Researchers from University of East Anglia have helped provide fresh insight into how huge volcanic ash plumes, which can critically disrupt aviation and cause major impact on the ground, are transported in the atmosphere.
In 2010, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallaj?kull caused widespread travel chaos, with the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights and huge economic losses.
By using high-resolution meteorological modelling of volcanic eruptions on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, the new research, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, aims to improve how to respond to explosive volcanic eruptions, and better forecast volcanic ash dispersal.
The study was led by the University of Bristol, with an international team of researchers from institutions including UEA, Oxford, Kyoto, Earth Observatory Singapore and the West Indies.
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