Eyjafjallajökull and Gaia

I’m sure that you, dear Farmodc’s Blog reader/follower, being the world-wise omniscient person you are, can pronounce Eyjafjallajökull – the name of the volcano in Iceland that’s dominated the news lately [1, 2]. But if I’m wrong and you can’t, click here [3]. So now you know. Me? I can’t even decide if it’s phonetic. Whatever. This volcano’s eruptions have produced the most amazing photographs [4, 5]; also inevitable and not very good jokes [6, 7]. But not counting its local effect on the Icelanders – who’ve really copped it recently because the GFC decimated their economy – its main effect’s been on air travel to and from Europe. It’s all explained in this article [8], including why planes don’t fly around the ash cloud. (Answer: it’s much longer and it’d expend their fuel tank capacity.) At least, starting yesterday, the planes are flying again. Currently the extent of the impact on the world economy’s unclear (but as per stock market indices it’s not major). My cyberfriend Chrows25 [9] thinks this eruption’s the revenge of Gaia [10] – because Homo sapiens (what a misnomer) continues to wreck the superlatively beautiful and wondrous biosphere that Gaia created. I think Chrows25 may have a point. Because not only are the eruption and ash cloud magnificently awesome, but the ash will increase global dimming [11] – which is a homeostatic mechanism that counteracts the greenhouse effect and thus global warming [12]. Thanks again, Gaia.