“Ash cloud models – overrated? A word on Post Normal Science by Dr. Jerome Ravetz“. Post Normal Science, a rather odd theoretical description of how scientific research is supposedly manipulated by authorities, has become a short-hand at WUWT for two things:
- Scientists cheating to get the results that support their prejudices.
- Unaccountable government figures suppressing the rights of the individual for their own purposes.
The flight ban imposed because of the dangers posed by the Iceland ash cloud is proving a fertile topic for denialists obsessed with government activity…
Wott's Up With That? 
Just wanted to say this a very good, and very funny blog. I’ve started coming straight here and skipping WUWT completely after the neighbours started to complain about me shouting at the laptop when reading WUWT. Good work!
[Thanks! – Ben]
Now this is a known fact in the real world. During the height of the so called “Cold War” release of some eighty thousand plus pages of declassified nuclear reports a group of scientists at the Hanford Nuclear Research Facility conducted a number of very questionable unethical tests on non-consenting test subjects. This involved the release of very fine radioactive dust particles to the atmosphere in order to track the dust dispersion effects from atmospheric nuclear detonations. These tests were conducted in Washington State well away from the normal atmospheric test facilities to avoid cross contamination. In short they developed some very real world sophisticated dust cloud dispersion models indeed from the field data gathered from these tests.
Question becomes why has Dr Ravetz chosen to ignore this reality in the real world?
Further pictures from boroscopes used by the Finnish Air Force on inspecting the engines of one modern high performance jet fighter clearly shows the danger presented by this very fine volcanic ash. The pictures can be found here.
(face palm)
[I think there was an unannounced radiation experiment in Australia in the 1950’s. = Ben]