Bardabunga may explode under Vatnajokull. For those of you who think this some sort of code, let me assure you it is not. Bardabunga is a large volcano in Iceland. It sits under a glacier named Vatnajokull. (Don't ask me what the names mean; I have not got a clue.) The government of Iceland just raised the watch status of the volcano to the second highest risk level based upon changes in the readings taken in the area. It looks like an eruption is coming sometime soon. In volcanology, sometime soon could be anywhere between tomorrow and three years from now.
So what effect would the eruption have? That is a question to which no person knows the answer. there could be a small eruption under the ice which never makes its way to the surface. The eruption could be larger, enough to melt substantial amounts of ice and send water flowing out of the glacier to neighboring areas. There could also be a breach of the ice and a resulting ash plume that could vary in size. One large eruption in Iceland a few years back caused havoc in the North Atlantic air routes. Planes were grounded for days. A really big eruption could spew ash, dust and sulfuric acid into the upper atmosphere and cool the temperatures around the globe by a degree or two until the mess settles out of the atmosphere in a year or so. To put this in context, the cooling would be more than all the global warming claimed to have happened since 1900. Particularly given the recent cold temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere for the last year, a major eruption could produce some truly epic cold temperatures next winter.
There is nothing that can be done about the possible eruption of the volcano except to watch and wait. Hopefully, conditions will change and there will not even be an eruption. Only time will tell.
So what effect would the eruption have? That is a question to which no person knows the answer. there could be a small eruption under the ice which never makes its way to the surface. The eruption could be larger, enough to melt substantial amounts of ice and send water flowing out of the glacier to neighboring areas. There could also be a breach of the ice and a resulting ash plume that could vary in size. One large eruption in Iceland a few years back caused havoc in the North Atlantic air routes. Planes were grounded for days. A really big eruption could spew ash, dust and sulfuric acid into the upper atmosphere and cool the temperatures around the globe by a degree or two until the mess settles out of the atmosphere in a year or so. To put this in context, the cooling would be more than all the global warming claimed to have happened since 1900. Particularly given the recent cold temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere for the last year, a major eruption could produce some truly epic cold temperatures next winter.
There is nothing that can be done about the possible eruption of the volcano except to watch and wait. Hopefully, conditions will change and there will not even be an eruption. Only time will tell.
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