Haze, Hunger, Hesitation: Disaster aid after the 1783 Laki eruption

Abstract

The 1783–1784 Laki eruption was one of the most severe natural catastrophes to occur in Iceland since settlement (around 870 CE). Vegetation damage by sulphate aerosol and fluorine poisoning caused a massive decimation of livestock which brought famine and excess deaths of 1.6 of the population. 18th Century Iceland was a Danish dependency and, despite the abundance of fish in the surrounding waters, a subsistence farming community and thus highly dependent on livestock. During the famine, the Danish government was in principle willing to provide relief. However, local authorities in Iceland were slow to ask for help, and did not dare to exploit the means at their disposal (e.g. the right to ban the export of Icelandic foodstuff) without consent from Copenhagen. The Danish officials in turn were unwilling to act decisively upon incomplete information. These two factors prevented timely measures. While 4.4 × 105kg of grain were provided for famine relief in summer 1784, the merchants exported 1.2 × 106kg of fish, which greatly aggravated the hunger in the second winter. The effects of this ‘natural’ catastrophe could therefore have been significantly reduced by efficient government measures.