The FutureVolc monitoring system proved its worth when it came to predicting the Skaftá glacial outburst flood in early October 2015. It also allowed scientists to observe the development of the Holuhraun eruption which began in late August 2014 and came to an end on the 27th of February this year. The eruption was one of the largest in Iceland since 1783.
The FutureVolc project is a 26-partner project funded by the European Commission in 2010, which “seeks to integrate research on volcanic eruptions, monitoring systems, preparedness, and response”. The Institute of Earth Sciences at the National University and the IMO lead the project. Iceland’s location on the Mid-Atlantic rift makes it an ideal living laboratory for geologists and scientists. The study area includes the most active volcanoes in Iceland: Bárðarbunga, Grimsvötn, Askja, Hekla, Katla, and Eyjafjallajökull.
According to Kristín Vogfjörð, head of FutureVolc with the IMO, the Bárðarbunga eruption was a streak of good luck for the FutureVolc scientists as it allowed them to gather great amounts of data.
“Without FutureVolc we would have known little about the development of the Bárðarbunga and Holuhraun eruptions. When the magma flow began rushing northward and out of reach for our monitoring systems to be able to detect, we had to scramble to replace the equipment to continue our observations,” Kristín told Fréttablaðið newspaper.
The FutureVolc monitoring system proved its worth when it came to predicting the Skaftá glacial outburst flood in early October 2015. It also allowed scientists to observe the development of the Holuhraun eruption which began in late August 2014 and came to an end on the 27th of February this year. The eruption was one of the largest in Iceland since 1783.
The FutureVolc project is a 26-partner project funded by the European Commission in 2010, which “seeks to integrate research on volcanic eruptions, monitoring systems, preparedness, and response”. The Institute of Earth Sciences at the National University and the IMO lead the project. Iceland’s location on the Mid-Atlantic rift makes it an ideal living laboratory for geologists and scientists. The study area includes the most active volcanoes in Iceland: Bárðarbunga, Grimsvötn, Askja, Hekla, Katla, and Eyjafjallajökull.
According to Kristín Vogfjörð, head of FutureVolc with the IMO, the Bárðarbunga eruption was a streak of good luck for the FutureVolc scientists as it allowed them to gather great amounts of data.
“Without FutureVolc we would have known little about the development of the Bárðarbunga and Holuhraun eruptions. When the magma flow began rushing northward and out of reach for our monitoring systems to be able to detect, we had to scramble to replace the equipment to continue our observations,” Kristín told Fréttablaðið newspaper.
