Iceland

• Eyjafjallajökull


  One of Iceland's minor volcanoes
• Eyjafjallajökull eruption


  1. Began to show life in March 2010 after 200 years of dormancy

  2. Erupted slowly from small vents and a 500m long fissure

  3. Central vent erupted with more violence in April, registering a 4 on the VEI scale
• Iceland is one of the most volcanically active regions on earth
• Iceland's response and preparation to volcanic eruptions is very high
• The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull proved to be more difficult, as the magma erupted explosively to form mass clouds of ash and pyroclastic material that reached 11,000m high
• Icelandic government


  • Has an overall responsibility for monitoring the dynamic nature of the island's environment
• Monitoring of volcanic activity in Iceland

  1. Network of 30-40 seismographs distributed across the active belt, SW and central Iceland to the central N coast, has recorded sub-surface seismic activity

  2. Seismographs were made locally and operated by local people

  3. IMO communicated with the government as and when the patterns of seismicity suggested a potential threat
• Immediate response to Eyjafjallajökull eruption

  1. Ash fall emergency declared on April 14th when local and international flights were stopped in Iceland itself

  2. Government warned citizens via text about the threat to health caused by ash

  3. Volcanic heat melted the ice sheet and therefore jokulhlaups swept south towards the coast, flooding farmland - 20 farms along with sections of Route 1
• Long-term response to Eyjafjallajökull eruption

  1. European union funded a 3-year project involving 26 member states but focusing on Iceland

  2. Futurevolc project aims to reduce future impacts on ash clouds on flights across European airspace through more accurate prediction

  3. Project began in 2012 and targeted greater integration and co-operation between national meteorological and geological organisations sharing information and expertise
• The acidic ash caused soil erosion due to floods which meant that harvest yields were reduced over the following 2 years and some farmers were bankrupt
• Food supplies had to be imported with a resulting increase in costs due to the loss of greenhouses
• Fishing ports along the south coast were closed and the negative publicity produced a dip in tourist visitor numbers, leading to an increase in the country's national debt and a 3-year recession
• The ash cloud rose over 10KM into the air and directly into the upper westerlies air flows and the jet streams, producing a hazard for flying through that air space
• No lives have been lost on over 100 years due to direct volcanic activity in Iceland
• This reflects the remote location of many of the volcanoes and the very low population density, as well as the work applied to monitoring, predicting, and responding to these threats