Icelandic eruption and the weather

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Thought it might be interesting to start a thread on this.
eruption in iceland

It seems to be a fissure eruption and after some reading this afternoon I think it is unlikely at the moment to be putting up large quantities of ash into the atmosphere, this sort of eruption does not seem to be the explosive sort. If it starts to, then we could see some particularly spectacular sunsets.

Worries are though that it might trigger Katla volcano which could be potentially pretty devestating, not only to Iceland but also could affect weather on a global scale. Large eruptions have historically caused global cooling and influenced weather patterns.

hopefully fears end up being unfounded

according to some reports volcano is slowing down. lets hope thats a good sign because the weather is still not cooperating.

Intersting thing is that looking at the webcam, the volcano seems to be going through a quiet phase - so that might mean that there is a window sometime tomorrow for at least the transatlantic traffic.

You are optimistic

I did say might

Anyway, I spoke too soon - the clouds billowing from the volcano seem to have increased again.

The porbelm is that while the earlier eruption was in the best possible place, ie a mountain pass with no snow (so great for the tourists - and Top Gear - to get close), this new eruption is in the worst possible, right under the thickest part of the glacier

So there is an awful lot of "fuel" (ie ice) for the magam to react with to creat the ash clouds.

silly volcano!

I'm in the East Midlands, there's a definite whiff in the air today (paranoia??), the air seems a little dusty. I don't know if I am imagining it though.

I just went outside here in South Lanarkshire Scotland and i think its smells a wee bit funny too could be anything though

Smells like a bonfire here.

I could smell a little bit of sulphur this am, dh could too independently. nothing after about 10am.

ashcast shows a worsening situation for tomorrow.

stunning plume pictures note the lightning in them.

This is fascinating - though a lot of it goes completely over my head!

I can't get the live webcam links to work (too many hits for the site maybe?). That last link is absolutely unbelievable hough - thanks OYBBK.

I'm hoping not too much changes as I'd love for DH not to have to go away with work for 3 nights next week!

Will keep a quiet eye on this thread and look forward to learning more about vocanic activity and weather systems!

P.S. The South Wales Police helicopor is still busy flying around!

I think the webcams are overloaded!

helicopters and light aicraft using visuals are not affected by ban.

hopefully unconnected

forum with useful travel discussion

I'm confused. I live under the Heathrow flight path so am delighted to have some peace for a change and be able to sleep beyond 5am . However, apart from a light dusting of volcanic dust at 7am this morning, (and the fact that DH is stuck in Israel) we've probably had one of the most cloud free days ever. We've had clear blue skies all day and right now I can see the moon and stars very clearly. I've read that the ash can be at 55,000 ft but surely it would be visible as a mist(etc)?

OYBBK?

orienteer I was also wondering why I can't see the ash when the sky is blue?

OYBBK is probably out collecting volcanic ash . I will confess to having left a bowl of water on my patio table (as she suggested earlier) to see if any settles - but it might just have a dead moth in it come morning.

lol - was watching Casualty, committed though I am, some things take precedent!

I think the the thing is, the particles in general are pretty small and don't scatter light hugely. When you are going at jet speeds you don't need a high concentration to gather a lot of particles. If you look towards the horizon, you may see a slightly brownish tint (like I did) as you are looking through a thicker slice of atmosphere

morning all.

latest ashcast

According to bbc KLM and Lufthansa sent up test flights to see if it is safe to fly. inspections are being carried out.

excelent discussion on the eruption

still no improvement showing on the weather pattern this week. sorry all.

So parents might not get to Cyprus on Wednesday either?
What I'm finding weird is that the weather is so good at the moment (especially after the cold winter we've had!) and all this is going on thousands of feet up, where we can't see it. You kind of expect something that has grounded planes all over Europe, to be more obvious at ground level (although realise that if weather conditions change, might get ash dumped on us and then it becomes 'more obvious!')

OYBBK- I was catching up on this thread last night and really enjoyed the pictures you found (the plume ones.) There's some excellent lightning ones in there!

They are very cool pics

I don't think your parents will get there on wednesday I'm afraid.

glimmer of hope for weather improving next weekend. you are right. seems so odd to have an invisible layer above us, causing so much drama.

We are preparing to do the soil tests in a little while (once scamp toddler gets his clothes on) but it is raining here.
Will this rain, more of a fine drizzle, affect the readings? Would it contain traces of volcanic fallout?
I cannot decide if the ash is acid or alkali from the geology of the volcano. We do not appear to have had any visible ash fall here.

really can't help you with the composition, but yes, I'd have thought the drizzle would help bring down some of the ash.

we have just a very very fine layer of greyish deposit on the car. hard to wipe off, feels rough between the fingers. nothing on my ash detection system though