Iceland's Volcanic Emissions To Reach Continental Europe

On Thursday, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) warned that sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from the latest volcanic eruption in Iceland are drifting eastward from the North Atlantic through Ireland and the UK and will reach Scandinavia, the Baltic countries, Poland, and northwestern Russia in the coming days.

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The eruption, which began on March 17 on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, is the largest of the four recorded since December to date.

CAMS scientist Mark Parrington indicated that previous eruptions did not produce many SO2 emissions that could be observed and assimilated into the system.

However, the amount of SO2 emitted this time has been very clear in the observations, and CAMS is closely monitoring the emissions as they move over northern Europe. "We do not expect there to be any impact on surface air quality or climate," Parrington said.

CAMS Director Laurence Rouil pointed out that volcanic eruptions and the release of large amounts of sulfur compounds can affect not only air quality in the directly affected region but also global processes, such as ozone concentration in the stratosphere.

"The impacts of Icelandic volcanic eruptions on the atmosphere have not yet been so severe, but it is relevant to continue monitoring the situation's evolution," she said.

CAMS SO2 forecasts predict the transport of emissions over the next five days based on the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

In its latest report, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) highlighted that eruptive activity "appears to be relatively stable" on the fifth day.