Volcano Grimsvotn

Perfect weather in Iceland is marked not just by a bright blue sky but above all by a complete lack of wind. Complete calm. No sudden gusts of winds, no white plumes on waves as they crest along the Atlantic Coast. When the wind dies down in Iceland, there's an almost southern European atmosphere. Even if it's only 12 degrees Celsius.

There was just such an atmosphere last Saturday evening when the first TV news bulletin was broadcast announcing the eruption of a volcano. It was one of Iceland's most active volcanoes, Grimsvotn. A different volcano to the one that erupted just over one year ago. The one with the impossible name - Eyjafjallajokull.

The people of Iceland weren't particularly alarmed when they heard the news. After all, they live in a volcanic “hot spot.” Volcanic eruptions are a normal part of life in Iceland, even though they are all a little bit different.

Wind lull is a problem

On that Saturday evening, the wind lull turned out to be a big problem for people living near the Grimsvotn volcano. It began blasting no fewer than 20,000 tons of ash into the air - per second. Satellite images show eruptions of ash and vapor forming a huge column, 20 kilometers high, topped by a ballooning cloud.

Even for Icelanders, this was something unusual. Something they had not seen in more than 60 years. In the first few hours, each eruption was accompanied by lightning and thunder, as the energy discharged itself in the mushrooming ash cloud.

The ash came deep from the bowels of the Grimsvotn volcano. It is heavier and coarser than the ash produced by the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. That's why it doesn't stay in the atmosphere, but falls down quickly and settles as dust in surrounding areas.

Farmers along the south coast must bring their livestock to safety as quickly as possible. Many lambs were born just days before. They're all over the countryside, often kilometers away from their farms. They can't all be found. The farmers know that any livestock that isn't found is doomed.

Darkness in the south.

For hours on Saturday night, it rained ash across the south of Iceland. As dawn broke, it was so dark people could easily have believed that winter had returned.

Sight was so limited, people couldn't see their own hands. It was impossible to go outside without a breathing mask and protective glasses. The ash burns lungs, and makes eyes water. Some tried to leave in their cars. They couldn't drive any faster than they could walk. It was almost like driving blind. Sight was so limited, they couldn't even see even reflectors along the road, just 25 meters away.

No major damage

Despite the adverse conditions, no one was hurt. Icelanders are well prepared to deal with such situations. But a farmer had tears in his eyes because he couldn't save all his livestock. On the positive side, no one had to be evacuated. No floods were expected from melting snow. Farmers can stay with the livestock they've rescued. But they were advised to keep all windows and doors shut until the dust settled.

Around 300 kilometers away, in the capital Reykjavík, the situation was calm. Life went on as normal. The wind had blown over only a thin coating of dust. Special news bulletins kept people informed of developments. Iceland's public television station aired an extra news broadcast at midday, well ahead of its regular news program late in the afternoon.

The decision was taken to close Icelandic airspace. Only small planes could take off. In Europe, people are closely watching the approach of the new ash cloud. They haven't forgotten what happened 14 months ago: when ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano paralyzed air traffic across the continent for almost a week.

Things won't be as bad this time, said Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, one of Iceland's leading geologists. He heard of the latest volcano eruption just as he started celebrating his 50th birthday. Gudmundsson is fascinated by volcanoes.

No volcano tourism

Gudmundsson warns however that this eruption is nothing for tourists. First of all, the Grimsvotn volcano is located underneath the icecap of Europe's largest glacier, the Vatnajokull. The glacier is located in an inaccessible region. All roads in the area are closed. Gudmundsson said tourists would only get in the way of security forces.

Gudmundsson also warned that eruptions by the Grimsvotn volcano are extremely powerful and dangerous. To illustrate this, he told Deutsche Welle that it has produced more ash in 36 hours than Eyjafjallajokull did in 40 days. Even the speed at which Grimsvotn is now emitting ash - around 2000 tonnes per second - is still faster than the Eyjafjallajokull's performance.

It's unclear to what extent international air travel will be affected. This will depend on two factors. How long the eruptions continue, and what the wind does. The wind is expected to blow towards Europe over the next few days. By Tuesday evening hundreds of flights had been cancelled. US president Barack Obama and the FC Barcelona soccer team caught earlier flights than planned to avoid being stranded. Now, other air passengers will be closely following the direction of the ash cloud. What happens next depends on the wind.

Author: Jessica Sturmberg (Reykjavik) / wl

Editor: Susan Houlton