Click on the image to see the animation (last update 24/05/2011, 13:30 UTC)
CETEMPS is active for the monitoring of the plume from Iceland volcano Grimsvotn, that started its eruptive activity on 21st May 2011. At the moment simulations are being carried out, using a gaseous tracer with the same molar weight and deposition properties of sulfur dioxide (SO2, molar weight 64 g/mole).
The simulated source is 1 million tons per day, assumed as continuous and constant for all run duration and distributed between 2 and 8 km altitude (gaussian profile centered at 5 km altitude with a sigma of 2.5 km). The plume displayed in the animation (click on the image) denotes the simulated atmospheric column in Dobson Units (1000 DU = 1 cm column if all the mass were brought to the ground). The results should be considered qualitatively and not quantitatively. The model predicts that, in case of continued eruption, in the next days the plume might interest the sky of Great Britain, Central Europe (France, Germany, ...) and also Italy, in particular between 29 and 30 May.
Links to previous forecasts: