Braided motivations for Iceland's first wave of mass emigration
to North America after the 1875 Askja eruption

J 2024

Braided motivations for Iceland's first wave of mass emigration to North America after the 1875 Askja eruption

BÜNTGEN, Ulf, Olafur EGGERTSSON and Clive OPPENHEIMER

Basic information

Original name

Braided motivations for Iceland's first wave of mass emigration to North America after the 1875 Askja eruption

Authors

BÜNTGEN, Ulf (276 Germany, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Olafur EGGERTSSON and Clive OPPENHEIMER

Edition

Regional Environmental Change, Springer, 2024, 1436-3798

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

10500 1.5. Earth and related environmental sciences

Country of publisher

Germany

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 4.200 in 2022

Organization unit

Faculty of Science

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10113-024-02215-6

UT WoS

001187602400002

Keywords in English

Climate variability; Historical climatology; Human migration; Iceland; Interdisciplinary research; Volcanism

Abstract

V originále

More than 14,000 Icelanders emigrated to North America between 1870 and 1914 CE. Mass movement from Iceland accelerated the year after the explosive eruption of Askja in 1875, and both contemporary and recent commentators have linked the two circumstances. Despite an abundant scholarship on Icelandic emigration in this period, the direct and indirect roles of the eruption as a possible stimulus remain unclear. Here, we engage critically with a range of contemporary source materials as well as meteorological and climatological information to re-assess where Askja fits into the picture of Iceland's first wave of mass migration. We find that emigration was undoubtedly fuelled by the hardships of Icelanders and their growing contacts with countrymen already in the Americas, and that the highest proportions of emigrants came from counties most directly impacted by the Askja eruption. However, it also emerges that the eruption served as a lever for interested parties in Britain and Canada to persuade large numbers of desirable migrants to settle in North America. Our study highlights the opportunities that discrete episodes of volcanic activity present to probe the complex interrelationships of nature and society.

Citovat

BÜNTGEN, Ulf, Olafur EGGERTSSON and Clive OPPENHEIMER. Braided motivations for Iceland's first wave of mass emigration to North America after the 1875 Askja eruption. Regional Environmental Change. Springer, 2024, vol. 24, No 2, p. 1-14. ISSN 1436-3798. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10113-024-02215-6.

@article{2392960,
   author = {Büntgen, Ulf and Eggertsson, Olafur and Oppenheimer, Clive},
   article_number = {2},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10113-024-02215-6},
   keywords = {Climate variability; Historical climatology; Human migration; Iceland; Interdisciplinary research; Volcanism},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {1436-3798},
   journal = {Regional Environmental Change},
   title = {Braided motivations for Iceland's first wave of mass emigration to North America after the 1875 Askja eruption},
   url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-024-02215-6},
   volume = {24},
   year = {2024}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2392960
AU  - Büntgen, Ulf - Eggertsson, Olafur - Oppenheimer, Clive
PY  - 2024
TI  - Braided motivations for Iceland's first wave of mass emigration to North America after the 1875 Askja eruption
JF  - Regional Environmental Change
VL  - 24
IS  - 2
SP  - 1-14
EP  - 1-14
PB  - Springer
SN  - 14363798
KW  - Climate variability
KW  - Historical climatology
KW  - Human migration
KW  - Iceland
KW  - Interdisciplinary research
KW  - Volcanism
UR  - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-024-02215-6
N2  - More than 14,000 Icelanders emigrated to North America between 1870 and 1914 CE. Mass movement from Iceland accelerated the year after the explosive eruption of Askja in 1875, and both contemporary and recent commentators have linked the two circumstances. Despite an abundant scholarship on Icelandic emigration in this period, the direct and indirect roles of the eruption as a possible stimulus remain unclear. Here, we engage critically with a range of contemporary source materials as well as meteorological and climatological information to re-assess where Askja fits into the picture of Iceland's first wave of mass migration. We find that emigration was undoubtedly fuelled by the hardships of Icelanders and their growing contacts with countrymen already in the Americas, and that the highest proportions of emigrants came from counties most directly impacted by the Askja eruption. However, it also emerges that the eruption served as a lever for interested parties in Britain and Canada to persuade large numbers of desirable migrants to settle in North America. Our study highlights the opportunities that discrete episodes of volcanic activity present to probe the complex interrelationships of nature and society.
ER  -

BÜNTGEN, Ulf, Olafur EGGERTSSON and Clive OPPENHEIMER. Braided motivations for Iceland's first wave of mass emigration to North America after the 1875 Askja eruption. \textit{Regional Environmental Change}. Springer, 2024, vol.~24, No~2, p.~1-14. ISSN~1436-3798. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10113-024-02215-6.

Detailed Information on Publication Record