Open AccessVolcanic ash over Scandinavia originating from the Grímsvötn eruptions in May 2011
Author(s) -
Tesche M.,
Glantz P.,
Johansson C.,
Norman M.,
Hiebsch A.,
Ansmann A.,
Althausen D.,
Engelmann R.,
Seifert P.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2011jd017090
Subject(s) - plume , volcano , lidar , atmospheric sciences , volcanic ash , environmental science , mass concentration (chemistry) , sun photometer , altitude (triangle) , panache , geology , troposphere , meteorology , remote sensing , geochemistry , geography , chemistry , geometry , mathematics
A volcanic ash plume that originated from the eruptions of Iceland's Grímsvötn volcano in May 2011 was observed over the Nordic countries using a combination of satellite observations and ground‐based measurements. The dispersion of the plume was investigated using London VAAC ash forecasts and MODIS observations. Hourly PM10 concentrations at air quality monitoring stations in the southern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland exceeded 100 μ g/m 3 for several hours. The FLEXPART dispersion model has been used to confirm the Icelandic origin of the sampled air masses. Column‐integrated quantities from a Sun photometer and vertical profiles from a Raman lidar were used to estimate the ash concentration within an elevated layer over Stockholm. A lofted layer with an optical thickness of 0.3 at 532 nm passed Stockholm in the morning hours of 25 May 2011. Considering a realistic range of coarse‐mode fractions and specific ash extinctions from the literature, an estimated range of maximum ash mass concentration of 150–340 μ g/m 3 was derived from the lidar measurements at an altitude of 2.8 km. The lower estimate of the lidar‐derived ash mass concentrations within the planetary boundary layer was found to be in good agreement with surface observations of PM10.