Author Archives: John A. Stevenson

The Patagonian experience is dominated by one thing: the wind.  It is constant, incessant, and relentless.  Windsocks at airports are permanently horizontal and the few trees that survive on the hillsides all point east.  It doesn’t even have significant gusts … Continue reading →

In the previous post, I highlighted some indirect measurements of Grímsvötn ash in the UK.  Now that there has been time to collect and process samples there is lots of concrete, irrefutable proof that the ash cloud came over the … Continue reading →

The Grímsvötn eruption ended today, but there is still plenty of ash up there.  Despite contrasting views in the press, firm evidence that the plume crossed the UK is slowly surfacing.  Discussion has moved on from volcanology, to detecting and … Continue reading →

As the eruption continues, here are some answers to some more common questions. Flights are being cancelled.  Does that mean that ash is reaching the UK? Yes.  It is falling in the Orkneys as I write this and the Met … Continue reading →

Ash from the ongoing Grímsvötn eruption is predicted to arrive over the UK from Wednesday morning.  At the moment it is hard to tell what it will be like.  Certainly, it will not be like the scenes in Iceland where … Continue reading →

Iceland’s most active volcano, Grimsvötn, began erupting last night.  Fire and Ice yet again, baby!  Here are some answers to questions that you might have. Why are you so excited? Because it’s big!  This is the most powerful eruption in … Continue reading →

My friends had a baby today.  Congratulations to them!  And congratulations especially to Dave, for announcing the baby’s mass in kilograms.  I can’t understand why society insists that baby announcements should always be in outdated imperial measurements. Sensible people use … Continue reading →