• $9.8M worth of herring found dead in Icelandic fjord

    Brynjar Gauti / AP

    Dead herring are seen floating on Tuesday in Kolgrafafjordur, a small fjord in west Iceland, for the second time in two months.

    Between 25,000 and 30,000 tons of herring died in December and more now, due to lack of oxygen in the fjord thought to have been caused by the construction of a bridge across the fjord in December 2004. The current export value of  the estimated 10,000 tons of herring amounts to ISK 1.25 billion ($ 9.8 million), according to Morgunbladid newspaper.

    -- The Associated Press

    Brynjar Gauti / AP

    Workers clear up dead herring on the northern part of Snaefellsnes peninsula, Iceland on Feb. 5, 2013.

     

  • Halldor Kolbeins / AFP - Getty Images

    Tourists are driven up the side of the Eyjafjoell volcano to reach the crater on June 29. Icelandic volcanoes may be known for their ash-spewing ability to halt flights and make a mess, but they also pay their dues, attracting tourists eager to see the source of the chaos.

    Tourists enjoy close up view of Eyjafjoell volcano

    By Rich Shulman

    This looks like a really cool was to see the volcano. In 2010, AP reported that volcano tourism in Iceland was on the decline as eruptions ceased.

  • Paddle boarders surf among ash-covered icebergs in Iceland

    Ingolfur Juliusson / Reuters

    Surfers paddle past icebergs covered in ash from the Grimsvotn volcano eruption, in the glacier lagoon at the base of Vatnajokull, Iceland, May 26. Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano is producing mostly steam rather than ash and should calm down within a few days, national police said on Thursday encouraging hopes there will be no further disruption to flights in northern Europe.

    Ingolfur Juliusson / Reuters

    Ingolfur Juliusson / Reuters

    The Grimsvotn volcano has made for some incredible images, and apparently is becoming less of a threat. 

  • Stunning photos: Close-up capturing Iceland's erupting volcano

    Jon Gustafsson

    The Grimsvotn volcano erupting on Saturday, May 21.

    Photographer Jon Gustafsson captured these powerful images of the Grimsvotn volcano erupting on Saturday.

    Gustafsson writes:  "It took us 90 minutes to fly to Grimsvotn with a strong wind against us. The eruption looked magnificent in the sunset. We got there at 11 pm. Once we landed 5 miles away from the crater the cold air hit us like a truck. We tried to work outside but I only lasted for a couple of minutes. Pilot Reynir Petursson also didn't want to stay on the ground for too long since it was very windy and the ash fall was unpredictable. The light was also disappearing and he needs visual reference which is difficult on a white glacier. Once we got off the ground again we had to stay low because there were so many lightnings all around the eruption. Getting hit by a lightning in that strong wind, extreme frost and next to a live volcano was not desirable."

    Jon Gustafsson/AP

    Smoke plumes from the Grimsvotn volcano on Saturday, May 21. Grimsvotn volcano lies under the Vatnajokull glacier, about 120 miles east of the capital, Rejkjavik, which began erupting Saturday for the first time since 2004.

    Jon Gustafsson / AP

    In this photo taken on Saturday, May 21, 2011, smoke plumes from the Grimsvotn volcano, which lies under the Vatnajokull glacier, about 120 miles, (200 kilometers) east of the capital, Rejkjavik, which began erupting Saturday for the first time since 2004. Iceland closed its main international airport and canceled domestic flights Sunday as a powerful volcanic eruption sent a plume of ash, smoke and steam 12 miles (20 kilometers) into the air.

    Jon Gustafsson

    Gustafsson talks with TODAY.com's Dara Brown about the stunning images he took within two hours and two miles of the eruption, in the video below. 

    Photographer Jon Gustafsson captures stunning images of Iceland's erupting volcano. Gustafsson talks with TODAY.com's Dara Brown about the amazing and violent images he captured within two hours and two miles of the eruption.

  • Jon Magnusson / Getty Images Contributor

    The eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano sends thousands of tonnes of volcanic ash into the sky on May 23, 2011 above Iceland. The cloud has forced the closure of Icelandic airspace and spread fears of a repeat of the global travel chaos that was caused by last year's Icelandic eruption, although authorities inisist that this Grimsvotn poses a lesser threat.

    Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano erupts and spewing ash into sky

    See more images from the eruption and read the full story.

  • Ash falls on Iceland as Grimsvotn volcano erupts

    Brynjar Gauti / AP

    A member of a rescue team checks on a farmer near to Kirkjubaearklaustur, approx. 260 km from Reykjavik, Iceland, Monday, May 23, 2011. A dense cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano was being blown toward Scotland Monday, forcing two airlines to cancel their flights, U.S. President Barack Obama to cut short his visit to Ireland and carriers across Europe to fear a repeat of the huge disruptions that stranded millions of passengers a year ago.

    Vilheldm Gunnarsson / EPA

    Picture taken on 23 May 2011 at around 10:00 AM GMT shows a man cleaning his car from volcanic ashes in the village of Kirkjubaejarklaustur, in the south of Iceland. Airspace over Iceland was closed 23 May 2011 after the North Atlantic country?s most-active volcano continued to spew ash. The plume above the Grimsvotn volcano was Monday estimated to be between 8-10 kilometres, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The volcano began to erupt 21 May 2011, and the plume was initially more than 20 kilometres high.

    Brynjar Gauti / AP

    Farmers Thormar Eller and Henny Hrund go to check their livestock as an ash cloud is seen in background, near Kirkjubaearklaustur, approx. 260 km from Reykjavik, Iceland, Monday, May 23, 2011. A dense cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano was being blown toward Scotland Monday, forcing two airlines to cancel their flights, U.S. President Barack Obama to cut short his visit to Ireland and carriers across Europe to fear a repeat of the huge disruptions that stranded millions of passengers a year ago.

    Here's a story about the type of ash created by this volcano.

  • Jon Magnusson / Getty Images Contributor

    The eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano sends thousands of tonnes of volcanic ash into the sky on May 23 above Iceland. The cloud has forced the closure of Icelandic airspace and spread fears of a repeat of the global travel chaos that was caused by last year's Icelandic eruption, although authorities insist that this Grimsvotn poses a lesser threat.

    Ash clouds creep toward Scandinavia, Europe

    By Rich Shulman

    This looks a bit like a tornado, but it's a low angle view of the volcanic ash cloud. Full story.

    Fears about the cloud forced President Obama to cut his visit to Ireland short and fly to London.

    Yesterday's PhotoBlog post.


  • Egill Adalsteinsson / EPA

    Aerial view shows the eruption of the volcano Grimsvotn in the south-east of Iceland, May 21. Iceland closed its main international airport May 22 following the eruption of a volcano in the south-east of the country, aviation authorities said. The decision also affected other Icelandic airports, while transatlantic flights would be diverted south of Iceland, according to a spokesperson of the aviation authority Isavia. The Grimsvotn volcano began to erupt on Saturday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. But the prevailing winds suggested that the Grimsvotn ash cloud would in the coming days blow north and not affect mainland Europe.

    Volcano diverts transatlantic flights south of Iceland

    Read more about the eruption here.