Global warming blamed for European air traffic collapse
Global warming, which altered European winds, was partially to blame for flight disruptions in Europe caused by an ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano, the New Scientist has said.
Altered weather patterns worsened the effects of the eruption by causing ash clouds to stay over Europe for a longer period, according to Christophe Cassou and Eric Guilyardi of the European Centre for Research and Advanced Training in Scientific Computation in Toulouse, France.
The scientists have developed a climate model which shows that western winds common in the area are currently being blocked by a high-pressure weather system. Because of this, more and more ash-laden air is being blown over Europe.
"We predict that the frequency and length of blocking events will increase in a warmer climate," Cassou was quoted as saying by the New Scientist.
The eruption on the Eyjafjallajokull Glacier in Iceland, which began last Wednesday, has paralyzed air traffic throughout central and northern Europe, leaving thousands of travelers stranded and forcing more than 20 European countries to close their airspace.
It was earlier announced that air traffic in Europe is likely to begin returning to normal from Tuesday, although it is expected to be a lengthy process. However, Eyjafjallajoekull`s activity, which almost stopped on Monday, is on the increase again.
British meteorologists, who said in the previous report that the volcano was spewing ash at the height not exceeding 200 meters, reported recently that clouds of volcanic ash now rise to 3,000-3,500 meters.
Icelandic volcanologist Niels Oskarsson warned on Monday that Eyjafjallajoekull eruption could trigger the explosion of a more powerful Icelandic volcano, Katla.
Last time, in the 19th and 17th centuries, Katla eruptions started after Eyjafjallajoekull eruptions, and they were at least 100 times larger.
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