Characterization of Eyjafjallajokull Volcanic Ash Particles and a Protocol for Rapid Risk Assessment

On April 14, 2010, when meltwaters from the Eyjafjallajokull glacier mixed with hot magma, an explosive eruption sent unusually fine-grained ash into the jet stream. It quickly dispersed over Europe. Previous airplane encounters with ash resulted in sandblasted windows and particles melted inside jet engines, causing them to fail. Therefore, air traffic was grounded for several days. Concerns also arose about health risks from fallout, because ash can transport acids as well as toxic compounds, such as fluoride, aluminum, and arsenic. Studies on ash are usually made on material collected far from the source, where it could have mixed with other atmospheric particles, or after exposure to water as rain or fog, which would alter surface composition. For this study, a unique set of dry ash samples was collected immediately after the explosive event and compared with fresh ash from a later, more typical eruption. Using nanotechniques, custom-designed for studying natural materials, the authors explored the physical and chemical nature of the ash to determine if fears about health and safety were justified. The authors then developed a protocol that will serve for assessing risks during a future event. On single particles, the authors identified the composition of nanometer scale salt coatings and measured the mass of adsorbed salts with picogram resolution. The particles of explosive ash that reached Europe in the jet stream were especially sharp and abrasive over their entire size range, from submillimeter to tens of nanometers. Edges remained sharp even after a couple of weeks of abrasion in stirred water suspensions.

• Authors:
  • Gislason, S R
  • Hassenkam, T
  • Nedel, S
  • Bovet, N
  • Eiriksdottir, E S
  • Alfredsson, H A
  • Hem, C P
  • Balogh, Z I
  • Dideriksen, K
  • Oskarsson, N
  • Sigfusson, B
  • Larsen, G
  • Stipp, S L S
• Publication Date: 2011-5-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 6p
• Serial:
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Volume: 108
  • Issue Number: 18
  • Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
  • EISSN: 1091-6490
  • Serial URL: http://www.pnas.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ash content; Atmospheric phenomena; Aviation safety; Health hazards; Inorganic salts; Jet engines; Jet stream; Particles; Volcanic ash; Volcanic eruptions
• Geographic Terms: Europe; Eyjafjallajokull volcano (Iceland)
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Environment; Safety and Human Factors; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01356077
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 31 2011 9:52AM