Under The Volcano...

**auld argonian** · 15th April 10, 05:39 AM

So I hear that that volcano in Iceland that Barb was commenting on earlier has shut down air travel in the UK...doesn't sound good. You folks all right over there?

Best

AA

**Schiehallion** · 15th April 10, 06:28 AM

The airports in Scotland are closed as the volcanic dust cloud had gone south easterly and is in UK air space making flights impossible to and from the Islands as well as to England and elsewhere.
Low flying helicopters are not effected so emergence rescue services are ok. This according to the UK news.

**cessna152towser** · 15th April 10, 07:44 AM

Yes, we are all alive and well. We are being advised that the dust should not pose a health risk except to those who already have lung disease.
I had planned a day trip by air from Newcastle to Bristol today so that I could hike another section of the old Somerset and Dorset Railway trackbed, which closed in 1966. Easyjet had e-mailed me at 02:21 this morning about the cancellation but I did not log on before setting off for the airport at 04:10. They offered me the option of going by bus to Bristol but when I told the check-in girl I was on a one day trip I was offered the option of a full refund or travel on another date. Having already got up early and driven to Newcastle I considered going by train to London for the day (Bristol would be a bit far for a day trip by rail). East Coast Railway wanted £226 for a standard class day return, but could offer a return trip for £178 if I was prepared to await a later train. Bearing in mind the air fare to London is usually around £50 return I thought this much too pricey, so I decided not to travel. The sting in the tail was the railway company then demanded the full daily rate of £14.50 for my ten minute stay in their car park before they would release my car, despite a short stay rate of £1 being advertised at the station entrance. I was told I did not qualify for the short stay rate as I did not drop off or collect any rail passengers. I drove to the nearby coast at Whitley Bay and had a walk along the beach to chill out before driving home.

**auld argonian** · 15th April 10, 08:01 AM

Not that it is any real compensation for the inconvenience that you all must be experiencing but get your cameras ready and prepare for some spectacular sunsets.

Best

AA

**Pleater** · 15th April 10, 09:48 AM

When I went out to the car this morning, before hearing about this, I noticed that it was covered in a fine layer of dust.

In the warmer weather we often get red dust from the tail end of Saharan dust storms, and as the car is basically red I did not really notice that today's ash was not the usual colour.

I have noticed that my breathing is slightly laboured and my eyes feel gritty - I had put it down to hay fever but now I am not so sure - having not had hay fever for quite some time.

It is nothing terrible - and I can always resort to filtering the air if necessary,

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**guitarmatt** · 15th April 10, 10:02 AM

Completely unaware of this I went for a 10 mile bike ride this morning and am none the worse for wear this afternoon.

**starbkjrus** · 15th April 10, 10:45 AM

The BBC said this morning that no air quality problems were expected (seemed odd to me at the time) but now a collegue who's family lives near Windsor, England says they have been told to stay indoors.

Good luck all.

**McClef** · 15th April 10, 11:26 AM

The shut down has also affected much of Northern Europe too including Norway and Sweden.

We are supposed to get spectacular sunsets though.

**Steve Ashton** · 15th April 10, 11:45 AM

I have just been in contact with our own Dr. Barb T. and asked her to do a post to the forum from an experts viewpoint.

She showed me some photos and a video of a graphic representation of the ash cloud.

But she also has the URL for two webcams that would show the volcano if the weather in Iceland was not so bad right now. All I could see was fog or cloud cover.

**Barb T** · 15th April 10, 12:13 PM

The following web cam is really worth watching when the weather is clear. Right now, clouds are blowing by, and it's alternately moderately murky and completely murky. But, when it clears, you can see water flooding out from under the glacier:

http://www.vodafone.is/eldgos/en

Here's a web site that shows an animation of the ash plume that's over the UK and Europe:

http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/ir...cle3607728.ece

And, if you're into seismic stuff, the last few hours of tremors has been pretty amazing:

http://www.simnet.is/jonfr500/earthquake/tremoren.htm

on the above, scroll down to the second seismogram.