Nature hoists Europe back in time

[Big Don]

[SIZE=+2]Nature hoists Europe back in time[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1] By Anne Applebaum
Monday, April 19, 2010; A15 The Washington Post EXCERPT:
[/SIZE]

WARSAW

Did you know that volcanic ash can bring down airplanes? I didn't know. Nor did I know that there were volcanoes in Europe capable of spewing so much of the stuff into the atmosphere. But since last week, when airports in Britain -- and then Germany, France, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia -- began to shut down because of the ash emitted by Eyjafjallajokull, an unpronounceable volcano in Iceland, an army of experts has arisen to explain how floating lava dust damages engines.
Suddenly, almost everyone else seems to have become an expert, too. A friend with no previous interest in airline mechanics explained how two planes had already been affected. Another proffered a detailed description of the scientific process by which ash enters the engine, melts and turns back into stone -- not what one wants inside airplane engines, really.
Others have become mystics. A British friend sees this as "judgment for the bad things we have done to the Earth." Another thinks this is the beginning of many years of volcanic activity, thus heralding the end of civilization as we know it.
End EXCERPT

"judgment for the bad things we have done to the Earth."

Oh really? I eagerly await condemnation by those who got their panties in a wad when someone said much the same about Haiti, albeit, with a Christian slant...

 

[Haakon]

After Mount St Helens went up the ash was thick enough in places to cause problems for cars, mainly clogged air filters. I suppose something similar could happen to planes, and I'd expect air traffic controllers to be far more cautious about grounding planes when they might have trouble.

"judgment for the bad things we have done to the Earth." I doubt it, it's not like volcanos haven't been erupting at random times for millions of years. I suppose somehow 'global warming' caused the volcano to pop?

 

[Senjojutsu]

Gaia is pissed!
She is an angry goddess mad at all us hairless apes.

What do you say? Plate tectonics!?

You want me to study the science of geology???

 

[Empty Hands]

I eagerly await condemnation by those who got their panties in a wad when someone said much the same about Haiti, albeit, with a Christian slant...

Someone did not say "much the same", "someone" (Pat Robertson) said that the Haitians brought it on themselves by making a deal with Satan when they won their freedom.

 

[grydth]

There are really 2 issues here.... the first is whether the European decision to ground flights had any scientific basis. On Sukerkin's prior thread I cited an example of an airliner losing all 4 engines in a volcanic ash cloud; there are also data from Mt Saint Helens as cited by Haakon. Do Europeans - or anyone else - know what concentration of what ash is needed for how long to bring down a 767? I doubt it, but one certainly doesn't test a hypothesis with a fully loaded airliner. Seems to me that when you lack data, the prudent course is caution... whether they carried that too far, time will tell.

The second issue is how one views world events.... Traditionally, it can either be by study of geology/weather, or it can be:

" This event happened because <Diety X> smote <Target popukation Y> because they <insert horrible sin here>."

The more science demonstrates that it simply lacks answers, or worse, that it is being manipulated by political or corporate forces to reach certain conclusions, the more people will believe in other things - or just settle for being ignorant.

Oh, and Senjojutsu, it is not Gaia at work here! One of the ruling maniac ayatollahs in Iran has just declared earthquakes are in fact being caused by promiscuous women. I did not make this up. (Presumably, if said women were to maintain their virtue, they could be given as gifts to Homicide bombers in Paradise)

 

[jks9199]

There are really 2 issues here.... the first is whether the European decision to ground flights had any scientific basis. On Sukerkin's prior thread I cited an example of an airliner losing all 4 engines in a volcanic ash cloud; there are also data from Mt Saint Helens as cited by Haakon. Do Europeans - or anyone else - know what concentration of what ash is needed for how long to bring down a 767? I doubt it, but one certainly doesn't test a hypothesis with a fully loaded airliner. Seems to me that when you lack data, the prudent course is caution... whether they carried that too far, time will tell.

Volcanic ash can and has brought down planes through a couple of mechanisms. The sheer volume of ash particles can disrupt the engines, whether jet or prop. The ash is also very abrasive, and can damage the fan blades in a number of ways on a turbofan engine -- and most modern jets are turbofans. And there's other ways, too.

The second issue is how one views world events.... Traditionally, it can either be by study of geology/weather, or it can be:

" This event happened because <Diety X> smote <Target popukation Y> because they <insert horrible sin here>."

The more science demonstrates that it simply lacks answers, or worse, that it is being manipulated by political or corporate forces to reach certain conclusions, the more people will believe in other things - or just settle for being ignorant.

Oh, and Senjojutsu, it is not Gaia at work here! One of the ruling maniac ayatollahs in Iran has just declared earthquakes are in fact being caused by promiscuous women. I did not make this up. (Presumably, if said women were to maintain their virtue, they could be given as gifts to Homicide bombers in Paradise)

Eh... I figure if a true Deity wanted to smite us... there are lots of better, more effective, and clearer ways to drive a point home for an omnipotent being.

 

[grydth]

Odd.... the Weather Channel shows a sudden severe thunderstorm forming right over your region... haven't seen that much red on the map in quite awhile...

 

[jks9199]

Odd.... the Weather Channel shows a sudden severe thunderstorm forming right over your region... haven't seen that much red on the map in quite awhile...

Hey, I live near Washington DC. We expect that sort of thing on a daily... maybe hourly... basis!

 

[Makalakumu]

Lets buy the critics an airplane ticket through the ash cloud. **** those guys, we'll see what they say then...

 

[Archangel M]

Dust and Sand were causing major problems with our tanks and choppers in Iraq. I can see ash as easily being a problem for aircraft.

 

[jks9199]

Dust and Sand were causing major problems with our tanks and choppers in Iraq. I can see ash as easily being a problem for aircraft.

It's worse. Volcanic ash is extremely abrasive (it's mostly pumice... powdered) and it's either caustic or corrosive... neither of which is good for airplane engine parts. Maybe I'm just a skittish sort; I'm not exactly keen on flying through something that's gonna make the plane's engines sick... Gravity kind of sucks when your a couple of tens of thousands feet up...

 

[cdunn]

Others have become mystics. A British friend sees this as "judgment for the bad things we have done to the Earth." Another thinks this is the beginning of many years of volcanic activity, thus heralding the end of civilization as we know it.
End EXCERPT
Oh really? I eagerly await condemnation by those who got their panties in a wad when someone said much the same about Haiti, albeit, with a Christian slant...

Mysticism of all bents, be it Earth-Mommy centered like this guy, or Sky-Daddy centered like Pat Robertson, is, at the best, an abdication of reason, at worst, a call to useless panic. This 'British friend' is a moron, just like the Boobquake Muslim and Pat Robertson.

That said, grounding the planes was probably wise. My understanding is that previous experience with volcanos have taught the operators that jet engines are hot enough to re-melt the particulates that come out of volcanos, and a jet engine isn't a situation that lends itself well to air filtration - a LOT of air has to go through a jet in very short order. That being the case, you rapidly wind up with an engine full of obsidian, and that is a very, very bad thing indeed.

 

[Sukerkin]

Aye, that's the rationale that has been behind the flight ban i.e. that the jet engines will essentially clog up with semi-molten glass.

My personal theory is that Godzilla has re-awoken near Iceland. Think about it:

- renewed volcanic activity after long dormancy
- ash plume not behaving entirely as expected
- all flights grounded {the governments do not want us to know what is really going on}
- the Navy sails out supposedly to help bring back stranded travellers ... and has not been reported as returning!!!

That last is the real clincher, don't you think ... ? What? ... {looks about puzzled at peoples expressions}