Friday 4th June 2010 - Transforming Ireland 2010 Seminar Series

Ireland in the shadow of a volcano: Understanding the 2010 eruption at Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland - Chris Bean, UCD and Evelyn Cusack, Met Éireann

Volcanoes have always played an important role in the lives of people who live near them. They have been named as Gods, worshipped, feared and provided rich soil which sustained productive agriculture. However to us in Ireland volcanoes have been largely a curiosity, nice places to visit while on holiday. That changed in 2010. The eruption at Eyjafjallajökull brought volcanic hazard centre stage in Ireland, for what seems like the first time. In this seminar we will put into context what happened at Eyjafjallajökull. We will see how volcanoes work, how they are the by-product of a dynamic and interesting planet how they can affect climate change and the chemistry of the oceans. In such fragile economic times it’s not inconceivable that activity at Eyjafjallajökull could have been a tipping point in terms of our economy, driving it into further decline. What is not so obvious is that human economic activity, on a global scale, will probably change the face of many of the world’s volcanoes, including Eyjafjallajökull. 

Speaker: Prof. Chris Bean, UCD School of Geological Sciences; Commentator: Evelyn Cusack, Met Éireann

This seminar is being held in conjunction with the TCD/UCD Innovation Alliance Public Lecture Series, with the support of Business in the Community Ireland and in collaboration with Comhar Sustainable Development Council, Dublin City Council, Enterprise Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey of Ireland, Marine Institute, Met Éireann, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Teagasc.

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