A Cloud of Dust that Cost Millions

.

Last 5 posts in BuccaNews

• Significance over Seniority - May 19th, 2010
• Cell Phone Radiation - May 19th, 2010
• A Scar On The Reef - April 29th, 2010
• Is 12 too Young to Kill? - April 13th, 2010
• Addicted to Food? - April 3rd, 2010

Other stories that might interest you...

April 23, 2010 • Kelly Fairbanks  
Filed under BuccaNews

            Europe has suffered an economic tragedy this past week as a result of the explosion of the volcano in southern Iceland. The volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, erupted on March 20^th after being dormant for nearly two hundred years. The explosion on April 14^th caused air traffic across northern Europe to come to a halt.

            Eyjafjallajokull had only erupted previously in 1612 and 1821 according to records. Because this volcano is located on a glacier, the lava melted the ice, causing flooding powerful enough to wash away roads. Luckily, the volcano is located in a sparsely populated area, so few people were forced to evacuate. Scientists worry this eruption could trigger another eruption from Katla, a neighboring volcano. Katla is the most intensely watched volcano in all of Iceland. An eruption of this volcano would make the crisis that Europe is in right now exponentially worse.

            The plume of the volcano stretches from Britian’s East Coast, to the North Sea, and to the Dutch Coast Line. Air traffic was suspended completely from Wednesday, April 14^th, to Sunday, April 18^th because of the danger that comes with flying through volcanic ash. In 1989, a KLM flight discovered what would happen when planes fly through volcanic ash. The plane lost all four engines momentarily until the pilot was finally able to regain control. The dust cakes on to the inside of the engines, causing them to slow or even stop. The particles in the ash can also peel paint, clog passenger air ventilation, and disrupt navigation. For these reasons, air traffic control has been extremely cautious about allowing planes to take off.

            Although some air travel has finally resumed, flying in and out of Europe is at a gridlock. Sixty percent of scheduled flights were back in the air as of April 20^th. The first flight landed in London-Heathrow on April 20^th since last Wednesday. A few countries still remain completely shut down after 7 days of no flights in or out, costing airlines a huge chunk of change. Airports are overwhelmed with the number of stranded passengers.

            With the significantly lowered amount of flights taking off, the value of a one way ticket has skyrocketed. Many travelers have to get creative by choosing alternate routes by train or bus. Southern European countries such as Spain were bewildered by the number of people trying to depart out of Europe, but flights were completely booked there too, leaving the problem of stranded passengers unresolved.

            The vast amount of stranded passengers throughout Europe leaves little hope for a speedy recovery out of gridlock for airports around Europe. This disturbance by nature placed a large economic burden on airlines around the globe. The volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, not only caused damage to Iceland, but it also caused a worldwide disruption to air travel.