Volcanic Problems

On Tuesday a volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted, throwing millions of tonnes of ash into the air in a plume nearly seven miles high. Burning hot fumes thrown up by the eruption melted the covering ice in an explosion of the elements, creating a torrent of meltwater that ripped through the local farms. Ash covered the sun, turning daylight into night as the plumes of dust was blown eastwards towards Europe.

The volcanic eruption has caused problems on an international scale. All flights in Europe were grounded from Thursday to early Monday morning due to the danger of fine particles of dust shutting down the jet engines, with flights to England postponed for another day. Hundreds of thousands of passengers in Europe were stranded with no way of getting home, and it is estimated that airline losses have spiralled to well over $1 billion, at over $200 million a day.

But the eruption also had effects closer to home. Parents, brothers, daughters and grandparents were all stuck in other countries away from their families. Perhaps certain activities had to be cancelled, or family gathering jeopardized, or school plays missed. In a more materialistic vain, exotic food from South America and the Far East suddenly were out of stock as planes carrying the products were unable to fly. Electronic goods imported from Korea and Japan were suddenly stopped as flights were reluctant to pass through the affected zones. Perhaps a long awaited order was delayed that little bit longer. Little things, but they can make a significant difference.

One thing the volcano does highlight is that without our flights, travel suddenly becomes a lot more difficult. Stranded in Dublin, and you can expect a twelve hour journey – two hours by bus, four hours by ferry, six hours by train - at the very minimum to get back to London, rather than a relaxing one hour flight. Stuck somewhere further, like Helsinki, and you’re looking like a full twenty-four hour journey to get back to London rather than a two-three hour flight. Suddenly, all our other means of travel seem obsolete in comparison, and it shows how delicate a line we tread with our technology. One small event – or huge eruption in this case – and suddenly things start to veer off course.

What would happen if the ash lingered for longer, and we were unable to fly for weeks, or even months? What would happen if the ash dropped lower, and stopped cars and other vehicles working? What would we do then? These are questions we must ask ourselves, so we can prepare ourselves for things that could happen in the future. Because the volcano at Yellowstone is nine thousand years overdue.