The Hazards and Levels of Risk - Report Example

Volcanic and Its Hazards Name Date Course Atmospheric conditions during the ash clouds The ash clouds have the potential of influencing the atmospheric condition during the initial stages. The initial stage as indicated in the Map for the 12 hours prediction is characterized by gases and dust particles thrown in the atmosphere. This in turn leads to the shading of the incoming solar radiation in the next 12 hours and indicated in the second prediction map. This effect continues to be experienced as the dust continues to be spewed into the atmosphere. As the dust moves into the atmosphere, it continues to shift towards UK and other parts of the Northern Europe. This can be attributed to the windy condition that commonly blows towards the Northern part of Europe and into the United Kingdom. The small ash particles from the eruption usually form a dark cloud in the atmosphere (Lilja, 2011). This has the potential of shading and cooling the area that is directly below it. The small particles have the ability of travelling vast distance as indicated in the T+24 hours map. This means that the dust particles will have reached Northern Europe within the next 24hours after the eruption. The atmospheric changes will be experience in UK and other parts of Europe within the 24 hours after the eruption. Sulfur is usually emitted during the volcanic eruption (Institute of Earth Science, 2010). This in turn leads to the generation of sulfur dioxide which is more effective in cooling the climate as compared to the ash particles. This is achieved through the formation of sulfuric acid after combining with the water particles. The sulfuric acid is responsible for making a haze of tiny droplets in the atmosphere which reflects the incoming solar radiation resulting to a cooling effect. The movement of the aerosols by the wind is likely to take place in the next 48 hours resulting to further cooling. Within the next 48 hours, the effects would have already been felt in most part of Northern Europe. Water vapour and carbon dioxide are also released in large quantities during the eruption. The release of the green house gases to the atmosphere is also responsible for atmospheric changes (Institute of Earth Science, 2010). Although the effects of carbon dioxide may not be realized in the next 2 days, it is likely to cause global warming in the long run. The westerly winds is also actives at the time and this is responsible for pushing the ash further south of Iceland and into western and northern Europe. Solar minimum activity is likely to take place within the next 48 hours and this may result to global cooling and a reduction of the global temperature. Threats posed by the Icelandic ash clouds The Eyjafjallajokull volcano and type of volcanism Eyjafjallajokull is one of Iceland’s smaller ice caps that are located in the far south which is in the north of Skogar and west of a larger ice cap. It covers a caldera of a volcano that is 1,666 meters high. Its eruption has been frequent and evidence suggests that it has been taking place since the last ice age (Carlsen, et al, 2012). The latest eruptions can be traced back nineteenth century where it was followed by a larger eruption at Katla. In the past, the eruptions were not of major concern as the airline routes had not been well established in Europe and other parts of the world. However, the recent eruption was of a major concern due to the impacts that it has on the airline industry. The recent volcanic was divided into different phases. The first phase of the volcanic eruption resulted to the ejection of olivine basaltic andesite lava. The lava was ejects hundreds of meters into the air. This type of volcanic eruption is commonly referred to as effusive eruption (Gudmundsson & Larsen, 2016). During the first phase of the eruption, the ash that was ejected was small and it rose 4 kilometers into the atmosphere. The eruption later entered the explosive phase. By this time all the president of the country had provided the necessary warning and most of the people had been evacuated from the area. The explosive phase was marked by an ejection of fine glass rich ash 30,000 feet into the atmosphere. The volcanic activity had negative impacts on the air transport as well as the meteorological condition (Woodhouse, et al, 2013). The volcanic activity was disruptive due to various factors. The region is directly under a jet stream that this influences the height of the ash cloud. At the time of a volcanic eruption, the stability of the jet stream is an influential factor in terms of the spread as well as the height of the volcanic ash. Iceland is characterized by a high amount of glacial ice at the surface. The volcanic eruption usually results to the melting of the ice which flows back into the erupting volcano. The explosive power of the eruption is usually increased by the rapidly vapourizing water from the melting ice (Blong, 2013). The melting ice results to an increase in the cooling rate of the lava which results in a cloud of abrasive glass rich ash. The combination of factors is directly responsible for the height as well as the spread of the volcanic ash and the other materials. It is also the combination of factors that results to the volcanic ash being carried to Northern and Western Europe. During an ash cloud, the airspace is greatly affected leading to the closure of airports and cancellation of flights. Areas that that the airspace should be closed Possible threats and impacts The volcanic ash has a lot of negative effects and impacts and hence the need for early preparedness. When the volcanic ash is ejected to the atmosphere, it usually results to shading and it may completely block the sunlight from reaching the surface of the earth. Partial or complete darkness may be experienced due to the volcanic ash (Langmann, et al, 2012). The aviation sector is impacted negatively by the volcanic ash as it was in the case of Iceland. The visibility for visual navigation is affected by the by the presence of the smoke and ash. During the volcanic eruption in Iceland, UK as well as other Northern and Western European countries had to temporarily close their airspace and airports for civilian flights. This is because the volcanic ash has negative effects within the range of the civilian aircrafts. Microscopic debris is also present in the ash and this has negative effects on the aircrafts. The microscopic debris can sandblast the windscreen leading to breakages and hence affecting the aircrafts. Melting of the debris in the ash can also take place due to the heat of the aircraft turbine engines (Woodhouse, et al, 2013). This leads to the damages to the engine of the aircrafts and it may result to mechanical problems leading to accidents. The damages posed by the ashes may lead to the shutting down of the engines and hence leading to the accidents. The volcanic ash therefore presents a lot of challenges to the aircrafts and it is for this reason that a number of flights had to be cancelled and airports shut down. During the volcanic eruption a number of flights to and from Europe had to be cancelled (Gudmundsson & Larsen, 2016). This was mainly due to safety issues and it played a vital role as no commercial aircraft was damaged. However, some of the military aircrafts had their engines damaged as they were still operating at the time. The military aircrafts are better equipped to fly in such harsh conditions as compared to the civilian and commercial aircrafts. The fine abrasive particle that is ejected during the volcanic eruption has the potential of eroding metal (Woodhouse, et al, 2013). This therefore presents a major challenge to the aircrafts due to the risk of the body of the aircrafts being eroded and eventually leading to failure. The clogging of the fuel and cooling system by the ashes can also take place if an aircraft is to fly above a volcanic eruption. The aircrafts depend on the flight instruments as well as the cabin air supply. This can be damaged by the volcanic ash and hence impacting negatively on the functioning of the aircraft. The closure of the European airspace by most of the countries during the recent volcanic eruptions was the largest air-traffic shut-down since the Second World War (Lilja, 2011). The closure of the airspaces had negative impacts on the passengers. Millions of passengers were stranded in Europe as well as other parts of the world. This is considering that most of the passengers depend on the European airspace to connect to other parts of the world. As a result of the closure of the airspace, millions of dollars was lost resulting to negative economic impacts. The International Air Transport Association during the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland estimated a $ 200 million per day in the airline industry. About 10 million passengers were stranded and 107,000 flights were cancelled (Lilja, 2011). The authorities in Iceland as well as other European countries provided a warning to the airline companies asking them to determine the density of the ash safe for their jet engines. This played a vital role in ensuring that accidents were avoided. A part from the effects on the airline industry, the volcanic eruption also has negative impacts on the environment. This involves the long term as well as the short term effects. A phenomenon commonly referred to as dirty thunderstorm is usually created as a result of collision between the ash particles. The greenhouse gases that are produced during the volcanic activity contribute to global warming which is a major environmental pollution. Fluoride poisoning is also associated with the eruption and this pose a threat to the livestock. In 1783, about 79% of the sheep in Iceland were killed due to Fluoride poisoning which took place after a volcanic eruption in Laki (Institute of Earth Science, 2010). The effects on the environment usually go beyond Iceland. This is considering that environmental effects have no boundaries. The long term effects can last for several months which greatly affect the environment and the people. Some of the health problems are also associated with the volcanic ash. People who lived around the eruption site in the recent case had high levels of irritation problems. Respiratory problems are also associated with the volcanic eruption. There is usually a significant rise in the number of phone calls to the health facilities during the volcanic eruption. Other activities such as farming are greatly affected by the volcanic ash. Animals have to be kept in doors in order to avoid the adverse negative effects. The water levels in the river may also rise due to the volcanic eruption. This is mainly associated with the melting of ice. During the 2010 volcanic eruption in Iceland, there was a rise in water levels due to massive melting of ice (Institute of Earth Science, 2010). This may in turn lead to other problems such as flooding. The infrastructure of the whole community may end up being affected by the volcanic activity. The functioning of the machinery can be disrupted by the ash. This is especially common with the machinery that is found in the water supply, power supply, communication and sewage treatment systems. In the event of rainfall, the volcanic ash turns into sludge material that has the ability of collapsing the roofs. This was the case in Philippines during the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. The volcanic winters which can be created by the ahs affects the weather patterns across the world. The average global temperature experienced a cooling of 3 degrees Celsius in 1815 during the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia (Langmann, et al, 2012). European Airports that should be closed As a result of the negative effects of the volcanic ash, several airports have to be closed in Europe. The airspace in Belgium, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland Italy, Kosovo, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden have to be closed. This is mainly for the purposes of avoiding the negative impacts associated with the plume of volcanic ash. Depending on the volcanic ash density, sporadic closure can take place. This is vital in ensuring that the airports are able to operate for a limited period o time when the effects of the ash are low. According to the International rules, all the passenger flights have to operate under the instrument flight rules (Langmann, et al, 2012). During the closure of the airspaces and airports, no clearance can be obtained from the air traffic control. Various agencies and authorities have to be involved during the process in order to enhance the coordination of activities during the closure period. The London Volcanic Ash Advisory Center played a vital role during the recent volcanic eruption (Gudmundsson & Larsen, 2016). This mainly involved the information about the ash plume. The information is required by the civil aviation authorities in the countries where the closure of the airspace and airports has taken place. The information is useful in terms of making decisions regarding where and when the airspace should be closed. This is considering that the location and distribution of the ash may not be the same in all the locations (Langmann, et al, 2012). Areas of high risk for the airplanes The daily flights have to be cancelled in the affected countries due to safety reasons. This means that the flights can only resume for a few hours based on the information available about the density and quantity of the ash. The criteria used during the process of determining the closure of the airports and airspaces involves the ash concentration. When the ash concentration rises above zero, then the airspace is considered unsafe and it has to be closed. Most of the aircraft manufacturers have defined the specific limits regarding the ashes considered acceptable for the jet engine. Any airspace with an ash density that exceeds 4 milligrams per cubic meter of airspace is usually considered a no fly zone (Carlsen, et al, 2012). Such airspace therefore needs to be declared a no fly zone. Recently the Civil Aviation Authority announced the creation of a new category of restricted airspace known as Time Limited Zone. This was mainly aimed at minimizing the disruption caused by the volcanic ash on the flights. This category of airspace is similar to that experiencing severe weather conditions with the duration being expected to be short. The disruption has the potential of causing massive delays as the main airports have to be closed. The main Airport in Iceland was closed in 2010 when there was an eruption and this impacted negatively on the passengers (Lilja, 2011). The coordination of activities must be carried out in an effective manner so as to avoid any incident that may impact negatively on the safety of the passengers. Bibliography Lilja, B. B., 2011. Volcanic eruptions: Science and Risk Management. Science 2.0. Institute of Earth Science. 2010. Eruption in Eyjafjallajokull. University of Iceland. Carlsen, H. K., et al., 2012. A survey of early Health effects of the Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption in Iceland: a population based study. BMJ Open, 2(2). Gudmundsson, G. and Larsen, G., 2016. Effects of volcanic eruptions on human health in Iceland. Review. Laeknabladid, 102(10), p.433. Woodhouse, M. J. et al., 2013. Interaction between volcanic plumes and wind during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption, Iceland. Journal of geophysical research: solid Earth 118(1), pp. 92-109. Blong, R. J., 2013. Volcanic hazards: a sourcebook on the effects of eruption. Elsevier. Langmann, B., et al., 2012. Volcanic ash over Europe during the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull on Iceland, April-May 2010. Atmospheric environment, 48, pp 1-8. Read More

Threats posed by the Icelandic ash clouds The Eyjafjallajokull volcano and type of volcanism Eyjafjallajokull is one of Iceland’s smaller ice caps that are located in the far south which is in the north of Skogar and west of a larger ice cap. It covers a caldera of a volcano that is 1,666 meters high. Its eruption has been frequent and evidence suggests that it has been taking place since the last ice age (Carlsen, et al, 2012). The latest eruptions can be traced back nineteenth century where it was followed by a larger eruption at Katla.

In the past, the eruptions were not of major concern as the airline routes had not been well established in Europe and other parts of the world. However, the recent eruption was of a major concern due to the impacts that it has on the airline industry. The recent volcanic was divided into different phases. The first phase of the volcanic eruption resulted to the ejection of olivine basaltic andesite lava. The lava was ejects hundreds of meters into the air. This type of volcanic eruption is commonly referred to as effusive eruption (Gudmundsson & Larsen, 2016).

During the first phase of the eruption, the ash that was ejected was small and it rose 4 kilometers into the atmosphere. The eruption later entered the explosive phase. By this time all the president of the country had provided the necessary warning and most of the people had been evacuated from the area. The explosive phase was marked by an ejection of fine glass rich ash 30,000 feet into the atmosphere. The volcanic activity had negative impacts on the air transport as well as the meteorological condition (Woodhouse, et al, 2013).

The volcanic activity was disruptive due to various factors. The region is directly under a jet stream that this influences the height of the ash cloud. At the time of a volcanic eruption, the stability of the jet stream is an influential factor in terms of the spread as well as the height of the volcanic ash. Iceland is characterized by a high amount of glacial ice at the surface. The volcanic eruption usually results to the melting of the ice which flows back into the erupting volcano. The explosive power of the eruption is usually increased by the rapidly vapourizing water from the melting ice (Blong, 2013).

The melting ice results to an increase in the cooling rate of the lava which results in a cloud of abrasive glass rich ash. The combination of factors is directly responsible for the height as well as the spread of the volcanic ash and the other materials. It is also the combination of factors that results to the volcanic ash being carried to Northern and Western Europe. During an ash cloud, the airspace is greatly affected leading to the closure of airports and cancellation of flights. Areas that that the airspace should be closed Possible threats and impacts The volcanic ash has a lot of negative effects and impacts and hence the need for early preparedness.

When the volcanic ash is ejected to the atmosphere, it usually results to shading and it may completely block the sunlight from reaching the surface of the earth. Partial or complete darkness may be experienced due to the volcanic ash (Langmann, et al, 2012). The aviation sector is impacted negatively by the volcanic ash as it was in the case of Iceland. The visibility for visual navigation is affected by the by the presence of the smoke and ash. During the volcanic eruption in Iceland, UK as well as other Northern and Western European countries had to temporarily close their airspace and airports for civilian flights.

This is because the volcanic ash has negative effects within the range of the civilian aircrafts. Microscopic debris is also present in the ash and this has negative effects on the aircrafts. The microscopic debris can sandblast the windscreen leading to breakages and hence affecting the aircrafts. Melting of the debris in the ash can also take place due to the heat of the aircraft turbine engines (Woodhouse, et al, 2013). This leads to the damages to the engine of the aircrafts and it may result to mechanical problems leading to accidents.

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