Volcanic Ash Cloud Could Hit Canadian Coast Later Today, Forecasters Tell Sky News

http://www.foxnews.com/ ^

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Just the Breaking News Alert Banner

[mosesdapoet]

Requested a reply from a knowledgeable source...not some nope dope.

[little jeremiah]

5 or more likely 6 days. I had great fun, ran all around teh whole ship, snuck into first class, stood on the very front on the (I don’t know any of the righ words), I loved to stand there with the wind in my face, watching the endless ocean.

[little jeremiah]

Oops - very front on the top deck -

[reagan_fanatic]

LOL

[yoe]

(good laugh)

(a tad more helpful)

[mosesdapoet]

There are designs around which could allow air intake systems for reciprocating engines (not turbine types) that could work under difficult conditions depending upon the size particulate .

The explanation I heard was that this stuff was at the 40,-50, 60,000 foot level where jets normally fly at for a number of reasons including speed but at lower levels it wasn’t present around the 8-10,000 foot level yet.

Hence the question.

[calex59]

Prop planes could be sealed and betthttp://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=2495876%2C21#helper filters placed on them, this would be a partial solution, however, if the "fog" is dense enough the wings, props and other external parts of the craft would also be worn down more than normal. How much more I don't know but I do know silica is an abrasive and would wear down the outside of the plane.

However, prop planes also fly lower than jets(without the huge fuel consumption jets incur at lower altitudes) and could fly below most of the abrasion.

[calex59]

Out Merchant fleet(ours and the rest of the worlds)are sadly depleted. Passenger traffic for ships has gone the way of the railroads except for "cruise" ships. There are very few passenger liners in the world today. To me this is sad, traveling by ship is a good way to go, IMO. Unless this cloud keeps up for 20 or so years, I doubt if anyone builds more new passenger ships.

[windcliff]

The good old days.

[brityank]

Could this correctly be typifed or categorized then, as a Free Republic “Ash Alert”??

Don Morgan!

'Statue?

LOL

[brityank]

Here's another link for the ash cloud: UK Met Office

Current Chart: [Click pic]

[Natural Born 54]

Thank you for posting this link and image. I’m in N.S. - on Cape Breton Island. We have been feeling effects of it from mid-afternoon on. Scratchy, uncomfortable throat, some coughing, and when we drove over a small mountain today in a thick fog bank, we had a funny taste in the mouth - also irritated eyes. Not one word about it of course on any Canadian weather source. Nothing for our area, but I don’t need them to tell me. Several of the charts you posted show the possibility of the cloud covering our area if there was any further advance eastward. Again, thanks for posting this.

BTW, do you know if the charts display the then current coverage area or are they predictions of the full extent of the coverage?

[brityank]

Hi NB =

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation/vaac/vaacuk_vag.html will give the latest projections they are developing. The new updates are due out 04/20 at 0000GMT, or 04/19 at 2000EDT.

The new tracks show that the upper level spread has dropped significantly, so it’s all coming down to our levels. If it’s anything like a forest fire area, then I suspect the odor will be detected before and after the ash particulates show up, and the gasses will affect your lungs.

Looks as if it’s shifting away and dissipating, but will likely take a few more days to clear out completely. Stay safe.

[the invisib1e hand]

have they found a way to blame this on Bush yet?

[Natural Born 54]

Thanks very much. That update is there now. If I am interpreting these charts correctly, the ash that is below 200FL does not show - only ash at 200 and 350FL is shown. So maybe as the ash falls to earth it also maintains forward motion helped by the wind and is coming down West of the areas outlined in red? We’ve also had light rain off and on all day. Am I correct or off base?