Ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption appears to be making farmers’ corn and grass grow better than usual. One farming couple, Kristin Magnusdottir and her husband, Sigurjon Eyjolfsson, were recently making hay and cutting grass in Petursey, among the areas affected worst by ash fall from the recent south Iceland volcano.
Eyjolfsson said that they had been afraid of the possible pollution in their hay, but they are now feeling positive as the summer is going better than they could possibly have imagined when the ash started raining down. There is a 1-1/4-in. thick ash layer at the roots of the grass, but by rinsing it they hope to remove it. The flip side is that the dark color of the ash seems to be heating the soil more, speeding up growth and causing the cornfields to be extremely productive.
Tourists have been known to collect ash in baggies for display back at home, to which we say, knock yourself out. Take all you want. We’ll make more.
(For the latest news about volcanic activity, visit www.pressan.is. Click the Union Jack in the upper right hand corner for English).
Hard to believe considering all that ash which dropped in on our friends in Western Europe, but researchers agree that Iceland is the cleanest country in the world. That’s the latest findings based upon research conducted by Yale University and Columbia University measuring the environmental performance of 163 countries based on 25 indicators such as water and air quality, habitat protection and the impact of the environment on the health of the population.
It was only a matter of time before savvy Icelanders started to capitalize on the country’s newest abundant natural resource: volcanic ash. A small Icelandic company has collected ash from the Iceland volcano, filtered, dried and bottled it into small resealable glass containers ready to sell. The box can be opened so you can feel the texture and smell of the latest work of nature from “The Land of Fire and Ice.”
Icelanders are a stoic people who don’t easily impress. But even we sit with mouths agape when we look at these images:
We had never heard the term “dirty lightning” before a small part of our country decided to blow itself up, but WOW, is it appropriate.
USA Today calls it “volcano tourism.” No matter what you call it, visiting a world-famous volcano will surely be the highlight of your Iceland vacation. Here is a sample of tour operators ready to show you the sights:
In February, Travel+Leisure writer Jeanine Barone decided to warm up by visiting some of Earth’s hot places and list the best volcano vacations around the globe. Out of thousands of active areas, Iceland’s Myvatn/Krafla made the list.