Monitoring Bárðarbunga and Holuhraun
You might recall the major air traffic woes in 2010 and 2011 across Europe when ash from erupting volcanoes in Iceland grounded or diverted airlines. This had a ripple effect on the travel industry, including the cruise segment.
When the Bardarbunga Volcano eruption over the weekend created lava fountains more than 50m (165ft) high, the Met Office in Iceland raised its ash warning for aviation to red, the highest level. The level was later reduced to the second highest, orange.
Icelandic Met Office
Bárðarbunga - updated information
Aviation colour code map
Because of the current seismic activity in nortwestern Vatnajökull, IMO has been allowed to publish the chapter Bárðarbunga System, an extract from a much larger work in progress.
Should Volcanic Ash clouds form, the following additional resources will be helpful:
Nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC) around the world are responsible for advising international aviation of the location and movement of clouds of volcanic ash.
Current Volcanic Ash Advisories (VAA) from London and Toulouse
- London VAA: Issued advisories (London) | Issued graphics
- Met Office Volcanic Ash Supplementary products: Concentration charts | Annotated satellite images
- Toulouse VAA: Issued advisories (Toulouse)
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| Ash from the eruption of Grímsvötn (Credit: Icelandic Met Office) |
London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
The London VAAC is an International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) designated centre, responsible for issuing
advisories for volcanic eruptions originating in Iceland and the
north-eastern corner of the North Atlantic.
Cambridge scientists and PhD students are at the forefront of monitoring the activity of the Bárðarbunga volcano in Iceland.
Watch some amazing footage of the lava flows of the two active volcanic eruptions in Iceland.
