Experts downplay latest Iceland volcanic eruption

BBC : Although Iceland suffered yet another volcanic eruption on Saturday, it should not cause the major disruption to European airspace that last year’s Eyjafjallajokull eruption did, according to experts. For one thing, the material produced during Grimsvotn’s eruption will likely be coarser, said Clive Oppenheimer of the University of Cambridge, and so should fall out of the sky much more quickly. Eyjafjallajokull’s ash had a high silica content, which produced small, very abrasive particles that hung in the air for a long time. And although Grimsvotn has been emitting 10 to 100 times as much material per second as Eyjafjallajokull, prevailing weather patterns should keep the eruption plume away from much of European airspace. In addition, aviation and meteorology agencies believe they now have the tools in place, including new ground-based radar, to manage the situation more effectively, writes Jonathan Amos and Richard Black for the BBC.