An Assessment of the Emission and Dispersion of Volcanic Ash and Sulphur Dioxide in the Recent Eruptions in Iceland

Abstract

The chapter presents an assessment of the continental scale atmospheric dispersion of volcanic ash and sulphur dioxide from the recent eruptions of the Eyjafjallajökull (2010) and Grimsvötn (2011) volcanoes. The study is based on a combination of modelling, remote-sensing, and in-situ observations: while the release height is obtained from in-situ observations, the emitted mass flux of SO2 and particulate matter is calibrated using the satellite-based instruments. The analysed features include the split of the Grimsvötn plume to high-altitude SO2 and middle-troposphere ash clouds and the temporal variation of the Eyjafjallajökull emission composition. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014.