Response of the London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre to the Eyjafjallajökull Eruption

The protracted eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland in April and May 2010 resulted in unprecedented closures of European and North Atlantic airspace and placed incredible demands on the Met Office forecasters at the responsible Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), the London VAAC. The event also highlighted the importance of enhanced international coordination to ensure a consistency of approach in the observation, forecasting and dissemination of volcanic ash information and warnings. This submission looks to summarises the various actions taken by the London VAAC with a focus on how modelling and the full range of observing capabilities could be further developed to meet possible future requirements from the aviation industry.