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London VAAC The Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption

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ICAO IAVW

• London VAAC is the ICAO IAVW designated centre for volcanic eruptions in the North-East Atlantic

- Iceland falls within this area of responsibility

• ICAO Annex 3 briefly describes the responsibilities of a VAAC to include:

- Production of advisories detailing the spatial dispersion of VA

- Running (and/or utilisation of output from) NWP dispersion models

- Monitoring of observational data, especially satellite imagery for the presence of VA.

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ICAO Annex 3 doesn’t…

• ICAO Annex 3 does not:

- Describe VA concentration threshold limits

- Describe VA observational network requirements.

LIDAR output

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The Eyjafjallajökull eruption

• ‘Smouldering’ for a few weeks

• Erupted to 35000 FT on 14th April for 30 hours

• VAAC Advisories of VA for large parts of northern Europe between 15th and 21st April

• Large areas of European airspace closed

• Met Office tasked from 20th April with producing supplementary (black/red) ash concentration charts by UK CAA following EU Transport Minister/Eurocontrol/EASA/engine manufacturer crisis meetings

• 21st April to 23rd May (eruption ‘paused’) occasional further incursions of low and ‘higher’ concentration ash over western Europe

- Intermittent and ‘less disruptive’ European airspace closures.

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Eyjafjallajökull eruption – Met Office response

• Continual constructive dialogue with UK CAA and UK NATS

• Coordination of European LIDAR observational availability

• Daily VAAC tele-conferences with European NMS during European VA episodes

• Enhanced VA research flight campaigns in coordination with DLR and DWD

• Enhanced coordination with Toulouse VAAC and IMO

• Close consultation with WMO, ICAO, EUMETNET

• Prioritisation of and attendance at numerous VA related meetings and workshops.

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Future Plans

• Continued quantitative assessment of ash forecasts against observations and development of implementation plans for improved monitoring systems

• Close collaboration with IMO to improve definition/calibration of volcanic source term (MoU signed end of May)

• Development of forecasts of SO2 and related pollutants

• Development of products which sample uncertainty in the volcanology and meteorology to enable better-informed risk assessments

• International VA collaboration and coordination.

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Eyjafjallajökull: ‘Unusual’ Volcano coupled with ‘Unfriendly’ Meteorology