Grímsvötn volcano beneath Iceland's Vatnajökull glacier erupted in May 2011, producing ash clouds that briefly disrupted European air travel. The subglacial eruption generated significant flooding (jökulhlaup) as meltwater escaped from beneath the ice cap. While less disruptive than the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, Grímsvötn demonstrated Iceland's ongoing volcanic activity and its potential impacts on aviation.

The Grímsvötn eruption contributed to contemporary Icelandic poetry exploring the relationship between ice and fire, glaciers and volcanoes, that characterizes Iceland's geological identity. Icelandic poets like Sjón and Gerður Kristný have incorporated subglacial volcanic imagery into works addressing climate change, geological time, and the precarious beauty of Iceland's landscape, reflecting broader Nordic literary engagements with environmental transformation and Arctic/Antarctic imaginaries.