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Wow. Just wow.

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by boxfiddler

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

http://www.10news.com/travelgetaways/23157055/detail.html?treets=sand&tml=sand_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=sand_natlbreak_1_08260104152010

Unless I'm grossly mistaken, a lot of ash in the air can also affect lungs.

Shutting down European airspace for days has got to be an economic mess. Don't you think?

Hope my friends across the pond fare well through the mess...

132 replies

by shellbot

So glad I not travelling this weekend :)

So far the ash isn't coming down low enough, (well here anyways) its way up, where the planes are..
If it rains (hmm..being Ireland ...whats the chance eh..) hmmm ..best bring the laundry in :)

I think dublin airport is closed till 8 pm, I guess all depends on which way the wind is going and where the cloud ends up.

by gsg

In a lot of volcanos, the ash is full of silica. When that gets into the lungs, it can cause the same problems as asbestos. Just breathing in the fine particulates can clog your lungs.

If I lived anywhere that was getting the ash, I'd stay inside, and run air filters at full blast. If I had to go outside, I'd wear a mask.

Edited to add: In the US, we have air quality warnings. Do they have a similar system in Europe?

by prpetty

for a while. Run your finger across the hood of one, you might be supprised at how much of that ash is falling.

by deadly ernest

as the last time this happened, a few hundred years back, it lowered the average world temp a few degrees centigrade.

by deadly ernest

and how long it hangs about up there - the last one stole the European summer and caused wide spread famine.

by deepsand

It's not going to make a dent in the increased radiative forcing brought about by man.

by santeewelding

Word I have is, we're looking at re-emergence of the Deccan Traps.

This just in: I've been looking through it and, our new health insurance doesn't pay out for extinction.

by nicknielsen

If increased temperatures topside can affect temperatures below the surface, if too hot up top means hotter magma means more volcanoes. Ash in the atmosphere then cools things down until the next time. Nice little feedback loop.

Interesting hypothesis...

by deepsand

such as tectonic plate subduction and divergence, and is wholly oblivious to atmospherics in the short term.

Long term, atmospheric composition can affect such by way of the carbon cycle, whereby surface carbonates are subducted, enter the magma, and are later ejected.

by av .

Maybe the ash is in the upper atmosphere now, but eventually, its got to fall to Earth. I remember back in 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted and seeing those ash-filtered sunsets as far away as NJ. It was very strange to look at. We didn't have the ash fallout though. That only happened in the states closest to the volcano.

Mount St. Helens link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens

I hope our European friends can get back to normal soon and they're not that affected by it. Its just a big economic mess and then you have the poor air quality to deal with on top of that.

Mother Nature trumps everything.

AV

by santeewelding

That is what sparked my comment. Like one of the posters said, I would have loved to witness that one. I guess it happened over a long enough span of time to have swirled a contemplative sip of sherry in one's mouth before the end of everything.

by deepsand

My electric meter is spinning too rapidly from the current being drawn by the air conditioner.

by deepsand

Per the Mesoamerican Long Count, aka Mayan, calendar, December 21, 2012 is simply the first day of the 14th b'ak'tun.

The current hubbub re. 12/21/12 owes to a misinterpretation of said calendar.

by charliespencer

You've posted more in the last 24 hours than the last year.

And yes, I think we all know the '2012' nonsense is a misinterpretation.

by deadly ernest

refering to, it's the one that created the great Irish potato famine. It's late at night here, so if you had some specific joke in mind, I'm sorry, but I missed it.

by shellbot

My mind was in the gutter...

It was the title I was giggling at..
I know..I'm a bad girl.. :(
I should be ashamed of myself :(

I'll behave now..if i have to... :(

by gsg

You know, I was taking this all seriously, until you had to turn the wheel and head straight for the gutter at full speed.

by jamesrl

Hash problem.....

Toronto Star suffers a typo (they have already fixed on their website, but its still in print).

"Fearing that microscopic particles of highly abrasive hash could endanger ".

James

by shellbot

The Irish Star headllines thismorning was something like:

"Volcano causes plane in the ash"

made me laugh

by jck

I mean, I could call into work and tell them it's too dangerous for me to walk to the office and that it could endanger my health.

Then, walk downstairs to the pub and sit down for a few healthy pints :D

by deadly ernest

breakfast menu having hashish browns. well, a few times my tongue has gotten away from me and I've ordered a few hashish browns - some staff laugh, most go 'What the he..."

by shellbot

one of my issues is that I have a filthy mind ]:)

Do ya "get" why i was giggling now?

I'll go away now and leave you good people in peace..its friday..and beer thirty is approaching quickly

by shellbot

mmmmm..crisps..tasty...

i am heading off to the pub in 5 mins.. yay !

gonna sit in the sun and have a nice cold..ehh...vodka...

by jck

Are one intelligent, enterprising young man!

I'll take two bags and a pint of Guinness, please.

Oh wait, let me ask for it right.

Pionta Guinness, le do thoil. :)

by shellbot

not gonna work...

the sun is shining gloriously...not a drop of ash in the air, that seems to be headed for mainland europe..

its the "airspace" waaaaaaaay up in the sky and a wee bit to the west which is the issue for Ireland..

so..no health endangerment yet :)

by jck

the ash has to fall somewhere.

What if I get trapped in my office overnight?

I can't walk home in those conditions!

I think the pub is much safer. :D

by Member 25348569

There isn't usually any subducted carbonates so they are mostly lava eruptions with relatively little gas and that generally SO2. The problem with this one is that it's erupting under an ice field and the water produced is reacting explosively with the magma to produce the ash.

This is the second eruption and the first one last month was sited between the glaciers so was mostly lava and pretty unremarkable.

It seems to be clearing a bit as Scottish airspace is opening this evening.

:)

We've got lots of blue sky so it has been so weird not seeing a single contrail for a couple of days.

Some of the fun has been listening to the various pronunciations of "Eyjafjallajokull Volcano".

Edited to add: I've just noticed who I was posting to. I am SO on the ball today! Hiya Deepsand, where have you been hiding?

by deepsand

the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

It is actually a sub-aerial mantle plume; i.e., a volcanic eruptive point which extends through the water into the air.

As for hiding, it is the nearly never functioning "My Workspace" which is to blame; to constantly re-try such takes much more time than I've available. That, combined with the fact that the e-mail alerts arrive only sporadically arrive, leaves me with no good way to keep abreast of the happenings here.

by gsg

I lightened my day enough that I didn't kill the person that decided to make a major change to a system, on a friday, that affected MY SYSTEM. I've spent all day manually answering and killing errors, and in no uncertain terms told that person to change their stuff back. What idiot makes a major change on a friday when it's not even a required change or is to fix a problem?

I'm starting to re-think that no drinking policy that I have.

by maevinn

A close friend of mine is currently in Hamburg. Her flight to Frankfurt was canceled, as was her flight from there back stateside. Cars are hard to come by as everyone is scrambling to figure out alternate means of travel. Train seats were dwindling as well. She has plans now to come back next Tuesday instead, so hopefully the volcano cooperates.

by boxfiddler

my no-drinking policy in my thirties. The hell with it. Life is too short and too full of dimmies.

by ansugisalas

... and it's right around the corner.
I wonder how long that volcano's going to be spewing.

Did you take a look at that phonetic transcription? I wonder if that's right...
Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH'-plah-yer-kuh-duhl)
[Eyja = ay-yah] ... ok
[fja = FYAH'] ... ok, but [fjalla = FYAH'-plah]... ?!? plah?
[joku = yer-kuh] ...ok, but [jokull = yer-kuh-duhl]; where'd the d come from?
I don't speak icelandic... it could be right I guess, but...
Ah, I guess there's a typo in there, the plah should've been a tlah, apparently the double ll is a kinda forced sound, an l-sound that has a hard t-like onset.

by Member 25348569

On one of the early news reports the crew were filming an airline representative and a woman came up to him and asked that very question, "How long is the volcano going to be erupting? How long before I can fly out?". He turned to her and said with amazing control, "Madam, it's a [b]volcano[/b]."

I'm afraid that I laughed.

by ansugisalas

The sun's pull on the dayside of the earth being stronger than it's pull on the nightside; not a big force, but over a big area. The moon should add to it too.

by Member 25348569

(BBC science series) where a vulcanologist was trying to prove a theory that the severity of eruptions in some active volcanoes followed a similar pattern to spring and neap tides and for the same reason.

The tides on Io, the closest of Jupiter's moons, causes the volcanoes there.

:)

by deepsand

"My Workspace" is still as spastic as ever; ditto for the e-mail alerts.

Absent the leisure of time sufficient for sitting at the keyboard and constantly refreshing, hoping "My Workspace" will be rendered, I'm hopelessly out of touch with the goings on here.

And, as I'm engaged in several other forums that are reliably functional, they gain my first attention.

by deepsand

Mention of such was simply to say that present atmospheric content would eventually affect volcanic ejecta in the very distant future.

by deepsand

Reminded me of my childhood days, when the only flying machines in the sky were blimps, dirigibles and prop driven airplanes.

by shellbot

All flights out of Ireland cancelled till tomorrow, the Irish carriers have cancelled all flights till Monday afternoon.

They saying that if the weather doesn't change, this could last a few more days...

by av .

Looking at some of the pictures of the plumes of ash, I think Monday afternoon might be too soon.

AV

by oz_media

`Of course if stuck across the pond, you need to boat it or wait it but. But for Eruopeans, even though people have said they are stuck, they are not REALLY stuck. There are a lot of ferries to the mainland of Europe as well as eh eurotunnel, which is full and at capacity but you can still get across. Once in Europe, the best travel is by car or train anyway. Even with deregulation bringing in many new carriers and dropping air prices, rail passes are still cheaper if you are not in a frantic rush.

It's not like the people not getting across the pond though. THEY are screwed, unless they can find an open spot on a ship of course. :D Oh well, such is life I guess.

by shellbot

Most ferries are booked up, can't rent a car in Europe if ya wanted to, trains in france not really going as they on strike, which is affecting Eurostar a bit as well (from what I've heard)

Honestly, if I was in the position of being "stuck" in europe, I'd wait it out rather than mess around and spend 3 days travelling to get back to Dublin..

by prpetty

If they packed for x days and the clean clothes ran out in x days...I have teenagers and they have no clue how to do laundry...I know, but as long as they can get mom to do it...anyway they will try to play that game with the teacher too. Hope she comes from good German stock...:-)

by oz_media

I soon learned to do laundry, in a hurry too, when my clothes were not already cleaned and pressed by mum on Friday night.

Leave them to wear crusty, nasty or out of date clothes, they'll soon figure it out. Way too many kids are useless these days because they aren't left to do anything for themselves.

by deepsand

Cruise lines are generally heavily booked, many with regional, as opposed to trans-Atlantic, routes.

I doubt that there's much to be had from the cruise lines in the way of either open trans-Atlantic berths, or idle ships ready and able for such crossings.

by nicknielsen

divert what they've got. But, as you point out, the cruise lines are neither equipped for nor focused on such a voyage. And there would no doubt be a firestorm of customer complaints, not to mention the bad publicity and the financial costs associated with the canceled cruises.

Ideally, somebody has a ship just coming out of maintenance or refurb that is both capable of the crossing and not currently booked. Cut the amenities back to the bare minimum (it is, after all, only a crossing, not a cruise) and put the pedal to the metal. Head for Southampton and Le Havre and put the word out; they could be booked solid in less than a day.

It might only be good for one or two round trips, but if everything came together just right, there could be a tidy profit in it.

Might even be the beginning of the return of transoceanic surface travel; not likely, but possible.

by oz_media

Friends were playing in Eindhoven for the last week. They had to get to Wales again and were held up for flights so they ended up renting 3 vans, driving to Calais and Chunneling to Folkstone (gotta admit driving onto an underwater train is pretty cool), thwn driving to Wales. Apprently the chunnel is a nightmare right now too, all hotels in France are booked etc.

Oh well, back to the old days of travel before airplanes, kinda nostalgic actually. LOL :D What a pain!

by shellbot

Dear All,

The latest information we have received is that volcanic ash could remain over Europe for at least the next 4 to 5 days and possibly even longer. According to the BBC News Website "
Weather experts say wind patterns mean the cloud is not likely to move far until later in the week."

While we have been doing our utmost to provide all of our clients with alternative travel arrangements, it is likely that rebooking Air Travel over the next 4-5 days is a futile exercise as most flights will be subject to cancellations.

It is extremely difficult to make a judgment call, given the uncertainty however, we would offer the following opinion for your consideration;

Unless you are prepared to risk staying in situ for the forthcoming days and possibly for an even longer period, the only alternative is to start making you way overland.

If you decide to return overland, we would recommend you travel via Major Cities as, should the situation improve, it may be possible to rebook a flight from a major airport. It is probably quicker and more efficient to explore and book your own arrangements locally, as due to systems and websites overloading, we are encountering extreme difficulties in exploring and booking alternatives.

The options for returning to consider are;

1. Rail & Ferry

If you are in continental Europe, we suggest you go to the nearest train station and purchase tickets to London via Eurostar or if possible, purchase a through ticket to Ireland.

If in the UK, go to your nearest main railway station and purchase a train ticket to the nearest ferry port and if possible a ticket including the ferry to Ireland.

2. Coach and Ferry

If you are in continental Europe, we suggest you go to the nearest Bus station and purchase tickets to London via Eurolines or other Coach Operators or if possible, purchase a through ticket to Ireland.

If in the UK, go to your nearest main bus station and purchase a bus ticket to the nearest ferry port and if possible a ticket including the ferry to Ireland.

3. Car Hire

This may be a possibility however as it is likely to be a one way rental, may prove difficult to obtain a car on this basis and if you do, is likely to be a very expensive option.

If you are currently abroad and trying to get home, we suggest that you keep up to date with local media reports and travel websites

by jck

Spain is trying to get the airlines to re-route through them as the ash cloud hasn't reached that far south yet.

Would be a good idea to get some of the people home by sending them by rail or bus to Spain and getting people back safe and easing congestion in the affected countries.

The ash is supposed to start getting into North America soon. Oh boy.

by jamesrl

It was a meteorologist with AMEC, talking about the cloud reaching Newfoundland today. He was suggesting it may affect the eastern seaboard of the US later in the week.

James

by oz_media

, but the people say ther are stuck, so it must be true. Some people take months making plans and if anything changes they are lost and it will take months for them to work around it.

Then again, some people should just stay home. [i]Bloody foreigners[/i] :D

by deepsand

If anything forces them to divert from their chosen path they're totally flustered and fearful.

My dad was, while he lived, and I still am, the type to try new roads at every possible chance. Mom, on the other hand, would wring her hands and wail about how we were all going to get lost. Made a lot of wonderful discoveries that way.

From what I hear on the BBC, it sounds as if heading south to the eastern Mediterranean area is also an option for air travel.

by oz_media

I was driving my girlfriend back to Canada from Oregon because she had a very important meeting. I was really pushing it up the I-5 at 11 PM and blew a connecting rod, car instantly dead. It turned out to be an absolute blast of a good time getting back. Definitley one we laughed about, even then, and for a long time afterwards.

Adventure is great, even when you actually believe you have to be somewhere fast.

by oz_media

Rented THREE vans and got on Eurostar the next day when they arrived in Calais. People just need to be a little more creative in their search. As of now, Eurostar is booked until Friday, but you can hang out and they'll get you on a train in a couple of runs, there's always openenings as they load, people just leave and then lose out.

There are also countless ferries to Portsmouth too. If you don't have a car, it's even easier still.

And since when did people stop lathering themselves with Crisco and swimming across anyway? Pu**ies..

by shellbot

Guess I'll start referring to you for my news from now on. I admit, the RTE news in Ireland isn't 100% top notch..and take what they say with a grain of salt..but with reports from them and countless soundbites of people saying "we can't rent a car" bladdy blah blah.
I guess the interviews on the news 2 hours ago were bogus.. people arriving at ferry ports and being told there is no space for them, so they driving to the next port..
A lot of ferries are not taking foot passenger bookings as they have filled thier quotas. I guess some people figure that driving 14 hours to a port without knowing if they can get on a ship maybe puts them off doing it.

But if you say its all good in the hood, I believe ya Oz...guess actually living in the area affected by all this has rendered me unable to read your post.

by oz_media

Geez, you make comments toward what I have said and yet illustrate that you haven't even read what I said.

My first post was from personal info tryign to move a band from one country to another, crossing the channel. It was tricky but could be done. In that same post I also said it was no picnic but could be done.

A quick review of the Eurostar website explains the current train issues, but as anyone there knows, if you wait you will often get squeezed on anyway.

Ferry lineups are far longer than normal, but people are not stuck, they can still get across if they don't expect to just drive up and drive on. As I also said in my previous post, patience is required.

Living in Vancouver doesn't mean that i know how busty teh ferries to the Island are either, the website is often inaccurate and teh radio even worse. In many cases when vessels are taken off line and teh line ups make headline news, you can just go and wait for a couple of sailings and drive on the same day.

Due to global communication, you don't have to watch local news anymore to be aware of what's going on.

by nicknielsen

But I'm not sure anybody would travel–more than once–on one of those. Compared to today's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, they were shorter, broader, and displaced 8% more (10,000 tons vs. 9,200). Destroyers are NOT fun in anything remotely resembling heavy weather, and I suspect Victory ships would be as bad.

You'd make it to New York, but you'd be green when you got there! :-&

by oz_media

I have a set of avatars for almost every month, I was going for April and Easter with that one, Mum's day is on this month but I haven't done one for that. I have the wreath on Remembrance Day, a yellow black and orange one for Halloween (I might do one with my shield carved into a pumpkin this year), I have the New Year's banner for January, adorned lights for Christmas (also have a shield with a santa hat on) etc. I just use Picturetrail.com (free) and load up the one I want for the occasion.

[i]Had to f'in ask didn't you, well that'll learn ya! [/i]

by shellbot

your other post. My original post was not snippy or narky, I was simply making a comment. You are the one who replied that obviously I hadn't bothered to read what you posted. So who's the one making "comments toward"?

It was your tone saying that I hadn't read it which p!ssed me off. It implied that because your buddy's were able to rent 3 VANS, sureley everyone else could. Just because I'm not that pedantic that I have to point out each and every little thing...

Same as you are posting from "personal information"...so am I.

I was thinking that Eindhoven is not the centre of Europe and just because you can rent a car there, doesn't mean other areas have cars available.
As for driving up and getting on a Ferry, I'm NOT talking about cars, talking foot passengers. Bear in mind I'm coming from the Irish perspective.. all bookings for foot passengers to Ireland are booked up completely. The only way you can get on a ferry is with a car, BUT seeing as how most car rental companies in Europe won't let you take the car out of Europe.... do you get the point I am making? One guy took a frikkin taxi from Paris to Calais because he could not secure ANY other form of transport. Obviously he didn't research well enough ...

yes, very few are truly "stuck" ...but my original point (maybe you didn't read my post?) was "if I had to spend 3 days travelling, I wouldn't bother" ... I'd hit the bar and order a round..

I know you don't have to watch local news to know whats going on, but your attitude insinuated that you knew better than me..

But then again, I'm just being silly aren't I. Of course you know better than me. You are Oz..
Take it how you want.