Volcanoes and Aircraft

The  grounding of flights throughout Europe this week due to clouds of ash from a volcano in Iceland have led to few interesting articles about volcanoes and their effects:

BBC: Icelandic volcanic ash alert grounds UK flights
 

BBC: Iceland's volcanic ash halts flights in northern Europe

BBC: Iceland volcano: Why a cloud of ash has grounded flights

BBC: Volcanic ash incidents involving airliners

BBC: Volcanic ash to reach ground level across UK

New York Times: Volcanic Ash to Curtail Air Traffic Into Midday Friday

N.Y. Times Blog: The Lede: Views of Volcanic Ash Plume Over Europe

BBC: Volcano erupts in south Iceland (21 MAR 10)

When volcanic ash stopped a Jumbo at 37,000ft

Background information related to volcanoes in general and their effects on aircraft:

BBC: How volcanoes have shaped history

BBC: Animated guide: Volcanoes

NOAA: Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers

Icelandic Meteorological Office

ICAO: Manual on Volcanic Ash, Radioactive Material and Toxic Chemical Clouds

NECN: Technicians: Flying through volcanic ash would be catastrophic

International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations: Volcanic Ash Video

International Airways Volcano Watch Handbook (Doc 9766)

Smithsonian Institution: Global Volcanism Program

U.S. Geological Survey: Volcano Hazards Program

International Volcanic Health Hazard Network: Volcanic health hazards of ash explained

International Volcanic Health Hazard Network: How to prepare and cope with ashfall

U.S. Geological Survey: The 1991 Pinatubo Eruptions and Their Effects on Aircraft Operations