Samples collected using double-sided sticky tape could give fresh insight into the Eyjafjallajoekull eruption.
The samples could reveal how fine ash thrown up into the atmosphere by the Icelandic eruption fell to ground as clumps or "aggregates" of ash.
The British Geological Survey work will be used to create better models of how volcanic ash disperses after eruptions.
The eruption of the volcano in March this year caused chaos, shutting down huge swathes of European air space.
BBC News
