Emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the latest volcanic eruption in Iceland are moving eastwards from the North Atlantic through Ireland and the United Kingdom and will reach Scandinavia, the Baltic countries, Poland and the northwest in the coming days From Russia.
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reported today that the eruption that began on the 17th on the Reykjanes Peninsula (southwest Iceland) is the largest of the four recorded since December so far.
CAMS scientist Mark Parrington said in a statement that previous eruptions did not produce many SO2 emissions that could be observed and assimilated into the system.
However, the amount of SO2 emitted on this occasion has been very clear from observations and CAMS is closely monitoring the emissions as they move over northern Europe. “We do not expect there to be any impact on air quality of surface or climate,” he stressed.
“We do not expect there to be any impact on surface air quality or climate,” he stressed.
The director of CAMS, Laurence Rouil, pointed out that volcanic eruptions and the release of large quantities of sulfur compounds can affect not only air quality in the directly affected region, but also global processes, such as the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere.
“The impacts of Iceland’s volcanic eruptions on the atmosphere have not yet been that serious, but it is pertinent to continue monitoring the evolution of the situation,” he added.
The CAMS SO2 forecasts predict emissions transport over the next five days based on the Integrated Forecast System (IFS) of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) highlighted in its latest report yesterday that the eruptive activity “appears to be relatively stable” on the fifth day. EFE
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