Volcanic ash from Iceland closes British airports / General Chatting / Forums

Forums

4hv.org :: Forums :: General Chatting

« Previous topic | Next topic »

Volcanic ash from Iceland closes British airports

1 2 next

Move Thread

LAN_403

Proud Mary

Thu Apr 15 2010, 09:36AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Volcanic ash from Iceland closes British airports
All flights to British airspace have been suspended after ash caused by the eruption of a volcano in Iceland forced air traffic controllers to restrict takeoffs and landings.

By Alastair Jamieson
Telegraph
15 Apr 2010

Hundreds of flights have already been cancelled, and airports in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland shut down, with the ash cloud forecast to spread southward towards London, causing more disruption.

Air traffic controllers in Brussels in charge of strategic management of flights across Europe have issued warnings to pilots that all UK airspace is closed for incoming flights until further notice and London airspace will be completely closed between 11am and at least 7pm.

Ryanair has cancelled all flights to and from Britain and warned of cancellations and delays tomorrow.

British Airways has cancelled all domestic flights for the whole of today.

Oslo airport has closed and flights to and from other parts of northern Europe have also been disrupted.

Forecasters believe the ash could take a number of days to disperse, although it is not known how long disruption to air space will last.

Volcanic ash, which consists of the pulverised rock and glass created by the eruptions, can jam aircraft machinery if a plane flies through the plume, shutting down the engines.

Ash can also be sucked into the cabin itself, contaminating the passengers' environment as well as damaging the plane's electronic systems.

The disruption could go on for some time," said Dr Steve Bond, lecturuer in aircraft operations at City University London. "It depends on how long the eruption goes on for and weather conditions.

"When there was an eruption over Java in 1982 an aircraft ran into difficulties 19 days after a British Airways plane had problems.

"There is a risk of engine failure because of the ash. The problem with aircraft radar is that it is designed to pick up clouds of moisture and it won't detect ash.

"This is why you have to take precautions and keep aircraft out of the area.

"Even if in a best case scenario it clears after one day, there will still be disruption because aircraft will be in the wrong place and crew will be in the wrong place. There will also be a backlog of passengers to clear."

Meanwhile British Airways said passengers whose flights had been cancelled because of the ash could rebook at a another date or claim a refund.

Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports are closed until further notice and passengers are advised not to travel to the terminals.

The measures forced Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman Vince Cable to cancel planned campaign visits to Dunfermline and Edinburgh on Thursday.

At Southampton, Bristol and Newquay airports, some flights are arriving normally but there are many cancellations, with domestic flights and those from Scotland and northern England worst affected.

A spokeswoman for easyJet, which has cancelled dozens of flights at Luton and Scottish airports, said: "Following the eruption of a volcano in Iceland yesterday, an ash plume has entered UK and Scandinavian airspace overnight.

"As a result NATS have closed parts of UK airspace and this is causing significant disruption to all airlines due to operate flights to and from the UK today.

"EasyJet passengers are advised to check the website before they leave for the airport for any disruption information."

Heathrow's second biggest scheduled airline, bmi, has cancelled all flights between London and Scotland until later today. It said: "We recommend that customers whose journey is not essential book for an alternate date. Customers who have booked and are still intending to travel should consult the flight status page for the latest information."

Matt Dobson, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "The concern is that as well as the eruption, the jet stream passing through Iceland is passing in a south easterly direction, which will bring ash to the north of Scotland and Denmark and Norway. But it is impossible to say how much ash will come down.

"It could be a threat in these areas from now until tomorrow or Friday."

A spokesman from Nats said: "The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre has issued a forecast that the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland will track over Europe tonight.

"NATS is working with Eurocontrol and our colleagues in Europe's other air navigation service providers to take the appropriate action to ensure safety in accordance with international aviation policy."

Weather forecasters said the ash plume could drift over British airspace during the night, causing significant disruption to services.

The movement of the plume, which has been drifting eastwards, is being monitored by both the Met Office and NATS, the air traffic control service.

There have been a number of incidents where aircraft have reported damage from ash, including one involving a British Airways Boeing 747 in June 1982.

The aircraft ran into difficulties after the eruption of a volcano at Galunggung, Indonesia. Ash jammed all four engines briefly, and the aircraft plummeted 24,000 feet before they could be restarted.

Because of the threat to aviation, a global early warning system, known as the International Airways Volcano Watch, has been established. Iceland is considered as particularly vulnerable to volcanic disruption.

Authorities there yesterday evacuated 800 residents from around the Eyjafjallajokull glacier as water gushed down the mountainside and rivers rose by up to 10 feet (3 meters).

The EyjafjallajÃ¶kull volcano erupted for the first time in 200 years on March 20, in a dramatic display that sent fountains of lava spewing into the air.

The first eruption did not trigger any major flooding, as was initially feared, because the active vents were in a mainly ice-free part of the volcano.

But Tuesday's eruption came from a different vent beneath a 650-ft (200m) thick block of ice, unleashing a torrent of glacial meltwater.

Volcanic role in Scottish famine

BBC News
15th April 2010

Outpourings of volcanic ash from Iceland in the 17th Century contributed to a period of famine and hardship in Scotland, according to experts.

A major eruption in 1695 saw large parts of the country affected by a "sulphurous fog".

Prof Alastair Dawson, writing in the latest Scottish Environment Protection Agency magazine, said it came at a time of climatic change.

Dust in the atmosphere dimmed sunlight causing crops to fail.

Prof Dawson, of the University of Aberdeen, writes in Sepa View: "We cannot be sure what the precise effect of this eruption was on Scotland's climate but we do know that the years between AD 1693-1700 were characterised by widespread famine.

"They later became known as the 'King William's Dear Years'.

"A contemporary account of this time describes how it was common for people to bring in the crops in the frosts and snow between November and February."

But he said many crops simply rotted in the fields.

Dimming sunlight

The effect of eruptions on the Highlands and Islands during the 17th Century has been investigated by other academics.

A research paper called: Endemic stress, farming communities and the influence of Icelandic volcanic eruptions in the Scottish Highlands is held in the Lyell Collection of the Geological Society.

In an interview on solar activity with the BBC News Scotland website last April, Gareth Jones - a climate research scientist at the Met Office - said volcanic ash was an important factor in influencing temperatures.

He said volcanic eruptions throw up dust, ash and sulphur dioxide.

In the upper atmosphere, the sulphur dioxide becomes droplets of sulphuric acid and this creates a veil, dimming sunlight.

Mr Jones said volcanoes were more active in the 17th and 18th Centuries than they are today.

[MOD EDIT - Deleted and Fixed Double Posting - Please watch double posts]

Andri

Thu Apr 15 2010, 06:38PM

Registered Member #1533 Joined: Wed Jun 11 2008, 02:13PM
Location: ReykjavÃk, Iceland
Posts: 46

There is no C in the Icelandic alphabet, so when you ask for cash, you get ash.

Nicko

Thu Apr 15 2010, 08:05PM

Registered Member #1334 Joined: Tue Feb 19 2008, 04:37PM
Location: Nr. London, UK
Posts: 615

Andri wrote ...

There is no C in the Icelandic alphabet, so when you ask for cash, you get ash.

A few years ago in the Summer we went hiking in Iceland - fantastic country, but at that time eye-wateringly expensive. Everything pretty much is imported - we hired a big 4x4 to get inland a lot, but it would probably have been cheaper to buy one in the UK and ship it from Scotland - we met people who had done this with Landrovers etc.

Glorious place, though....

Whale kebab anyone?

My lads desperately trying to look cool...

Andri

Thu Apr 15 2010, 09:02PM

Registered Member #1533 Joined: Wed Jun 11 2008, 02:13PM
Location: ReykjavÃk, Iceland
Posts: 46

Is that picture of your lads perhaps taken in front of EyjafjallajÃ¶kull? If so, that place is flooded now.

Nicko

Fri Apr 16 2010, 05:08AM

Registered Member #1334 Joined: Tue Feb 19 2008, 04:37PM
Location: Nr. London, UK
Posts: 615

Andri wrote ...

Is that picture of your lads perhaps taken in front of EyjafjallajÃ¶kull? If so, that place is flooded now.

Indeed it was. Weather at the time was a bit grey but not too cold. Serious glacier. I presume the road has been washed away again?

A large number of British schoolchildren who study Geography/Geology go to Iceland every year - its a pretty standard destination for them as everything they need is there in one manageable package. We did our own thing, travelling round the country staying in B&Bs - went whale watching in HÃºsavik

- very nice town, complete with its own unique museum

Steve Conner

Fri Apr 16 2010, 10:07AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

Andri wrote ...

EyjafjallajÃ¶kull

I wondered why nobody on the news has mentioned the name of the volcano. I guess they can't pronounce it!

Nevertheless, this is true, the skies in Scotland are completely free of vapour trails and, although I'm near the approach to Glasgow Airport, there's no sound of aircraft.

No signs of sulphurous fog or crops rotting in the fields, yet.

Andri

Fri Apr 16 2010, 10:19AM

Registered Member #1533 Joined: Wed Jun 11 2008, 02:13PM
Location: ReykjavÃk, Iceland
Posts: 46

Well, the entire road hasn't been washed away, but portions of it have been intentionally severed to save bridges. So far, no bridge has been damaged, which is pretty great.

If I remember correctly, the Phallological Museum does not have any human specimens on display, but that's not really of any consequence since every other person has one anyway, and most people who have them are willing to display them to those who don't. ;)

IntraWinding

Fri Apr 16 2010, 11:20AM

Registered Member #2261 Joined: Mon Aug 03 2009, 01:19AM
Location: London, UK
Posts: 581

Yes, I wondered why they hadn't mentioned the volcano name.

Here in London, from a west facing window on the 7th floor I can usually see 7 to 9 airliners during the day. Now I see none, although I'm surprised to have just spotted a helicopter.

Shame the sky's overcast - a totally cloudless and trail free blue sky would have been a nice sight.

I'd like to get some of this aircraft stopping dust and have a look at it under a microscope

Proud Mary

Fri Apr 16 2010, 11:29AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

I wonder if the ash is causing any interesting propagation effects.

HV Enthusiast

Fri Apr 16 2010, 10:42PM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068

Andri wrote ...

There is no C in the Icelandic alphabet, so when you ask for cash, you get ash.

So why is it spelled "i*C*eland" ??????

1 2 next

Moderator(s): Chris Russell, Noelle, Alex, Tesladownunder, Dave Marshall, Dave Billington, Bjørn, Steve Conner, Wolfram, Kizmo, Mads Barnkob