Sulphur dioxide cloud passes over Britain after being released in Iceland volcano eruption
27 August 2024, 17:50
A cloud of sulphur dioxide has passed over Britain after being released in a volcanic eruption in Iceland on Thursday.
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The "plume" of gas is understood to have begun passing over the country at a high altitude early on Sunday morning and has since cleared.
It was released high into the atmosphere by a volcano in Iceland and should have "little influence on ground-level air quality", the forecaster said.
Sulphur dioxide is a colourless gas with a strong smell which is commonly released in coal burning and other refining or manufacturing processes.
The gas can cause irritation to the throat, nausea, stomach pain and vomiting if breathed in at high levels.
It was released after a volcano in south-western Iceland erupted for the sixth time since December on Thursday, spewing red lava and accompanied by strong earthquakes.
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It comes after the Met Office said on Sunday it was monitoring the cloud of sulphur dioxide.
A Met Office spokesperson said at the time: "A sulphur dioxide plume which originated from the volcano in Iceland has been crossing the UK high up in the atmosphere and will soon clear to the south-east.
"Impacts have been low from this sulphur dioxide, as it is high in the atmosphere and is having little influence on ground-level air quality.
"Small concentrations at surface level mean that the air pollution levels remain low.
"Air pollution is currently low and expected to remain that way for the whole of the UK today.
"We're continuing to monitor any sulphur dioxide release originating from Iceland, with current forecasts suggesting little influence on UK surface air pollution in the coming days."
