Christina "Tina" Neal | |
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Born | 1959 (age 63–64) |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | |
Academic work | |
Institutions | U.S. Geological Survey |
Website | www |
Christina A. Neal (born 1959) [1] is an American volcanologist and an honoree for a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. [2] Neal was the Scientist-in-Charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory from 2015 to 2020. [3] Neal took over as the director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Science Center on May 9,2021. [4] Neal is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. [5]
Neal is a native of Connecticut,and graduated from Brown University in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in geological sciences. [6] In 1986,she received a master's degree in geology from Arizona State University. [6]
From 1983-1989,Neal worked for the U.S. Geological Survey at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. In 1990,she joined the newly established Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage,Alaska,where she monitored eruptions in the Aleutian Arc and investigated the eruptive history and volcanic hazards along the Alaska Peninsula and eastern Aleutians. [6] In 1998,Neal took a two-year posting at the United States Agency of International Development in Washington,D.C.,as the first Geoscience Advisor to the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, [7] [8] where she reviewed hazard mitigation programs for several countries,including Thailand,Nepal,Ecuador,Colombia,and Kazakhstan,among others. She returned in 2000 to the Alaska Volcano Observatory as a staff geologist,mapping and studying active Alaskan volcanoes. On March 8,2015,she became the scientist in charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, [9] succeeding Jim Kauahikaua. [10]
As Scientist-in-Charge,her position entailed directing emergency responses to volcanic events and making sure there were staff to man the observatory,among other tasks. [11] [12] During her tenure as Scientist-in-Charge,she was often a contact to the media about volcanic hazards and events in Hawaii. [13]
In 2019,Neal and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory team were a Science and Environment finalist for a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. [2]
Neal became the director of the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center in 2021. Among her other duties,she manages the National Volcano Early Warning System. [14]
Haleakalā,or the East Maui Volcano,is a massive,active shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The western 25% of the island is formed by another volcano,Mauna Kahalawai,also referred to as the West Maui Mountains.
Mount Aniakchak is a 3,600-year-old volcanic caldera approximately 10 kilometers (6 mi) in diameter,located in the Aleutian Range of Alaska,United States. Although a stratovolcano by composition,the pre-existing mountain collapsed in a major eruption forming the caldera. The area around the volcano is the Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve,maintained by the National Park Service. In November 1967,Aniakchak Caldera was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is an agency of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and one of five volcano observatories operating under the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. Based in Hilo,Hawaii,the observatory monitors six Hawaiian volcanoes:Kīlauea,Mauna Loa,Kamaʻehuakanaloa,Hualālai,Mauna Kea,and Haleakalā,of which,Kīlauea and Mauna Loa are the most active. The observatory has a worldwide reputation as a leader in the study of active volcanism. Due to the relatively non-explosive nature of Kīlauea's volcanic eruptions for many years,scientists have generally been able to study ongoing eruptions in proximity without being in extreme danger.
David Alexander Johnston was an American United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist who was killed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington. A principal scientist on the USGS monitoring team,Johnston was killed in the eruption while manning an observation post six miles (10 km) away on the morning of May 18,1980. He was the first to report the eruption,transmitting "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" before he was swept away by a lateral blast;despite a thorough search,Johnston's body was never found,but state highway workers discovered remnants of his USGS trailer in 1993.
Redoubt Volcano,or Mount Redoubt,is an active stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located at the head of the Chigmit Mountains subrange in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve,the mountain is just west of Cook Inlet,in the Kenai Peninsula Borough about 110 miles (180 km) southwest of Anchorage. At 10,197 feet (3,108 m),in just over 5 miles (8.0 km) Mount Redoubt attains 9,150 feet (2,790 m) of prominence over its surrounding terrain. It is the highest summit in the Aleutian Range. In 1976,Redoubt Volcano was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the United States Agency for International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance after the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) in 1985. The volcanic eruption melted a glacier triggering a lahar that killed 25,000 people. It was determined that increased monitoring and enhanced communications between scientists and civil authorities would make it easier to evacuate local populations and save lives. Today the program responds to volcanic crises around the world. The aim of the program is to assist in saving lives and property,to reduce economic losses,and to prevent a natural hazard becoming a natural disaster. VDAP staff members are based at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory,in Vancouver,Washington. VDAP channels its energy into four main activities:response to natural disaster,capacity building,training,and volcanological research.
Pavlof Volcano is a stratovolcano of the Aleutian Range on the Alaska Peninsula. It has been one of the most active volcanoes in the United States since 1980,with eruptions recorded in 1980,1981,1983,1986–1988,1996–1997,2007,2013,twice in 2014,2016,and is currently erupting as of August 2021. Basaltic andesite with SiO2 around 53% is the most common lava type. The volcano is monitored by the Alaska Volcano Observatory- a joint program of the United States Geological Survey (USGS),the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAFGI),and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). With a threat score of 95,the threat from future eruptions is considered to be high;much of this threat comes from the possibility of disruption of nearby air routes by large releases of ash. The mountain currently has basic real-time monitoring,but the USGS would like to improve instrumentation at the site. The mountain shares a name with the nearby Pavlof Sister,which last erupted in 1786.
Mount Cleveland is a nearly symmetrical stratovolcano on the western end of Chuginadak Island,which is part of the Islands of Four Mountains just west of Umnak Island in the Fox Islands of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Mt. Cleveland is 5,675 ft (1,730 m) high,and one of the most active of the 75 or more volcanoes in the larger Aleutian Arc. Aleutian natives named the island after their fire goddess,Chuginadak,who they believed inhabited the volcano. In 1894 a team from the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey visited the island and gave Mount Cleveland its current name,after then-president Grover Cleveland.
Iliamna Volcano,or Mount Iliamna,is a glacier-covered stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range in southwest Alaska. Located in the Chigmit Mountain subrange in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve,the 10,016-foot (3,053 m) volcano lies approximately 134 miles (215 km) southwest of Anchorage on the west side of lower Cook Inlet. It is the 25th most prominent peak in the United States.
Papakōlea Beach is a green sand beach located near South Point,in the Kaʻūdistrict of the island of Hawaiʻi. It is one of only four green sand beaches in the world,the others being Talofofo Beach,Guam;Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island in the Galapagos Islands;and Hornindalsvatnet,Norway. It gets its distinctive coloring from olivine sand eroded out of the enclosing volcanic cone.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is a joint program of the United States Geological Survey (USGS),the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAFGI),and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). AVO was formed in 1988,and uses federal,state,and university resources to monitor and study Alaska's volcanology,hazardous volcanoes,to predict and record eruptive activity,and to mitigate volcanic hazards to life and property. The Observatory website allows users to monitor active volcanoes,with seismographs and webcameras that update regularly. AVO now monitors more than 20 volcanoes in Cook Inlet,which is close to Alaskan population centers,and the Aleutian Arc due to the hazard that plumes of ash pose to aviation.
Mount Gareloi,or Gareloi Volcano,is a stratovolcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska,United States,about 1,259 miles (2,026 km) from Anchorage. Gareloi is located on Gareloi Island,and comprises most of its land mass. The island also has two small glaciers which protrude to the northwest and southeast.
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is a volcano observatory that primarily monitors the Yellowstone Caldera in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The observatory's jurisdiction also includes volcanic centers in the states of Colorado,Utah,Arizona,and New Mexico. As with other U.S. volcano observatories,it is funded through the United States Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program.
The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System is a U.S. federal program within the U.S. Geological Survey for monitoring volcano activity and providing early warning to threatened areas. It was authorized by the John D. Dingell,Jr. Conservation,Management,and Recreation Act on March 12,2019.
The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa was an episode of eruptive volcanic activity at Mauna Loa,the world's largest active volcano,located on Hawaiʻi island,Hawaiʻi. Mauna Loa began to erupt shortly before midnight HST on November 27,2022,when lava flows emerged from fissure vents in Moku‘āweoweo. It marked the first eruption at the volcano in 38 years. The eruption ended on December 13,2022,after more than two weeks.
Judith Ellen Fierstein is a geologist and researcher employed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). She is affiliated with the USGS California Volcano Observatory.
Michelle Lynn Coombs is a geologist and the current Scientist-in-Charge of the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). She is a fellow of the Geological Society of America.
Terry E. C. Keith is a geologist from the U.S. Geological Survey and former Scientist-in-Charge of the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Kenneth Hon,usually known professionally as Ken Hon,is a geologist and the 21st Scientist-in-Charge (SIC) of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO),serving since 2021;succeeding Tina Neal (SIC) and David Phillips. Hon has often been a contact from the Observatory to the news media,and as such is often quoted as an authority figure in the field of Hawaiian volcanology.
James Puupai Kauahikaua is a geophysicist and volcanologist who served as the 19th Scientist-in-Charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory from October 2004 to March 2015. He was the first Scientist-in-Charge at the Observatory to be of Hawaiian ancestry.