As the volcano in Iceland continues to erupt, travelers in Europe are left to wonder how long local airspace will remain closed. A volcanologist from the Smithsonian explains why this eruption could cause long-term disruption
Are there volcanoes that might erupt soon that would pose a threat to U.S. airspace?
In Alaska in the Aleutian Islands—it's a volcanically active area—and there's a lot of flight pathways that would cross where that ash would potentially drift. The airspace and volcanoes in Alaska are monitored very closely in that area. The potential is always there, and sometimes these things can come on pretty quickly.
See what we're tweeting about
dbiello coal's baaaaaack http://t.co/J5VcoaGRfp the shale gale does not blow constant... dbiello the prediction is for an active atlantic hurricane season says @noaa http://t.co/UILAH3oOCi #nowhammiesnowhammies
PsiWavefunction The best of both worlds: leaves and critters are out, and you can watch while cuddling in a blanket w a hot cup of tea =)
Deadline: Jul 25 2013
Reward: Varies
This challenge provides an opportunity for Solvers to build a web-based or mobile “app” to explore data relationships in scholarly conte
Deadline: Jul 30 2013
Reward: $100,000 USD
The Seeker desires a method for producing pseudoephedrine products in such a way that it will be extremely difficult for clandestine che
Powered By: 
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
37 Comments
Add CommentThe article stated:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"So can other aircraft, such as helicopters or prop-planes that don't have jet engines, fly through these conditions?
No, because the ash—the ash is pulverized rock—it can scratch up the windshield, too. It just does body damage. I wouldn't want to fly in a helicopter through the ash. "
Actually, many helicopters and prop-planes have turbo-jet engines in which a jet turbine drives a propeller shaft. The have much the same risks as jet aircraft. Even piston or other internal combustion engines are likely to fail, as they also ingest large quantities of ash laden air which passes through high precision, friction sensitive mechanisms which can produce catastrophic aircraft failure.
Even crew members and passengers are subject to failure due the ingestion of ash, as evidenced by the ancient citizens of Pompeii...
"Air traffic in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the U.K. has been at least partially suspended, as volcanic ash from the eruption (which began in the early hours of Thursday morning) had spread 6,000 to 11,000 meters up into the stratosphere as of midday, drifting eastward over parts of northern Europe." you forgot norway =(
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn spite of eruption scale, Iceland's volcano demonstrates similar effect of climate crisis with Indonesia's ancient volcano called Toba super-volcano.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisClimate crisis? I though volcanoes would cause global cooling. Why is everything a crisis?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYuki A Y - While you qualified your statement as to scale, I have to point out that the Toba supereruption apparently nearly exterminated the human species about 70,000 years ago. I think the difference in scale between a supervolcano and 'normal' volcano eruptions is on the order of 100,000%, although I might be exaggerating a digit or so.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVolcano eruptions since the age of air transportation have disrupted airline schedules, etc., primarily as a function of their proximity to air traffic lanes and especially airports. This eruption is especially disruptive due to its location within major trans-Atlantic flight lanes and proximity to many international airports in Europe.
As I understand, while Iceland is a hot spot somewhat like the Hawaiian islands, there is no basis for it producing a supereruption. The 1783 eruption of Laki in Iceland was devastating to the local population. However, the 1815 eruption of Tambora in Indonesia blanketed the atmosphere, apparently producing the year with a summer and the following Little Ice Age. Such a devistating one-two punch now could eliminate all current concern about global warming...
Nice article. I just heard on the Bloom-berg that 11000 planes will take off today as opposed to 28000 planes in the Eur0pean airspace, which is a kind of relief for most of the travelers. These things are natural calamity and beyond human control. This volcanic eruption heat melts 200 meters thick glacier...can we predict/ estimate such scenarios/ cases to protect inhabitants...Alaska is one of the hot spot..$$140 million dollars have been put for monitoring volcanic eruptions..Yellowstone has had such volcanic eruptions in the past...Not sure to what extent these monitoring systems can help the nation and the economy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder how solar powered devices are functioning under these conditions?This should be a wake up call for all those people who want to switch solar as a main source of power.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe "crisis" reminds me of a World War 2 era poster "Is your trip really necessary". Would it not be possible to route flights through a southern Atlantic corridor. World War 2 shut down the North Atlantic flight corridor and flights were shifted south from Miami to Portugal.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is impossible to act against natures forces. All we can do is to monitor the situation and for the airplanes to stay out of the way. Thank god we have the means to do so. Railways will do a good business now .
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI personally flew through a sandstorm in Tunesia, during a ralley. No damage to the engine or the airplane but the propeller needed a lot of work. Never again. Dr.Kamlander@aon.at
Goldfish, regarding your question: "Not sure to what extent these monitoring systems can help the nation and the economy. "
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHere is a thought: By monitoring volcanoes, one can acquire data (observations) that can help us understand how these things "work". So we can hopefully predict (someday) when they will erupt and what damage/disruption they might cause to our nation and our economy. That way, we might be able to plan so we can minimize the damage/disruption.
Think of what might have happened if we were able to predict the Icelandic eruption and how the ash would have impacted global air traffic patterns a month, or even a week, before the event. Think about if global volcano monitoring efforts (with exchanges of information between nations) could ensure all nations knew about a pending eruption that might impact their country a month or two in advance. Now extend that thought to earthquakes, hurricanes and any undesired natural event that might disrupt/damage our particular nation and economy (it is interesting that a volcanic eruption in Iceland impacts a number of national economies - perhaps we have a global economy?) .
Personally, I find spending $140 M on volcano monitoring in 2010 a much better contribution to my nation's (USA) economy than spending $385 M in 2010 on "faith-based initiatives". But that's just my opinion...
jack.123, regarding: "I wonder how solar powered devices are functioning under these conditions?This should be a wake up call for all those people who want to switch solar as a main source of power."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think this should be a wake-up for anybody who thinks that only ONE source of power is needed.
What is the difference between a solar panel that doesn't work because volcanic ash has buried it and a gallon of gasoline or an electric bill that costs more than one can afford?
Face it: Entropy stinks ;-)
We are so helpless creatures..I wish we could have an environment filled with Light and ; protected by it..May we once take control over d Time and Space and live inside Light made houses; and go anywhere we want with Incredible level of Safety from d Hazardous and calamities..
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBecause it sells copy,but you knew this didn't you?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisjtdwyer .
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou said "with a summer" , it was a year without a summer.
Big difference .
jtdwyer ,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere were buggerall Transatlantic flights prior to WW 2.
From 1942 to 1945 there were thousands of flights by B14 and B24 aircraft, heading off to Britain so they could pulverise the Huns.
elderlybloke - Thanks - good catch! Of course, it was the year without a summer. I can't hide the fact that clerical speed & accuracy is not my strong suite...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf a Toba or Yellowstone event occurs,all the monitoring in the world isn't going to help.We may be able to deflect an asteroid,and save the world,but when it comes to a super volcano we are helpless.Billions will die of starvation and there isn't a thing we can do about it.If Yellowstone goes the death toll will be even higher,because of the huge number of people the U.S. feeds,the aftermath of this will leave us lucky to feed our selves much less all the food we provide for the rest of the world.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI thought that the ash was so high in the atmosphere that most prop planes and helicopters would fly below the ash?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisphysicsfan - Sound reasonable. The point I was making is simply that ash can have more damage to helicopters and prop planes than just making their windshields opaque (as if that wasn't bad enough).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI suspect that, generally, the further away from the volcanic eruption in time and distance, more of the ash is higher in the atmosphere. These things vary, however. I understand the Yellowstone supervolcano, in its last eruption some 600K years ago, left a thick layer of ash on the ground as far away as the Mississippi river. If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, ash can seize your car's IC engine, too.
What prevents rerouting planes south, then east or west. If an initial low altitude trajectory from northern countries while heading south is necessary, would this be practical?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLike the blackout of Eastern U.S and Canada a couple years ago events like this act as a reminder that much of the infrastructure our society relies upon and takes for granted rests a top the head of a pin.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo ErnstPayne: yes that would be a solution for transatlantic flights, but how about flights between European countries? And many transatlantic routes have refueling or commuting scale stops programmed at major Eoropean ports.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have some questions. How much of a cooling can we expect from this volcanic eruption and for how long? What are the implications of this cooling on crop production and the economy? How much would the damage to the economy and crop production differ if we didn't have global warming?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisweingibz - Those are the reasonable questions that should be asked by those managing the planet. If useful and accurate climate models existed, they could at least keep a current posting of the answers to those questions, presuming that the eruption ended last night, for example.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUnfortunately, we are not managing even our own population growth, much monitoring the critical factors governing the processes producing climatic conditions.
The levels of solar radiation have not dimished, the reducton in pollution from aircraft emissions through flight cuts has given us wonderfully clear skies. You obviously have no idea of solar energy technology. It's therfore a mystery as to why you wish to advertise this fact.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisjesscollie...don't quite understand...of coarse the suns output hasn't changed in the last few days(haven't checked nasa but pretty sure)...and yes the lack of contrails does provide a clearer sky...if not in the wake of the volcanic ash...what is the mystery your talking about...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat is the average time for a volcano outbrake?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Climate crisis? I though volcanoes would cause global cooling. Why is everything a crisis?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEvery change is a crisis because we think God loves us and will keep everything always the same. A major problem of all established religions is that we fail to follow the 2nd commandment where it says to "make no graven images", especially of important concepts. To me this means no images, carved, mental or otherwise, expected to last forever.
This could be an example of a tipping point. One volcano interrupting air traffic on which many countries depend to bring tourists on whose revenue they depend. It is an example of Chaos theory. A volcano which was perfectly predictable as a likely event but for which no date of eruption could be given by honest scientists. Climate change theory predicts that tipping points will create considerable economic disruption.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile in process of reading this interview I understand one, the volcano in generally speaking unpredictable. Even, a profess. volcanologist could not answer exactly...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe can try to do some research works,meausers, but sometimes the nature can (able to) lie us...
"What is the difference between a solar panel that doesn't work because volcanic ash has buried it and a gallon of gasoline or an electric bill that costs more than one can afford?"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere is no difference. They are both the result of self-righteous environmentalists ignoring reality in the push to force you to live according their idea of moral superiority.
What does the ash do to wind turbines? Will blades get abraded?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs the sulfur damaging agriculture downwind?
How will this affect vacation plans this summer? Will more people leave or forgo Europe for other destinations?
I think the question:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow Long Will Iceland's Volcano Keep Planes Grounded?
is now (maybe) answered.
According to the latest news in Norway the volcano has stopped spewing any ash. It is now only emitting lava, and no more water is running unto the volcano and turning the hot lava into ash. So the answer to the question may be:
two to three days more, until the ash already in the air has descended to the ground. And many parts of European airspace is now open.
To expand upon the mostly correct answer by frgough, there is an additional difference. Coal does not destroy huge areas of the ocean when it is mined and burnt. The deadly toxic chemicals used to make solar cells are generally dumped into the ocean and kill many cubic miles of ocean life each year. Coal is obviously safer for the environment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDo some research and you will find the real cost of these supposedly "green" energy alternatives.
No one has discussed any potential for this to have climate/weather effects. Doesn't throwing ash into the circulation create possibility of increased cloud formation with altered temperature/precipitation?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswill the eruption increase the size of iceland?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thissir ,is it true that before time started universe was constant,so a massive event must have been triggered to start the time(universe formation,expanding),so something which was not constant must have triggered it something which may have been moving from before our time...even we experience the time as we grow....does this indicate that there is someone responsible for the beginning of the time and universe...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this