It was strange to come to the Westfjords today on the way from Reykjavík. All the fjords were filled with greyish haze from the eruption in Reykjanes. This is clearly visible in the feature photo taken in the fjord Hestfjordur earlier today.
It is amazing that such a small eruption can cause pollution far away. Southerly winds must have carried the pollution north to the Westfjords, which then settles in the calm of the narrow fjords.
When this happens, one often thinks of the famine caused by the eruption in Laki in 1783-4, which lead to the death of 25% of the Icelandic population and caused crop failures in many parts of the country as well as livestock deaths.
The Westfjords are known for their calm fjords and smooth sea, but now it would be good to get a strong north-easterly wind to carry the volcanic haze out to sea.
