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Icelandic ash and implications for aircraft
Icelandic ash and its implications for aircraft, health, climate
Air traffic across Europe, including flights from Britain to New Zealand have been halted as ash from an Icelandic volcano drifts towards the continent.
The volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted Wednesday for the second time in less than a month.
Our colleagues at the Science Media Centre in London have rounded up extensive commentary from scientists on all aspects of the eruption and ash cloud. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Quotes are available in full on the SMC website.
Contact the SMC to talk to local experts in volcanology.
Health Effects:
Prof Ken Donaldson, Professor of Respiratory Toxicology, University of Edinburgh, said:
"Volcanic ash is on the
whole not a very harmful material and the ash is currently
more than 10km up in the stratosphere, where aeroplanes fly.
It will eventually dissipate by dilution in the huge air
mass in the stratosphere. The risk to members of the UK
public and the population of the world generally from these
ash exposures is negligible. Even people who are in the
plume of volcanoes where the ash comes to earth and they
wade through it like snow, show very little adverse health
effects."
Prof Frank Kelly, Professor of Environmental Health, King's College London, said:
"While it is unlikely that these emissions will be brought down to ground level over the UK, we are regularly checking our measurements for evidence of an effect of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations."
Dr Dougal Jerram, Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Durham, said:
"Ash can cause serious health problems but the high altitude of the current plume above the UK means that it is air traffic and not humans on the ground that will suffer."
Effect on satellites
John Yates, Chair of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Satellite Systems & Applications Network, said:
"The 1991 Mount Hudson volcano eruption - one of largest of the 20th century - affected satellite communications systems in Chile. The ash affected satellite communications in Los Antiguos, a town 120km from the volcano, in the same manner as a snow storm can disrupt satellite communications.
"Volcanic ash can also reduce the performance of satellite dishes. The degree to which ash affects the dishes depends on climatic conditions; wet conditions prior to ash falling will cause the ash to stick to satellite dishes - heavy rainfall afterwards will wash it off."
"The ash cloud is currently at high altitude, but if it was to come towards us and we experience rainfall beforehand, this could cause problems."
Effect on plane engines
Dr Rob Howell, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, said:
"There are a number of potential issues regarding engine contamination with volcanic ash. One occurs where ash builds up on some of the internal parts of the jet engine, specifically the compressor and changes the aerodynamics of that compressor. It is possible, with enough contamination, for the engine to enter a condition called stall and eventually surge where the engine looses power and can also be damaged.
"Another problem, more often seen in industrial jet engines is where the turbine cooling holes become blocked. This will cause the turbine blades to increase in temperature and fail, potentially destroying the engine. A further problem area is the combustion systems of the engines which can become clogged and again the engine looses power."
Dr Tim Fox, Head of Energy and Environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said:
"Modern jet engines are highly technological machines that work by sucking air in through a large fan and using it in a combustion process to generate thrust. If, for example, foreign objects such as the introduction of large amounts of grit or volcanic ash was to be sucked into the air, this would result in serious damage to the fan blades and internal surfaces of the engine. In turn this would interfere with combustion, ultimately resulting in engine failure.
"In the event of such a failure, which would likely occur to all engines, the aircraft would be forced to make an emergency descent. The best policy if large amounts of volcanic ash are known to be present in the air is clearly not to fly through it."
Dr David Rothery, Dept of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The Open University, said:
"Ash melts inside the hot engine. This molten glass clogs nozzles and adheres to turbine blades. Pilots' manuals (revised after 1982 engine losses over Galungung, Indonesia and 1989 over Redoubt, Alaska) advise to throttle back and lose altitude in the event on unanticipated engine power loss. This allows the plan to drop below the cloud, and the cold air drawn into the engines usually shatters the glass and allows the engines to restart. (Previously, pilots would increase engine speed, which made the problem worse). Of course, it is better to avoid flying into an ash cloud in the first place."
Atmosphere
1. What might be the impact on farming?
Dr. Thor Thordarson, Volcanologist, University of Edinburgh, said:
"The likelihood that this eruption has any impact on farming or the environment is negligible, mainly because the magma output from this eruption is so small."
2 How much material has been ejected by the volcano?
Dr. Thor Thordarson, Volcanologist, University of Edinburgh, said:
"Not known at this stage, but some remote sensing researchers may be able to provide an estimate from thermal images. Otherwise we will have to wait until we have mapped and sampled the tephra fall out."
To talk to any of the experts
quoted above contact the SMC on 04 499 5476 or
smc@sciencemediacentre.co.nz
Notes to Editors
The Science Media Centre (SMC) is an independent source of expert comment and information for journalists covering science and technology in New Zealand. Our aim is to promote accurate, bias-free reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community The SMC is an independent centre established by the Royal Society of New Zealand with funding from the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology. The views expressed in this Science Alert are those of the individuals and organisations indicated and do not reflect the views of the SMC or its employees. For further information about the centre, or to offer feedback, please email us at smc@sciencemediacentre.co.nz.
ENDS
Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
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