Hooray for volcanoes!

One Icelandic volcano has today done what Plane Stupid can only dream of achieving.

What a pity it had to emit so much CO2 during the process.

Actually, I did wonder how volcanic activity compared with human activity. The U.S. Geological survey reckons:

Comparison of CO₂ emissions from volcanoes vs. human activities.
Scientists have calculated that volcanoes emit between about 130-230 million tonnes (145-255 million tons) of CO₂ into the atmosphere every year (Gerlach, 1991). This estimate includes both subaerial and submarine volcanoes, about in equal amounts. Emissions of CO₂ by human activities, including fossil fuel burning, cement production, and gas flaring, amount to about 27 billion tonnes per year (30 billion tons) [ ( Marland, et al., 2006) - The reference gives the amount of released carbon (C), rather than CO₂, through 2003.]. Human activities release more than 130 times the amount of CO₂ emitted by volcanoes--the equivalent of more than 8,000 additional volcanoes like Kilauea (Kilauea emits about 3.3 million tonnes/year)! (Gerlach et. al., 2002)

From frolics to frostbite

Bit of a contrast, but of course, somewhere or other on Earth, it's every time of day, and every season of the year (well sort of)

I've not spent a lot of time looking at Iceland. Fascinating country, of course. One place I'd love to actually visit at some point. But most of Google Earth's coverage of Iceland is satellite rather than aerial, and it's magnificent scenery is transformed into an amorphous hodge-podge of gaudy colours.

Reykjavik, though, is rendered in much higher quality, as befits the most northerly capital city in the world.

And so it is that I found an F in the land of fire and frost.



Not the most distinct of letters, but much harder to locate than I'd anticipated.

64° 3'47.38"N, 21°57'16.57"W

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
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