News Ash Cloud Over Europe
News Ash Cloud Over Europe
With eerily clear and quite skies across the entire length and breadth of the United Kingdom the Icelandic Volcanic Eruption looks set to create even more disruption and chaos. The major eruption from this massive volcano has halted almost 500,000 people a day from flying in and out of the UK due to all flights being suspended. Even if you think alternative travel such as rail and sea are a possibility, it would appear that pretty much every ticket in and out of the UK has been booked, so what next?
The last time an event took place on such a scale was roughly around two hundred years ago, but as aircraft were not a factor back then it had virtually no effects at all, and the last time domestic flights were delayed for any length of time was back in the Second World War
A plume of volcanic ash has risen 20,000 feet into the sky from a major eruption in Iceland which lies 700 miles north of the United Kingdom, so why would an event like this create so much fuss for Britain and parts of Europe?
Volcanic ash contains minute particles of glass and sulphur, which when sucked into an aircrafts jet engine causes the glass to melt in the heat and as it leaves the engine it cools at a vast rate and adheres to parts of the turbine which can cause the engine to stop.
This is as you can imagine a pretty catastrophic event to happen. Back in 1982 an incident involving a jet aircraft and volcanic ash did exactly that. The ash caused all engines to fail and it was only down to the skill of the pilot that everyone on board managed to survive.
So the governing bodies of the airways have decided to cease all air traffic that could be affected by the cloud of volcanic ash as it is carried by a southerly wind down from the north of Scotland across the entire length and breadth of the UK across the English Channel and over Europe.
On land there have been statements that there is no danger to humans, but as a precaution people with asthma and respiratory problems should stay indoors.
The Iceland Volcano that has erupted is apparently not the only one that is worrying scientists, however the other Volcano is on a scale of Mount Etna so if it erupted anytime soon with the wind blowing south an ash cloud from that one would cause long term devastation and disruption for a very long time. Fingers crossed then.
Airports closed, flights cancelled as volcano ash cloud looms over Europe
