Effects of Eyjafjallajökull the Volcanic Eruptions of 2010

Eyjafjallajökull Eruptions March 20th - October 2010

Effects on:

Local Economy & Businesses:

Farming, being one of Iceland's main economic sources, was severely effected. Farmers were advised to shelter horses and other livestock during the ash fall. The fallen ash was so thick and wet, it made it extremely difficult to harvest crops, or graze cattle.

Infrastructure: 

Over 500 families from Eyjafjöll, and the surrounding areas were evacuated over night. Flights to and from Iceland were postpone. The ash was composed of so much fluoride local farmers were told to keep livestock from drinking from contaminated streams and ponds

International Travel:

The ash followed the jet stream westward over Europe, causing a large shutdown of flights, as volcanic ash is extremely harmful to jet engines. The shutdown in turn had an effect on the economy and cultural events across Europe 

The Estimated Ash Cloud on 15 April 2010

International Business: 

Shortages of imports were reported all across Europe. Information technology was unable to be shipped out to their buyers. Pharmaceuticals in the UK suffered as their products are time sensitive and thus can go bad. Many other businesses were affected such as BMW as they were unable to be produced in Germany, so they were shut down over the course of the eruptions.

The red dot represents Eyjafjallajökull, the black represents the spread of the ash.

After Effects: 

The ash made a majority of the soil rich in nutrients making farming better and easier.