Volcanic Eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull

On 20 March 2010 the sixth biggest Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull began to erupt, releasing plumes of tephra and volcanic ash up to 9 kilometers into the air. The position of the volcano underneath the jet stream facilitated the distribution of smoke and ash across European air space. Due to concerns about visibility and the effect of volcanic ash on aircraft engines, many European countries closed their air spaces from mid April to mid May of 2010. This resulted in the cancellations of over 100,000 flights, which stranded millions of travelers in European airports, and caused billions of dollars in losses for airlines. Although the eruptions emitted into the athmosphere around 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide per day, reduced air travel effectively “saved” over 2 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. The eruption, which ended in October of 2010, was not large enough to disrupt global weather patterns, but there were some reported incidences of respiratory infections caused by volcanic ash inhalation.

Contributed by Madeline Sheehy
Course: Modern Global Environmental History
Instructor: Dr. Wilko Graf von Hardenberg
University of Wisconsin–Madison, US