Icelandic Eruptions May Disrupt European Air Traffic for Months

[marmar]

Icelandic Eruptions May Disrupt European Air Traffic for Months
By Alex Morales and Steve Rothwell


April 17 (Bloomberg) -- Volcanic eruptions in Iceland which this week caused thousands of flights to be canceled may continue for months, disrupting European air traffic as ash is sporadically blown above the continent’s busiest airports.

More than 20,000 flights have been grounded after an April 14 eruption of the 1,666-meter (5,466-foot) Eyjafjallajökull volcano sent dust billowing across thousands of miles of European airspace and closed terminals from Dublin to Moscow.

“It could go on for months,” Sigrun Hreinsdottir, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland, said in a telephone interview from Reykjavik. “From what we’ve seen, it could erupt, pause for a few weeks, and then possibly erupt again.”

Canceled flights are costing carriers about $200 million a day, the International Air Transport Association estimates. Restrictions over most of the U.K. will remain in place until 1 p.m. at least, shutting London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, and while terminals have reopened in Scotland and Ireland, others have closed as the cloud drifts southeast.

Flights have been halted amid concern that the ash plume could damage engines or parts such as speed sensors. The finest material from the blast is formed of dust akin to glass, which can melt and congeal in a turbine, causing it to stop, said Sue Loughlin, head of vulcanology at the British Geological Survey. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWhdMivcLsNg&pos=8

[onehandle]

1. The last time it erupted, 190 years ago, it went on for a year. nt

[applegrove]

2. The last time it errupted it went on for two years. That would be terrible.

:scared:

[2Design]

3. maybe it will help stop war and violence and who knows what else n/t

[Quantess]

4. How would the volcano affect war and violence?

[opihimoimoi]

5. Bodes ILL for MANKIND !!!!! CONTINGENCY PLANS TO ADDESS CROP FAILURES

across the Planet should be assessed soon as possible using worse case senario.....Famine will kill us all with pestilence, war, ... which lead to lowered response to FLOOD(weather quakes, etc) besides the ongoing emmissions from Iceland.

Help spread the urgency....

[Turborama]

6. The tourism industry in Indonesia is being decimated by this with cancellations across the board.

Ironic really seeing as its caused by a volcano on the other side of the world and Indonesia is an archipelago containing many volcanic islands.

I'm sure the same thing is happening all across South East Asia and other tourism destinations dependent on European tourists. Meaning possibly lots of bankruptcies and a large increase in unemployment figures across the region.

The hospitality industry in Indonesia is in a similar emergency mode they were in after the Bali bombings.

[tango-tee]

7. I work at an airport

here in Germany. After it shut down yesterday morning, there was this eerie silence all day and we realized just how much noise we are exposed to day in and day out. Having been in the aircraft maintenance business for many years now, I suppose the relentless noise simply doesn't really register any more.