News: Eyjafjallajökull, it’s not over till it’s over
Name_______________________________
Last week we saw a picture on the Internet that showed
that the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced
‘ay-uh-fee-at-luh-yo-koot-luh’) was emitting less carbon
dioxide than would have been emitted by the thousands
of planes that usually fly in Europe each day. So in the
short term the volcano’s eruption saved the skies from
tonnes of carbon dioxide because so many flights were
grounded due to the volcano’s ash. Science by Email
decided to investigate.
Just how gassy is an erupting volcano? The main gas that
is released from a volcano is water vapour, followed by
carbon dioxide (CO2) then sulfur dioxide (SO2). Other
gases that are emitted in smaller amounts include
hydrogen fluoride (HF) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), amongst many others.
These gases are trapped underneath Earth’s surface in hot magma. As this molten material moves upwards into
areas of lower pressure, these gases expand. When a volcano is erupting, expanding gases can explode magma
into the sky.
Volcanoes smell bad and it can be painful to breathe near one – you can blame sulphur dioxide and hydrogen
sulfide. Sulphur dioxide can irritate your nose, throat, eyes and skin. This gas can also change in the atmosphere
to sulfuric acid and cause acid rain. Hydrogen sulphide gas is colourless, flammable and can also be irritating to
the eyes and upper respiratory tract – not to mention being very, very stinky. It smells like rotten eggs.
Water vapour and carbon dioxide are the Earth’s main greenhouse gases. A European volcano expert has
estimated that the volcano Eyjafjallajökull is emitting between 150 000 and 300 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a
day. Scientists measure gas from a volcano using instruments such as spectrometers, which use information
about light to calculate which gases are present in the atmosphere.
All the flights in and out of Europe emit around 344 109 tonnes of carbon dioxide per day. Just one flight from
London to Paris can emit around 244 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Even though Eyjafjallajökull emitted lots of greenhouse gases, when you take into account flights all around the
world, land clearing, coal-fired power stations, transport and agriculture; human-made emissions of carbon
dioxide far outweigh the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from volcanic eruptions.
QUESTIONS: To be answered in your work book
1. What is the article about?
2. What problem can carbon dioxide create in the atmosphere? Explain.
3. How much carbon dioxide did the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull emit?
4. How much carbon dioxide is emitted from airplanes in Europe in one day? How does this figure compare
with your answer to question 3?
5. What other sources increase the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere?
6. List 3 ways Carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced? Explain each