UK reaches Sulfer dioxide from Icelandic volcanic eruption

A recent eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland released a huge plume of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) currently floating around Europe. Fortunately, no significant weather or health impacts are expected.

yes₂ On March 20 in the EU, the plume moved across Ireland and the United Kingdom towards Scandinavia. Copernicus atmospheric monitoring service I said it today. It is scheduled to arrive in the Baltic states, Poland and Russia on Friday.

A person working at the Blue Lagoon Resort on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland was hospitalized March 20, after being exposed to high levels of SO.₂ gas. However, the plumes moving over Europe are far above the ground and do not affect the air quality below.

Say, “The plume is at a higher altitude.” Mark Purrington At Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.

Last November, a gigantic fissure, 15 kilometers long and several kilometers deep, formed under part of the Reykjanes Peninsula. Magma that had been accumulating deeper was poured into it at the fastest rate ever recorded.

On December 18, lava began erupting along part of the fissure. So far it has erupted four times, and the most recent and largest eruption began on March 17th.

“SO plume”₂ All of Europe was created at an early stage [of the latest eruption]” Freistein Sigmundson At the University of Iceland in Reykjavik.

Freistein said the eruption continued as of the afternoon of March 21, although the flow slowed from its initial stages. “This eruption is different from previous ones,” he says. “It's longer than last time.”

Some volcanic eruptions release enough SO₂ Although it has the potential to affect the global climate, the Icelandic eruption is not on this scale. Parrington said the plume's duration is too short to affect the weather.

Unlike the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, which disrupted air traffic over Europe for about a week, the Reykjanes eruption is of a different type and is not expected to produce large amounts of volcanic ash.