In an impressive display of how events in one area can effect another more than a thousand miles away, airports across Europe have been shut down due to the eruptions of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökul volcano.
Winds have been blowing volcanic ash from Iceland to the United Kingdom and across Northern Europe, grounding between 3,000 and 4,000 (approximately ten percent) of flights throughout the continent. All airports in Britain were closed—reportedly a first since the 9/11 terrorist attacks—and will remain closed until at least 6 a.m. Friday morning.
The volcano sits right beneath one of the most popular—and busy—flight paths in the world for traveling from North America to Europe. There have no announcements yet about how the eruption or the closures will effect travel across the Atlantic.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the eruptions could continue for months, and according to the BBC, the UK's air traffic control service has said that it is "very unlikely that the situation over England will improve in the foreseeable future." Anyone planning to travel to Europe should visit their airline's website for the latest flight information.
