Emotional Eruptions, Volcanic Activity and Global Mobilities: A Field Account from a European in the US During the Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull

The eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano in April 2010 set off a number of environmental, economic and cultural effects obstructing thousands of people in the midst of their global mobility flows. It halted, as well, the exchange of goods and commodities and exposed the vulnerability of the global aeromobility system. In this paper an account is given of how the event was experienced by a European academic attending a number of North American conferences at precisely the time of the eruption. The paper is an attempt to describe how people reacted emotionally as well as rationally, attempting to find strategies for coping with the consequences of the eruption.