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US appellate court pauses on climate rule challenges
Court documents show that a federal appeals court said on Friday it would suspend its consideration of the legal challenges against U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission climate regulations until Wall Street regulators decide whether they will change them or defend them in court. The SEC, under former president Joe Biden adopted rules that required publicly traded companies, led by Republican states, to inform investors about climate risks, emissions, and spending. Republican-led state and an industry group immediately challenged this in court. In March, under Republican President Donald Trump the SEC decided to stop defending this rule. The U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, issued an order Friday saying that the legal challenges would be put on hold to encourage judicial economy because the SEC refused to defend its rule in court, or to say if it intended to modify the rule or scrap it entirely. The order stated that it was the responsibility of the SEC to decide whether the Final Rules would be rescinded or repealed. It also noted that the SEC already had stayed the regulations’ effective date while the legal challenge was ongoing, so a delayed court ruling would not harm. The SEC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment, but in July the agency informed the court that it had no intention of reconsidering the rule and asked the court to continue the case anyway. Reporting by Douglas Gillison, Washington; Editing and proofreading by David Gregorio
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US EPA proposes to end mandatory greenhouse gas reporting
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule on Friday to end the mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by 8,000 facilities. This program, the EPA said, was burdensome for businesses but left the public in the dark about the environmental impact. The agency stated that mandatory collection of GHG emission data is unnecessary as it "is not directly related to potential regulations and has no significant impact on improving the health and environment of humans." KEY QUOTE The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, according to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, is nothing but bureaucratic red-tape that doesn't improve air quality. BACKGROUND The rule is a response to an executive order that was issued on the first day of President Donald Trump's presidency. It aims to remove barriers to releasing more U.S. Energy, especially fossil fuels. This is just the latest in a long line of regulatory rollbacks that have undone previous U.S. attempts to combat climate changes. Earlier this year, the EPA revealed plans to repeal its "endangerment findings" which allowed it to regulate greenhouse gases from stationary and vehicle sources. The proposal, if finalized, would eliminate reporting obligations for all large facilities, fuel and industrial gas providers, and CO2 injector sites. The Trump administration also announced that it would pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which requires all countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Key Context The Trump administration also took steps to stop the collection of environmental databases by the EPA and other federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA's satellites that monitor greenhouse gases. DETAILS Under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, 47 categories of sources covering 8,000 suppliers and facilities are required to calculate their greenhouse gas emission and submit it annually. The agency will continue to require the submission of data on methane emissions for large oil-and-gas operations that are subject to a charge for waste emissions. (Reporting and editing by Richard Chang; Valerie Volcovici)
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NATO launches "Eastern Sentry" to strengthen eastern flank following Russian drone incursion
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that NATO launched on Friday an operation called Eastern Sentry in response to Russian drones entering Polish airspace this week. Rutte said at a NATO press conference in Brussels that "we must make it clear to the world our determination and our capability to defend our territories." He said this while standing next to NATO's top commander U.S. Air Force general Alexus Grynkewich. Rutte stated that NATO was still assessing possible intentions behind the incursion. This led to Polish and NATO allies shooting down drones, the first such action NATO has taken since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He said that the Russian action was "reckless" and "inacceptable", regardless of whether it was intentional. Russia claimed that its forces were attacking Ukraine when the drones entered the country and they had no intention of hitting any targets in Poland. Warsaw rejected this explanation and said the incursion had been a deliberate attack. FLEXIBLE RESPONSE ALONG EASTERN FLANC Grynkewich stated that Eastern Sentry is designed to be a flexible, integrated operation for bolstering defences along NATO’s entire Eastern flank. This extends from the Baltic States in the north all the way down to Romania and Bulgaria. He said, "Poland's citizens and those from the Alliance in general should feel assured of our swift response this week as well as our important announcement today." NATO has already deployed thousands of troops in Eastern Europe. The number of additional troops involved in this new operation was not specified. The announcement listed a modest amount of new military assets, including two F-16 fighters and a Danish frigate, three Rafale jet fighters from France, and four Eurofighter aircraft from Germany. Grynkewich, however, said that the new operation also aimed to adopt a more flexible strategy to defend the eastern flank in general rather than having static forces dedicated to a specific area. He said: "We will adjust our posture across the eastern flank in a way that keeps the enemy off-guard, while also responding to specific threats when we see them emerge." Reporting by Andrew Gray, Bart Meijer; Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, John Irish, Editing by GV de Clercq Alexandra Hudson, Aidan Lewis
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EU countries delay deal on new climate goal, diplomats say
Three EU diplomats said on Friday that the European Union has shelved its plans to adopt a new target for climate change next week after France and Germany resisted plans to reach a quick agreement. The countries are discussing a legally binding target of reducing net EU greenhouse gas emission by 90% from 1990 levels by 2040. A portion of this will be covered by purchasing foreign carbon credits. According to the European Commission, this will provide investors with certainty and help Europe reach net zero emissions in 2050. Climate change has caused Europe to become the fastest-warming continental in the world, unleashing deadly wildfires and record-breaking heatwaves. The EU is divided on how ambitious it should be when tackling global climate change, while also trying to increase defense spending and support struggling industry. On September 18, EU ministers were to have approved the 2040 target for climate change. Three EU diplomats have said that the ambassadors of EU countries cancelled this plan at a Friday meeting. The ministers said that next week they will discuss the goal of 2040, but any agreement will be discussed with EU leaders before the discussion is concluded. The diplomats asked to remain anonymous when discussing the closed-door discussion. If the EU fails to reach a deal by next week, it could miss the mid-September deadline set by the U.N. for all countries to submit their new climate plans in preparation for the COP30 summit on climate change scheduled for November. Diplomats have said that Denmark, Spain, and the Netherlands all support the 90 percent reduction in emissions target. France, Poland, and Italy, among others, have rejected the goal and asked that it be taken up with the heads of government at their next meeting in October. This could make it more difficult to reach an agreement. EU leaders make decisions in a unanimous manner, unlike ministers. Diplomats are discussing ways to convince sceptical nations, such as covering a larger share of the climate goal with carbon credits or tying a deal to other EU laws, like the carbon border tax or the 2035 phase-out of combustion engine cars. A spokesperson for the Environment Ministry said that Germany supports the goal of cutting emissions by 90%, but believes it is important to have discussions among the government leaders prior to a final deal. (Reporting and additional reporting by Holger Hanen in Berlin.)
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Poland contradicts Trump by saying that the Russian drone incursions were not a mistake.
Poland rejected Donald Trump's suggestion that Russian drone incursions in its airspace may have been an error, a rare contradiction from one of Washington’s closest European allies. Poland, supported by aircraft from NATO allies, shot down drones on Wednesday that violated its airspace. This is the first time an alliance member has fired during the Russian war in Ukraine. Russia claimed that its forces were attacking Ukraine at the moment and had no intention of hitting any targets in Poland. Trump told Washington reporters on Thursday that it could have been an accident. Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, responded on X. "We too would wish that the drone strike on Poland was a miscalculation." It wasn't. "We know it." Trump told Fox News in an interview on Friday that he was losing patience with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Germany announced on Friday that it had increased air patrols over Poland after European leaders strongly condemned Russia over the incident. It also summoned Russia's ambassador. On Poland's initiative, the United Nations Security Council would meet Friday to discuss this incident. NATO's top military officials, including its chief, Mark Rutte and Supreme Allied commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich (a U.S. Air Force General), were scheduled to hold a joint press conference on Friday afternoon. Questions about European Defence It is rare for Warsaw to directly contradict Trump. This shows the alarm of Europe at Trump's willingness, in this case, to accept Moscow's version of events. Poland is one of the closest U.S. ally in Europe. The Trump administration has praised Poland for its commitment to greater European military expenditures. Warsaw has described the drone incursions by Russia as an attempt to test the response capabilities of Poland and NATO. The incident this week has raised concerns about NATO's readiness for drone attacks, and the safety of civil aviation in Europe. The European leaders claim that this is yet another demonstration of Moscow's lack of interest in a peace agreement in Ukraine. This comes weeks after Trump met with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and retracted his demand for Russia to accept a ceasefire immediately. Trump has repeatedly given Moscow deadlines to reach a ceasefire, or else face new sanctions. But he's backed down. This week, European officials are in Washington to coordinate sanctions against Russia with the U.S. government. Previously, such announcements of sanctions were made in tandem. However, this hasn't happened since Trump took office. The U.S. Treasury urged allies in the Group of Seven (G7) and European Union to impose "meaningful" tariffs on Chinese and Indian goods to stop their purchases of Russian crude oil. A G7 emergency finance meeting was convened to discuss ways to increase pressure on Moscow and end the conflict in Ukraine. The EU member states have agreed to extend by six months the existing travel bans, and to freeze bank accounts for individuals and companies in response to the Russian invasion. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said that peace negotiations had been halted and "the Europeans" were hindering the peace process. The French announced that they would be deploying three Rafale jet fighters to Poland to protect their airspace, and the Germans said they would increase their commitment to NATO's eastern borders. RUSSIA AND BELARUS HOLD MILITARY ACTIVITIES On Friday, Russia and Belarus began a joint military drill that had been planned for years. The drills took place in both countries as well as in the Baltic Sea and Barents Sea. Peskov dismissed concerns about the exercise abroad, saying that Western European countries suffered from "emotional overload" and that Russia was not a threat. Local Ukrainian prosecutors reported that Russia continued to attack Ukraine and killed three people in Sumy, a region located in northern Ukraine. The regional governor reported that Ukrainian drones had attacked the port of Primorsk in Russia's northwest, setting a fire to both a vessel as well as a pumping station. This was the first drone attack on a major oil and fuel terminal in the country. (Additional reporting from Anna Koper in Warsaw; Anastasiia Melenko in Kyiv; John Irish and Michel Rose, in Paris; Andrea Shalal, in Washington; William James and Marktrevelyan, in London. Writing by Timothy Heritage. Editing by Peter Graff.
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Russia unveils monument for Ukraine war dead near St Petersburg
On Friday, hundreds of people, including Russian soldiers' relatives, gathered in front of St Petersburg to unveil a memorial for those killed in Ukraine. It was the first time such a memorial had been erected so close to one of Russia’s two largest cities. "A monument is one way to immortalize history." "Now we have a brand new history," Anna Krasnova said, after seeing the statue of two soldiers with guns unveiled at Kudrovo in a commuter city of 60,000. She said that her husband is fighting there and that her brother's name is missing in action. The memorial is unique in its proximity to Moscow and St Petersburg. Similar monuments were erected throughout Russia in the provinces. At the dedication ceremony, Alexander Drozdenko said, "The memory of our people is the most valuable asset we have." "Our cause will prevail, our enemy will be defeated, and we will win." The inscription on the monument, which is located above the figures, does not mention a date nor the location of the battles it honors. The inscription reads: "To the Heroes of the SMO", which is an acronym for Special Military Operation (the official term used by the Kremlin for this conflict). Kirill Drantsov, another spectator, stated that the monument would remind young people how to serve their country. We will not have to explain to anyone why and how we love and defend the Motherland. (Reporting in Kudrovo, writing by Lucy Papachristou).
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Gold nears all-time high as markets eye Fed rate reduction
Gold prices increased on Friday and remained close to the record highs set earlier in the week. Signs of a weakening U.S. labour market reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve would deliver its first rate reduction of the year, next week. As of 9:19 am EDT (1319 GMT), spot gold was up by 0.4% to $3,649.54 an ounce. This is still close to the all-time high set on Tuesday of $3,673.95. This week, the metal is up 1.8% and on track for a fourth straight weekly gain. U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery were up 0.4% to $3,688.10. Daniel Pavilonis is a senior market analyst at RJO Futures. He said that metals are rising because of the longer-term risk of inflation. The recent data that showed a surge in jobless claims last week, while consumer prices rose at their fastest rate in seven months, in August, have shifted expectations in the direction of higher rates. Investors are prioritizing signs that the labor market is weaker than inflation when determining rate expectations. Fed fund futures fully reflect a 25 basis-point cut during the Fed's meeting on September 17, though expectations of a 50-bps increase have eased. UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said: "Given the tailwinds, and after the recent increase in ETF flows (exchange-traded funds), we expect gold to reach $3,900/oz mid next year." Investors value the yellow metal as a hedge to inflation and uncertainty. It has increased 39% this year. China's central banks has asked the public for feedback on its plans to streamline gold import and export regulations by streamlining licensing. Other metals rose as well. Spot silver rose by 1.3%, to $42.08 an ounce. This is a record high for the 14 years. Platinum was up 1.4%, to $1,396.71, and palladium jumped 2.2%, to $1,214.70. All three metals are set to gain weekly. (Reporting and editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri, Sherin Elizabeth Varighese and Sarah Qureshi in Bengaluru).
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EU brings forward review of 2035 Vehicle Emissions Targets
EU sources confirmed on Friday that the European Commission would review its CO2 emissions targets for 2035 by the end of the year, instead of 2026. This was after the EU's chief executive met with auto executives to discuss their future. The EU set a goal of a reduction of 100% in CO2 emissions by new cars and vans, but auto industry groups said that this was no longer possible. This target is interpreted as the end of internal combustion engines in new vehicles. A member of the team led by Executive Vice President Stephane Sejourne said that the review would focus on vans. Electric vans only account for 8.5% of new vans in the EU. This is about half of the market share for electric vehicles. Details of the new proposal for 2035 are not yet clear. However, it could include biofuels that would be CO2 neutral and could power internal combustion engines as well as plug-in hybrids and range extenders. The Commission will present a proposal for a new category of small electric vehicles that could benefit from a lower tax treatment, and help to meet CO2 reduction targets. (Reporting and Editing by Benoit VanOverstraeten, Joe Bavier, and Charlotte Van Campenhout)
Unique REPORT-Is climate change lighting a fuse under Iceland's volcanoes?
T oxic sulphurous gas, carrying the telltale reek of rotten eggs, wafted through vents in the high walls of Iceland's Viti crater, while carbon dioxide bubbled to the surface of the milky blue crater lake. Veils of steam wreathed the landscape of loose rock in eerie halflight.
Through this prohibiting surface-- Viti is derived from the Icelandic for hell-- Michelle Parks, a volcanologist with the Icelandic Meteorological Office, selected her method towards the water's edge one day last August. With a screen strapped to her hip to warn her if the gases reached harmful levels, she stooped to submerge a temperature probe in the lake-- 26.4 degrees Celsius (79.5 degrees Fahrenheit), constant with recent readings.
That was assuring, a minimum of for the time being. The crater was formed when Askja, a volcano in Vatnajokull National forest in Iceland's central highlands, uncorked in an explosive eruption in 1875. Askja's last eruption, in 1961, was milder, and for decades after, the volcano was quiet. But in 2021, Parks and other scientists keeping tabs on it were shocked to find that in simply a few months, the volcano had actually quickly expanded, uplifting by 11 centimetres (4.3 inches). This phenomenon, called inflation, takes place when lava or pressurised gases build up under a volcano, pressing the ground upwards and outwards.
In the three years since, Askja's bloat has reached about 80 cm (32 inches). That uplift, scientists approximate, is the outcome of 44 million cubic metres (1.6 billion cubic feet) of magma flowing into the existing reservoir around three km (2 miles). below the surface area.
Volcanologists have actually established a correlation between lava. buildup under a volcano and subsequent eruption. But they do not. understand precisely just how much lava is required to assist trip an eruption. That is why Parks and her associates are closely keeping an eye on the. temperature level and acidity of Viti's crater lake. A jump in either,. suggesting that more gases are pressing in from below, would. suggest the volcano is moving closer to an eruption. So far,. those metrics have stayed stable, but the researchers viewing. Askja do not take that for approved.
An eruption could be catastrophic, though smaller sized ones are. a lot more most likely. On the scale volcanologists utilize to determine the. size of explosive eruptions, Askja is capable of one equivalent. to that of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington in. 1980, although its eruptive design would differ. That eruption,. which stimulated the Australia-born Parks' long-lasting enthusiasm for. volcanoes, released a force equivalent to 25,000 Hiroshima-type. atomic bombs.
The goal of the volcano observatory at the Icelandic. Meteorological Office is to keep track of the country's volcanoes for. modifications in activity, like those now observed at Askja, assisting. to protect the country's nearly 400,000 people and the hordes. of foreign tourists who check out every year to take pleasure in Iceland's. world-renowned geothermal attractions.
Nevertheless, the team's work has taken on more comprehensive significance. In 2015, Parks and colleagues with the University of Iceland. gotten government financing for a pioneering research task. throughout 12 organizations to check a theory that could have dire. implications not just for Iceland, but for every person on the. world: Whether the rapid retreat of glaciers as an outcome of. human-caused environment change will set off increased volcanic. activity.
The fundamental process underpinning the concept is simple. The. significant weight of glaciers and ice sheets can tamp down. volcanoes. When the ice retreats, the down pressure on the. planet's thin outer crust and much thicker underlying mantle. eases, permitting the ground to rebound. This change in pressure. spurs dynamic forces below volcanoes to produce more magma and. modify its motion, affecting eruptions.
Iceland is basically one of the very best places worldwide. to study this ... because we have both volcanism and glaciers,. Parks stated. At the end of the day, what we're aiming for with. this task is a much larger image. It's the future of. volcanic eruptions. How large can they be? ... And what remains in shop. for us in the future, not just in Iceland however for the rest of. Europe and possibly farther afield.
UNCORKING CATACLYSM
What researchers already understand of Iceland's eruptive history. supports the theory.
When the thick glaciers and ice caps that had covered the. North Atlantic island during the last significant Glacial epoch receded. between about 15,000 and 10,000 years back, underlying volcanoes. responded with fury. In 2002, scientists determined modifications in. Iceland's volcanic activity with time by evaluating the chemical. structure of lava rock samples. They found that eruption rates. rose an approximated 30 to 50 times during and quickly after the. ice loss compared to the preceding Ice Age and current times.
It was likely a catastrophic situation, with a ludicrous. amount of eruptions, Parks said, as rivers of lava improved the. island and ash rained into surrounding seas. Askja, too,. signed up a significant explosive eruption throughout this time.
When again, researchers state, the elements required to set off. another surge in eruptions are converging. Glaciers now cover. simply 10% of Iceland, however that ice still weighs on over half. the country's 34 active volcanic systems, and it is quickly. melting as international temperature levels climb. In the previous 130 years,. Iceland's glaciers have actually lost about 16% of their volume, with. half of that in just the past 3 years. Researchers anticipate. approximately half of the staying volume will be passed this. century's end.
Already, the magma chambers underneath Iceland might be. responding to the loss of ice, and not just those straight under. glaciers. Askja, which has been free of ice for 10,000 years,. and much of Iceland are rebounding due to the fact that pressure changes from. glacial retreat affects big parts of the Earth's crust and. mantle.
Over the last 3 years, magma has actually been produced below. Iceland at a rate 2 to 3 times what it would have been without. the ice loss, according to preliminary modelling results from. Parks' project shared exclusively with Reuters. More magma is. can be found in below Iceland, and we simply do not require it, Parks. said. We have actually got enough.
Researchers very first theorised in the 1970s that melting ice. may impact volcanic eruptions. However just recently have they. started to comprehend the scale of the potential risk. Four. years ago, volcanologists compiled the initially detailed. global database of volcanoes under ice or within five km (three. miles) of it, releasing their findings in the journal Global. and Planetary Change. They discovered that some 245 active or. potentially active volcanoes around the globe met the criteria,. from the Andes to The United States and Canada's Waterfall Mountains and Alaska,. to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and Antarctica.
The exact same research study likewise found that about 160 million people live. within 100 km (62 miles) of at least one of those volcanoes and. that 20,000 individuals are within the immediate area. Numbers. like that underscore the hazard if glacial melt were to press. more volcanoes to pop off, releasing deadly floods and mud. circulations and spewing huge clouds of ash and lethal gases into the. atmosphere.
The impacts would not end there. Eruptions abundant in carbon. dioxide, a greenhouse gas, could exacerbate international warming,. outlasting the sulphur aerosols in the environment that can cause. initial durations of cooling. And the volcanoes now understood to sit. under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet might help speed ice melt. into the ocean, raising sea levels.
Evidence suggests that what occurred in Iceland after the. last Glacial epoch was duplicated to a lower extent all over the world. Eruptions were between 2 and 6 times greater internationally between. 12,000 and 7,000 years ago owing to more regular eruptions in. areas that were losing their ice cover, according to a 2009. research study in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
A VIOLENT HISTORY
Iceland is uniquely primed for frequent volcanic eruptions. because of its location at the juncture of 2 tectonic plates. that are pulling apart over an upwelling of anomalously hot. material in the Earth's mantle. Many smaller sized eruptions have. little effect beyond their immediate vicinity, though they are. still able to put on incredible shows. Others can have deadly. effects far beyond Iceland.
When Laki, southwest of Askja, erupted in 1783-84, the. fluorine it expelled polluted the island's plants and water. sources, killing majority of Iceland's livestock. This. farming collapse resulted in a famine that eliminated around a fifth. of the island's human population, while the resulting haze of. sulphurous fog that later on reached Europe may have added to. the deaths of thousands more people. And as far as Africa. and Asia, the eruption's results compromised monsoons, starting. more scarcities.
Near the southern coast under a little ice cap lies Katla,. considered one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes under. ice. Katla has actually racked up more than 20 eruptions because the Middle. Ages, balancing one every 60 years, and it is overdue for. another, having last erupted in 1918. Throughout that eruption, heat. putting from Katla's caldera rapidly melted the ice atop the. volcano, releasing a torrent of water higher than the integrated. discharges of the Amazon, Mississippi, and Yangtze rivers at its. peak. And, like Laki, Katla has explosive potential.
The time for Katla to emerge is coming close ... It is high. time for European federal governments and airline authorities all over. Europe and the world to begin planning for the ultimate Katla. eruption, then-Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson informed. BBC News in 2010, following the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. The ash cloud from that eruption caused EUR1.3 billion (US$ 1.4. billion) in losses from cancelled flights throughout a six-day. European airspace restriction, making it the world's costliest eruption. in the last century.
The Icelandic federal government has emergency plans in place for a. Katla-style eruption and works with regional police districts to. produce near-term threat evaluations for other volcanoes.
However the government has actually also tapped its intense structure to. its benefit, utilizing it to heat homes and companies and draw. big-spending travelers to renewing geothermal baths. After. the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, the Icelandic federal government made. volcanoes a pillar of a now multibillion-dollar tourist. industry. Keepsake stores in the capital, Reykjavik, offer lava. rocks from a recent eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula for. 2,000 Icelandic krona (US$ 14) apiece.
SEEING YOUR PALS VANISH
Like many Icelanders, 29-year-old Iris Ragnarsdottir. Pedersen and her daddy, 62-year-old Ragnar Frank Kristjansson,. have an intimate understanding of the extremes of their land of ice. and fire. Along the south coast in Svinafell, Ragnarsdottir. Pedersen, a mountain guide, lives with her hubby and their. Icelandic sheepdog, Blika. Her father, a retired national forest. manager, has a small turf-roofed summer house next door. Overlooking them is a large cliff, beyond which lies. Vatnajokull ice cap and, under it, the volcano Oraefajokull. After Oraefajokull emerged in 1362, sailors reported seaborne. pumice floating in such masses that ships could hardly make. their way through it.
Father and child both remember signing up with fellow Icelanders. throughout the years to admire the glowing fountains and rivers of. lava produced by eruptions. They also recognize with the. impact of environment modification.
For 25 years, Kristjansson has actually volunteered as a glacier. monitor with the Icelandic Glaciological Society, tracking the. retreat of 2 glaciers that flow out of the Vatnajokull ice. cap, the nation's biggest. Every fall, he treks for hours to. among the glaciers, Skeidararjokull, to take measurements that. he sends to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. It's a lonely. walk toward the glacier-- 15 km in the black sand, he stated.
Kristjansson utilized to be able to stride right approximately the edge. of Skeidararjokull. However as it has rapidly diminished over the past. years, a lake has actually formed at the foot of the glacier, obstructing. his way. He now has to utilize unique binoculars to determine the. range. This year, he said, one point along the glacier's edge. showed a retreat of 300 metres (984 feet), which is the greatest. he has actually taped.
Ragnarsdottir Pedersen has actually experienced the retreat from year. to year on treks to the glaciers with her dad and by simply. looking out her windows. It's simply devastating to see, she. stated. I have actually in some cases said to people, 'It resembles watching your. buddies vanish.'
As a child, she understood Oraefajokull prowled under the. Vatnajokull ice cap. But it only ended up being a concern when the. volcano started rumbling in 2017, just as she and her hubby. started planning to build their home near it. When she felt the. earthquakes and caught the smell of sulphur from the rivers, she. said, You're like, 'Oh yeah, we actually have this powerful,. rather hazardous volcano right above our home.'
Ultimately, she and her partner weren't worried enough to. cancel the relocation, having faith that researchers would closely. keep track of the volcano for any risk. People have resided in. Svinafell considering that the settlement of Iceland, she said.
A CLINICAL CAPITAL
Oraefajokull is one of 6 active volcanoes covered by the. Vatnajokull ice cap. As Vatnajokull has actually thinned and retreated,. some of the volcanoes below it, as well as close-by Askja, have. become agitated. Oraefajokull has relaxed considering that its 2017. awakening. Grimsvotn and Bardarbunga, 2 volcanoes under the. ice cap that are being assessed in Parks' task, have together. notched 5 eruptions in the previous thirty years, compared to just. one under the ice cap in the preceding 40 years.
Parks and her clinical associates said it's too early to. conclude that the increased activity under Vatnajokull is linked. to rapid loss of ice cover. Other scientists have actually developed. that clusters of eruptions can occur in natural cycles under the. ice cap. But to determine whether climate modification might also be. playing a part, they will have to collect more data on ice. retreat and lava generation and feed it into complicated computer system. designs.
Due to the fact that of its continuing unrest, Askja is the main draw for. scientists, who flock to its huge calderas when Iceland's. brief summer allows for field research study. Like most of Iceland's. volcanoes, Askja does not conform to the stereotypical cone. shape of volcanoes such as Japan's iconic Mount Fuji. Instead,. fissures snake across a vast Mars-like landscape carpeted. with lava rocks and pockmarked with craters from past eruptions.
To reach the centrepiece of the Askja system, an. 11-square-km (four sq miles) caldera lake called Oskjuvatn,. researchers journey hours across the highlands in Super Jeeps and. Land Rovers balanced on 35-inch tires. Oskjuvatn was formed in. an explosive 1875 eruption that shot out big volumes of airy. pumice, much of it still covering the location around Askja, with. fist-sized portions tossed about by strong winds.
Above the lava tank near the western side of the lake. is where Askja has actually been inflating fastest, a lure for. scientists. On a go to in August, Reuters experienced a group of. three scientists from the University of Geneva at the lake's. edge, filling equipment into an inflatable rowboat. Their objective: to. measure carbon dioxide concentrations in the lake and collect. water samples from its inmost points.
The information is challenging to get. The numbingly cold and typically. tempestuous waters are dangerous. Landslides on the caldera's. high scarp can launch tsunamis huge enough to overload neighbouring. Viti crater. In 1907, 2 German researchers set off onto the. lake and were never seen again. The Geneva team's boat would be. the first on the lake in nearly a decade. The University of. Geneva scientists dressed in thick thermal equipment, simply in. case.
One of them, geologist Nicolas Oestreicher, stated the work. was necessary offered both Askja's explosive capabilities and the. increased activity around the lake. If it's a huge explosion,. then it's truly hazardous for the people around here, the. travelers, Oestreicher stated.
His group, which later returned securely from their boat journey,. was among numerous from Iceland and abroad that day racing to. find out what was going on at Askja. University of Iceland. geophysicist Freysteinn Sigmundsson, co-head with Parks of the. government-funded job, existed, too. Today might be the. wealthiest day in all of Askja's history in regards to the variety of. researchers here, he said.
Sigmundsson has actually been pertaining to the volcano almost every year. considering that 1990 and he knows the terrain well. Carrying a. surveying tripod, he clambered with sure-footed expertise across. beds of jagged, crunchy lava, searching for round metal markers. that researchers anchored in the area in the 1960s and 1970s. These would inform him where to set up his equipment to examine how. much Askja had actually grown or moved over the past year.
The measurements Sigmundsson and his coworkers took in. August showed 12 cm (five inches) of uplift at Askja given that the. previous year, confirming that the volcano was still in a state. of discontent and could erupt at any time.
FROM THE ANDES TO ANTARCTICA
Regardless of what they ultimately find, the interplay. between volcanoes and ice will remain a chief concern among. volcanologists. The most fatal eruption in the last 100 years. was that of Nevado del Ruiz in the Colombian Andes in 1985. Some. 23,000 people were eliminated after a superheated amalgam of ash,. lava pieces and gases called a pyroclastic circulation melted snow. and ice near the volcano's top, sending enormous rivers of mud. and debris hurrying down the volcano's flanks.
Any eruption where there is a possibility of (snow or ice). communicating with the hot stuff contributes to the aspects of threat,. said Ben Edwards, a volcanologist at Dickinson College in. Pennsylvania and lead author of the 2020 study that produced the. database of ice-clad volcanoes.
Edwards and his fellow researchers prepared a list of the. world's most unsafe volcanoes that lie under glaciers, based. on the volume of ice on or near each one, the frequency of past. eruptions, and the population living within 30 km (19 miles). 7 of the top 10, they found, are in the Andes. The most. hazardous is Villarrica in Chile, with more than 35,000 individuals. residing in its shadow. Edwards remains in the middle of a five-year. research study looking for to comprehend how Villarrica reacted to glacial. retreat at the end of the last Ice Age.
The small number of research studies to date of the interaction. in between pulling away ice and volcanoes in other parts of the. world, researchers stated, mean the research underway in Iceland. will help develop a design template for what could occur elsewhere. It's not a best comparison: The underlying plate tectonics in. Iceland differ from those in the Andes. Magma reservoirs also. lie much deeper in the crust in the Andes than in Iceland,. Edwards said.
We don't have an excellent physical understanding of all the. procedures that control melting (of rock into magma) much deeper in. the mantle, said David Pyle, a volcanologist at the University. of Oxford who studies Chilean volcanoes. Whereas in Iceland,. the conceptual model is better established because in a manner. it's geologically simpler.
Antarctica, where both ice and volcanoes are abundant, has. become an area of issue in the last few years. While a handful of. volcanoes were understood to reside under the huge West Antarctic Ice. Sheet, in 2017 scientists reported discovering another 91 possible. volcanoes hidden there.
How many of them are active or have the potential to awaken. is difficult to establish. There are probably two or 3. which are certainly active. However there might be as many as 100 or. 150, said John Smellie, a former senior volcanologist with the. British Antarctic Survey who has actually finished 27 field seasons on. the continent and won 2 Polar Medals from the British royals.
If environment modification begins a new age of eruptions in the. coming years, Smellie said, it would hasten the already fast. loss of the continent's ice cover due to climate modification, adding. to rising water level and overloading the world's big seaside. cities. Antarctica is shedding more than 150 billion metric heaps. of ice a year, according to satellite measurements, and. scientists think that as oceans continue to warm, the West. Antarctic Ice Sheet is quick approaching a tipping point beyond. which the melt can not be stopped.
If an eruption includes even a small amount to global sea. level, it will worsen impacts currently happening due to. environment modification, Smellie said.
Under the worst-case situation, rapid melting of the West. Antarctic Ice Sheet would alleviate the pressure on buried volcanoes,. setting off eruptions. This in turn would speed up ice loss,. awakening much more volcanoes that melt more ice, and so on,. resulting in international catastrophe. Nevertheless, Smellie stated, that is. not likely to take place because thousands of nearly simultaneous. eruptions would be needed to melt even a small percentage of the. ice sheet.
IN THE RISK ZONE
Couple of individuals make their home near Askja. The closest village. lies about 60 km (37 miles) away. But some 13,000 individuals visit. the volcano throughout the summer season, when Askja is more. available, according to data from the national park authority. Frequently, tourists climb down into Viti crater to swim in the. Instagram-worthy lake, despite signs that warn them about acidic. water, which can irritate skin, and falling rock.
After a week of field work at and around Askja last August,. the volcanologists gathered park rangers and local police and. lodging personnel in a close-by ranger hut one night for a security. instruction on the state of the volcano.
Parks hovered over her laptop computer displaying a series of charts. and charts on her latest findings that revealed Askja was. still pumping up. Sigmundsson, standing in the doorway, described. to the rangers and police that forecasting eruptions is an. inaccurate science; they may not always have weeks of. seismic activity as a caution of an imminent eruption. The time. scale can be quite brief, he said. Hours, possibly ... You would. wish to have a plan if something occurs to rapidly evacuate the. caldera.
Among the greatest threats to tourists is a phreatic. explosion-- a blast of hot steam, ash and rocks that includes. little warning. That's what formed Viti crater nearly 150 years. earlier. In 2019, a phreatic explosion at New Zealand's White Island. volcano killed 22 people who were checking out the island at the. time.
At Sigmundsson's words, the room fell quiet. One of the. police officers then piped up with a plan: We just have to hope. that it blows up in the middle of the winter season.
(source: Reuters)