Europe on alert after the eruption of Icelandic volcano

Experts believe that there is little risk that the eruption of the Grimsvotn, located in the southeast of the country, causing paralysis total air transport in Europe, as was the case the year after that of the Eyjafjöll last.

Until now, only towns and villages located to the South of the glacier were affected by the ash cloud that plunged the people into darkness. Sunday, in the evening, the cloud took the direction of Reykjavik, the capital, and civil aviation has been pessimistic about the reopening of the airport, on Monday.

"The ash cloud should reach Scotland Tuesday, May 24."If volcanic emissions continue with the same intensity, the cloud could reach the West of the French airspace and North of the Spain Thursday, May 26", says Eurocontrol in a bulletin.

The European Agency, which has set up a crisis cell, said that no interruption of traffic is to fear outside Iceland, Monday and Tuesday.

According to the Icelandic Meteorological Agency, the plume of smoke that rises above the Grimsvotn, which last erupted in 2004, reached 25,000 metres high. He fell rapidly in the hours that followed the eruption but develops more slowly now.

Winds, it is a story in two parts. Over 25,000 ft (7600 m) low-, they are blowing Southeast, ash will therefore northward and then eastward. "But lower down, the winds blow from the North, ash will accordingly to the South", he added.

The eruption of the volcano is more violent than that of the Eyjafjöll that paralyzed much of transatlantic and brought air traffic to the partial closure of European airspace due to volcanic ash that might deteriorate the aircraft reactors for several days.

The losses suffered by airlines amounted to EUR 1.2 billion.

"The eruption of the Grimsvotn could cause disturbances but they would be limited in terms of space and time," said Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, Professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland.

"We observe signs indicating a slight decrease in intensity but it remains rather important", he added, specifying that it was the most powerful eruption of the volcano since 1873.

The impact on air traffic will be even more limited, note the volcanologists, winds are most favourable and that smoke was thicker, and therefore less likely to disperse, than last year.

Dave Mcgarvie, a volcanologist at Open university UK, indicated that the volume of ash that could reach Great Britain would be lower than that measured last year.

"A lightweight turf" aircraft should allow aircraft to avoid areas where focus ash, he added.