

ANSP = Air Navigation Service Provider

CFMU = Central Flow Management Unit

[coldfingers]

The Met Office's London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre is only one of two places in the world which specialises in tracking volcanic ash using its NAME model. The other place is I think is in America and they use a different model called HYSPLIT that is not purely theoretical - i.e. unlike the Met O model it incorporates RW data.

Under European law which was agreed should be based on the IACO blueprint, the the decision to open or close the "Single European Airspace" is taken by Eurocontrol on the back of information provided by the VAAC.

I think it says that here.

ANSP = Air Navigation Service Provider

CFMU = Central Flow Management Unit

Hmmm Interesting information there. Thanks for posting it. Puts another side to the story which is only fair.

[The PIT]

This is interesting http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/15/340667/volcanic-centre-data-illustrates-rarity-of-uk-ash-disruption.html

Last month the International Airways Volcano Watch Operations Group summarised notable activity from the nine ash-monitoring centres, over the previous 18 months, during a meeting in Lima.

VAAC London experienced no volcanic activity in its area of responsibility, the group stated. The London monitoring zone includes Iceland, the origin of the plume disrupting air traffic in Europe today.

Lack off experience ????

[Ruislipredbee]

If Katla Blows does any members looking in know how bad the fallout will be in the uk? I think it will been looking over the net today and a lot of the bloggers from Iceland are saying its gonna go soon ie.... in the next Month.

[coldfingers]

This is interesting http://www.flightglo...disruption.html

Last month the International Airways Volcano Watch Operations Group summarised notable activity from the nine ash-monitoring centres, over the previous 18 months, during a meeting in Lima.

VAAC London experienced no volcanic activity in its area of responsibility, the group stated. The London monitoring zone includes Iceland, the origin of the plume disrupting air traffic in Europe today.

Lack off experience ????

To my mind the major problem of the last fews days or so has been the lack of previous experience. How can you possibly know how to deal with a situation that has never before been experienced. i know plenty of volcanos have spewed ash in many areas of the world but have any been in such a busy airspace before? I don't know the answer to that question and hope someone can answer it for me.

Also we seem to have such a varied and difficult weather pattern in the UK could this have led to further problems?

[Evening thunder]

Can't seem to find it now but I saw a map the other day snowing the nine areas that the different ash-monitoring centres covered, and I'm sure most of mainland Europe was not covered by the one in London as that covered the UK and Iceland and stretched up into the Arctic. I think it showed that most of Europe came under the Toulouse centre's forecast area? Seems odd that it appears that they got the data from the London centre and all the pressure/blame is being put on the London one, or is my memory playing tricks on me about these forecast areas?

Edit: found a map of the world VAAC coverage here http://en.wikipedia....AC_Coverage.jpg Seems Toulouse forecast Africa and half of Asia as well! but the UK and Iceland are the only parts of Europe the London centre covers. Maybe the centre in whose area the ash originated in is responsible for forecasting it wherever it goes?

Edited April 19, 2010 by StormMad26