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1、TheCloudThatClosedAContinentAsvolcaniceruptionsgo,Iceland’sEyjafjallajokullwon’tbreaktherecords.IcelandersdismissthenormallysleepyEyjafjallajokullasa“wearyoldman,”andinfactfewpeopleoutsidethevolcanologycommunity–orthe800orsoIcelandicfarmerswhoneededtobeevacuated–noticedwhenthevolcanobeganspewing
2、lavaonMarch20.Mostlikelyitwouldhaveremainedthatway-abrieftouristattractionandafootnoteinafewgradstudents’dissertations–beforetheearthquietedagain.Butthat’snotquitewhathappened.Instead,onApril14,anewandstrongereruptiononEyjafjallajokullexplodedthroughaglacialicecap,throwingavastplumeofvolcanicash
3、around7miles(11km)intotheatmosphere,highenoughtobecarriedforthousandsofmiles.Andthen,asifoncue,thewindsshifted,blowingtotheeastandsouth,sendingthetowerofashtowardnorthernEuropeandsomeofthemostcrowdedairspaceontheplanet.“Itwasaneruptionattherightplaceattherighttime,”saysMarcusBursik,avolcanologis
4、tattheUniversityatBuffalo.“Or,Iguess,really,theotherwayaround.”Indeed,foranyoneattemptingtotravelto,fromorwithinEurope-oranyonewhoownsstockinanairline-itwasdefinitelythewrongplaceatthewrongtime.Becausevolcanicashcanruinthejetenginesofaircraft,Europeanair-trafficcontrollersbeganshuttingdownthecon
5、tinent’sairspaceasthehigh-altitudecloudloomed.ByApril15,planesweregroundedandtheskiesaboveEurope’scitieswereeerilyquiet.Asthecloudmetastasizedacrossthecontinent,nervousbureaucratskeptmuchofitsairspaceclosedforalmostfivedays,resultinginthecancellationofmorethan100,000flightsandthestrandingofhundr
6、edsofthousandsoftravelersinairportsaroundtheworld.Withathirdoftheindustrydown,itwastheworstglobaltraveldisruptionsinceWorldWarII,asthelifelinewe’dallcometotakeforgrantedwassuddenlysnapped.”Theseareextraordinarycircumstancesbeyondallairlines’control,”saysWillieWalsh,CEOofBritishAirways,whichwaslo
7、singupto$30millionadayduringtheshutdown.ButtheimpactofthevolcaniccrisiswentfarbeyondtheinconvenienceofstrandedvacationersandthesprainedtonguesofnewscasterstryingtopronounceEyjafjallajokull.(Fortherecord,it’sEy-ya-fyat-lah-yo
