October 18, 2014 - Vog from Bardarbunga, Iceland

Vog from Bardarbunga, Iceland

Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano has been experiencing an extensive eruption at Holuhran fissure since late August, 2014. The eruption has been heavily effusive, with a lava output of approximately 350 cubic meters of lava per second on October 16, according to Volcano Discovery. The Icelandic Meteorological Office estimated the resultant lava field to cover over 59 square km (23 sq mi) at last count. This activity has been accompanied by frequent earthquakes, some explosive activity, as well as the emission of a large amount of volcanic smog.

Vog, another term for volcanic smog, is the haze in the air which is caused by volcanic gases and a combination of wind and weather conditions. The more emissions come from the volcano, the thicker vog becomes; the brisker the wind, the more vog disperses and the further it spreads. The long-term health effects on people and animals exposed to vog are unknown, but in the short-term, some people report breathing difficulties, watery eyes and sore throats when exposed, especially those with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of vog from Bardarbunga Volcano on October 12. Iceland sits in the northwestern corner of the image, under a bank of cloud. Black border lines have been overlain on the image to mark the country boundaries. Between the large cloud banks, a long light blue haze streams from Iceland across the North Atlantic Ocean, over the Faroe Islands and approaches the United Kingdom.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/13/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC