Latest ESA images of Icelandic volcano show ash cloud waning

The latest European Space Agency (ESA) images of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland show that the volcanic ash cloud produced by the recent eruption has reduced dramatically since the weekend, when most of the northern European airspace was closed due to fears over aircraft safety.

The new images, produced by the ESA’s Envisat satellite, show that the volcano is now barely visible from space, producing an extremely weak ash cloud that contrasts starkly to the dense, wide cloud of ash that was produced by the volcano after its initial eruption last week.

The images produced by the ESA should put at ease the minds of air travellers in Europe, who endured six days of grounded flights over the past week whilst authorities made sure that the presence of ash cloud in European airspace would not be harmful to aircraft. Volcanic ash, which contains microparticles of glass and rock, is known to be extremely abrasive to aircraft engines, usually resulting in engine failure. Flight paths across most of Europe have now reopened – providing a fresh cloud of dense ash is not emitted from Eyjafjallajoekull as the eruption continues.

For more information on the ESA images, or ESA satellites, visit the association’s website.

Below:An image taken by the ESA Envisat satellite on 21st April, showing the now-weak ash plume rising from theEyjafjallajoekull volcano (indicated by red arrow). (Image: ESA)

Published: Thursday, 22nd April 2010 by Tom Freeman

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