Icelandic volcano spews more toxic gas than Europe's industry: research

A significant volcanic eruption in Iceland last year emitted on average three times as much of a toxic gas as all European industry combined, according to a study published Wednesday by the University of Edinburgh.

The eruption of Bardarbunga Volcano was the biggest in Iceland for more than 200 years. It released a river of lava across northern Iceland, and lasted for six months.

A team of European scientists, including those from the Universities of Leeds and Edinburgh and Britain's Met Office, used data from satellite sensors to map sulphur dioxide pollution from the eruption, and analyzed its impact on the environment.

They find that the volcano released up to 120,000 tons of sulphur dioxide gas per day, which can cause acid rain and respiratory problems.

As well as being emitted from volcanoes, sulphur dioxide is also produced by burning fossil fuels and industrial processes such as smelting. Man-made sulphur dioxide production has been falling since 1990.

"This eruption produced lava instead of ash, and so it didn't impact on flights, but it did affect air quality. These results help scientists predict where pollution from future eruptions will spread," said Dr John Stevenson, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, who took part in the study.

The findings have been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Endit