ICELAND

The biggest problem facing Iceland today is that it's volcanoes are posing a threat to both Iceland and other countries around the world.

Ash Plume:
A rising column of hot volcanic ash that is given off during a volcanic eruption.

Because Iceland sits on the boundary between the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate, it is covered in volcanoes.

The ash plumes that result from these frequent volcanic eruptions are toxic, and can rise as high as the stratosphere.

The stratosphere can then deposit these toxic fumes all over the world.

Because of the chemicals contained in volcanic ash, planes cannot fly through it without risking crashing.

To help prevent airplane crashes, the Icelandic Meteorological Office closely monitors all of the weather in Iceland. This helps them predict ash distribution.

Countries around the world also have bodies that can determine whether or not the ash plume conditions are safe to fly in.

This is the best possible solution in response to ash plumes because Iceland can't really cover up their volcanoes to keep ash from rising.

BRIDEY BROWN

WORKS CITED

• "Volcanoes Case Study 1 -Eyjafjallajökull." Cool Geography.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
• "Most Amazing Photographs of Iceland." One Big Photo Most Amazing Photographs of Iceland Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
• "Saving Iceland." Saving Iceland. N.p., 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.
• "Environment." Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.