Vast areas of the inland of Iceland are covered by glaciers and they also coincide with the zones of active rifting and volcanism. Subglacial geothermal activity and volcanic eruptions initiate interactive processes between acidified meltwater and basaltic tephra on one hand and subsequent reactions with atmospheric air in the runoff rivers. The effect of interactive processes on glacial water chemistry before or at early stages of the volcanic activity can also be made use of in the design of automatic warning systems for sudden floods from the glaciers due to volcanic activity or increased geothermal activity due to emplacement of magma at shallow levels in the earth crust or prior to volcanic eruptions. Even though such phenomena are very localized and almost confined to Iceland the consequences may be noticeable on a global scale as influx of such floodwater into the oceans may result in CO_2 removal from the atmosphere. Further more the interactive processes are similar to processes observed and expected to take place in groundwater and surface waters around active volcanoes.
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