Environmental pressure from the 2014–15 eruption of Bárðarbunga volcano, Iceland

The effusive six months long 2014-2015 Bárðarbunga eruption (31 August-27 February) was the largest in Iceland for more than 200 years, producing 1.6 ± 0.3 km3 of lava. The total SO2 emission was 11 ± 5 Mt, more than the amount emitted from Europe in 2011. The ground level concentration of SO2 exceeded the 350 μg m−3 hourly average health limit over much of Iceland for days to weeks. Anomalously high SO2 concentrations were also measured at several locations in Europe in September. The lowest pH of fresh snowmelt at the eruption site was 3.3, and 3.2 in precipitation 105 km away from the source. Elevated dissolved H2SO4, HCl, HF, and metal concentrations were measured in snow and precipitation. Environmental pressures from the eruption and impacts on populated areas were reduced by its remoteness, timing, and the weather. The anticipated primary environmental pressure is on the surface waters, soils, and vegetation of Iceland

Modular Simulation of Knowledge Development in Industry: A Multi-Level Framework

Abstract. Innovation is a central element of economic development. Understanding knowledge – its organization and especially its dynamics in a market – becomes therefore the main challenge when explaining economic development in general, and the competitiveness and growth of firms and industries in particular. Past research has generally treated knowledge as a monolithic object rather than a composite dynamic phenomenon. In this paper we present work on a new fine-grain, dynamic, morphogenic model of knowledge that is easy to manage, interpret and extend. This knowledge model is embedded a larger market simulation where selected elements of an economy, including employees, companies, banks and consumers, are modeled at multiple levels of abstraction, from agents to monolithic entities. We present data from early runs of the system, showing predictable results in baseline conditions and product innovation effects using the knowledge representation. The results show the model’s excellent potential to address questions about emergent phenomena related to knowledge evolution, knowledge transfer and knowledge use in market innovation