National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System

Last updated

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.

Contents

Background

Ash plume from Augustine Volcano, Alaska, Jan 12, 2006 Augustine Volcano Jan 12 2006 edited-1.jpg
Ash plume from Augustine Volcano, Alaska, Jan 12, 2006

There are 169 young volcanoes in the United States, many of which are considered hazardous due to their proximity to populated areas. [1] The USGS considers many of the more dangerous volcanoes to be under-monitored, lacking adequate scientific instruments on the ground to measure activity and potential threats. [2] Many volcanoes lack any instruments, and the seismometers at other sites are inadequate for useful analysis. [3] One of the most active volcanoes in Washington, Glacier Peak, only has a single seismometer. [4] Improved monitoring capabilities can provide more timely warnings for evacuations and emergency response coordination, and mitigate the impacts of the travel disruptions. [5] Early warnings are particularly critical for air traffic control, which needs to be made aware of ash-producing eruptions in time to reroute airplanes. [6]

The USGS assesses each volcano against a 24-factor hazard and exposure matrix, and assigns a threat level of "very low", "low", "moderate", "high", or "very high". [7] In 2018, 18 volcanoes were rated as "very high" risk, and 39 volcanoes were rated as "high" risk. The "very high" risk volcanoes are in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii, with the most dangerous being Kilauea. Some volcano monitoring has been performed by the Volcano Hazards Program, directed by the USGS, but the program lacks sufficient funding to properly close the monitoring gap. [8] According to Charles Mandeville, the program coordinator for the USGS Volcano Hazards Program, the USGS is "somewhere between 30-40 percent of the way to having an ideal monitoring network for those volcanoes”. [9] As of 2018, only three "very high risk" volcanoes are categorized as "well monitored": Kilauea, Mount St. Helens, and Long Valley Caldera. [10]

Purpose

The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System has two purposes: [11]

Details

The USGS must submit a five-year plan for monitoring all U.S. volcanoes at a level commensurate with the threat posed by each. [11] The plan will include upgrades to existing networks on monitored volcanoes and installing networks on unmonitored volcanoes, as well as standardizing on modern tools across all of the volcano observatories. A national volcano data center will coordinate activities among the observatories. [2] A watch office will be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. [11] In addition, the USGS will set up a grants program to support research into techniques for monitoring and analyzing volcanic activity. [9]

The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System was authorized $55,000,000 for fiscal years 2019 through 2023, however the funds were not immediately appropriated. [9] Final appropriations for fiscal year 2021 provided $30 million to the Volcano Hazards Program, which includes the warning and monitoring system. [12]

In April, 2022, the USGS released its Volcano Hazards Program Strategic Science Plan for the five-year period from 2022 to 2026. [13]

As of June, 2022, the USGS had spent approximately $13.5 million on foundational activities for the volcano monitoring system, including a next-generation lahar detection system on Mt. Rainier, upgrading telemetry in Alaska for 27 volcano stations, improving monitoring networks in Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. [14] In the fiscal year 2023 budget, Congress increased the funding of the system to over $18 million and also included $29 million from a separate account to replace the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaiian Islands</span> Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaiʻi in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Formerly called the Sandwich Islands by Europeans, the present name for the archipelago is derived from the name of its largest island, Hawaiʻi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauna Loa</span> Volcano in Hawaii, United States

Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest active volcano by both mass and volume. It was historically considered to be the largest volcano on Earth until Tamu Massif was discovered to be larger. Mauna Loa is a shield volcano with relatively gentle slopes, and a volume estimated at 18,000 cubic miles (75,000 km3), although its peak is about 125 feet (38 m) lower than that of its neighbor, Mauna Kea. Lava eruptions from Mauna Loa are silica-poor and very fluid, and tend to be non-explosive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haleakalā</span> Massive shield volcano in Hawaii

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kīlauea</span> Active volcano in Hawaii

Kīlauea is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ago. Since the islands were settled, it has been the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the island and among the most active volcanoes on Earth. The most recent eruption occurred in September 2024.

A volcano observatory is an institution that conducts research and monitoring of a volcano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hualālai</span> Active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands

Hualālai is an active volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the westernmost, third-youngest and the third-most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaiʻi, following Kīlauea and the much larger Mauna Loa. Its peak stands 8,271 feet (2,521 m) above sea level. Hualālai is estimated to have risen above sea level about 300,000 years ago. Despite maintaining a very low level of activity since its last eruption in 1801, and being unusually inactive for the last 2,000 years, Hualālai is still considered active, and is expected to erupt again sometime in the next 100 years. The relative unpreparedness of the residents in the area caused by the lull in activity would worsen an eruption's consequences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park</span> National park in Hawaii, United States

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is a national park of the United States located in Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. The park encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's largest shield volcano. The park provides scientists with insight into the development of the Hawaiian Islands and access for studies of volcanism. For visitors, the park offers dramatic volcanic landscapes, glimpses of rare flora and fauna, and a view into the traditional Hawaiian culture connected to these landscapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Jaggar</span> American volcanologist (1871–1953)

Thomas Augustus Jaggar Jr. was an American volcanologist. He founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and directed it from 1912 to 1940. The son of Thomas Augustus Jaggar, Jaggar Jr. graduated with a PhD in geology from Harvard University in 1897. In 1902, he was one of the scientists that the United States sent to investigate the volcanic disasters at La Soufrière volcano, St Vincent, and Mont Pelée, Martinique, which he credited with inspiring him to make a life's work out of geology. He became head of the department of geology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaiian Volcano Observatory</span> Research center in Hawaii, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcano warning schemes of the United States</span> Alert systems for volcanic activity

In October 2006, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) adopted a nationwide alert system for characterizing the level of unrest and eruptive activity at volcanoes. The system is now used by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the California Volcano Observatory, the Cascades Volcano Observatory, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, or PNSN, collects and studies ground motions from about 400 seismometers in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. PNSN monitors volcanic and tectonic activity, gives advice and information to the public and policy makers, and works to mitigate earthquake hazard.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puʻu ʻŌʻō</span> Volcanic cone in the Hawaiian Islands

Puʻu ʻŌʻō is a volcanic cone on the eastern rift zone of Kīlauea volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. The eruption that created Puʻu ʻŌʻō began on January 3, 1983, and continued nearly continuously until April 30, 2018, making it the longest-lived rift-zone eruption of the last two centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halemaʻumaʻu</span> Pit crater located within the summit caldera of Kīlauea in Hawaii

Halemaʻumaʻu is a pit crater within the much larger Kīlauea Caldera at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on island of Hawaiʻi. The roughly circular crater was 770 meters (2,530 ft) x 900 m (2,950 ft) before collapses that roughly doubled the size of the crater after May 3, 2018. Following the collapses of 2018, the bottom of Halemaʻumaʻu was roughly 600 m (2,000 ft) below the caldera floor. Halemaʻumaʻu is home to Pele, goddess of fire and volcanoes, according to the traditions of Hawaiian religion. Halemaʻumaʻu means "house of the ʻāmaʻu fern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Volcano Observatory</span> Research center in California, United States

The California Volcano Observatory (CalVO) is the volcano observatory that monitors the volcanic and geologic activity of California and Nevada. It is a part of the Volcano Hazards Program of the United States Geological Survey, a scientific agency of the United States government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 lower Puna eruption</span> Volcanic eruption on Hawaiʻi Island

The 2018 lower Puna eruption was a volcanic event on the island of Hawaiʻi, on Kīlauea volcano's East Rift Zone that began on May 3, 2018. It is related to the larger eruption of Kīlauea that began on January 3, 1983, though some volcanologists and USGS scientists have discussed whether to classify it as a new eruption. Outbreaks of lava fountains up to 300 feet (90 m) high, lava flows, and volcanic gas in the Leilani Estates subdivision were preceded by earthquakes and ground deformation that created cracks in the roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Neal</span> USGS volcanologist

Christina A. Neal is an American volcanologist and an honoree for a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. Neal was the Scientist-in-Charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory from 2015 to 2020. Neal took over as the director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Science Center on May 9, 2021. Neal is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 eruption of Mauna Loa</span> 2022 volcano eruption in Hawaiʻi

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Coombs</span> American geologist

Michelle Lynn Coombs is a geologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). She was the Scientist-in-Charge from 2016 to 2023. Coombs is a fellow of the Geological Society of America.

The United States Geological Survey National Volcanic Threat Assessment is a report containing a ranked list of active volcanoes in the United States posing hazardous risks to the American population. The report was published by the United States Geological Survey in 2005 and revised in 2018.

References

  1. ↑ "National Volcano Early Warning System - monitoring volcanoes according to their threat". USGS. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  2. 1 2 McClatchy, Julianna Rennie (16 March 2019). "More than one-third of US volcanoes are under-monitored. Congress is noticing". The Daily News. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  3. ↑ LaFrance, Adrienne (28 February 2017). "The Scary State of Volcano Monitoring in the United States". The Atlantic. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  4. ↑ Klemetti, Eric. "The US Needs to Seriously Beef Up Its Volcano Monitoring". Wired. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Ross, Erin. "Scientists Getting New Tools To Monitor The Northwest's Volcanoes". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  6. ↑ "USGS Creates Framework For National Volcano Early Warning System". Science Daily. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  7. ↑ Ewert, John W.; Diefenbach, Angela K; Ramsey, David W. (2018). "2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment". U.S. Geological Survey. Scientific Investigations Report. doi: 10.3133/sir20185140 . Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  8. ↑ "National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Legislation in the 116th Congress". Congressional Research Service Reports. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 Andrews, Robin George (27 February 2019). "The U.S. May Finally Get an Early Warning System For Volcanoes". Gizmodo: Earther. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  10. ↑ Lewis, Forrest (23 April 2019). "National Volcano Warning System Gains Steam". Earth & Space Science News. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 "John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act" (PDF). Congress.gov. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  12. ↑ "Final FY21 Appropriations: U.S. Geological Survey". American Institute of Physics. February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  13. ↑ "USGS Releases Five-year Nationwide Strategic Plan for Volcano Hazards". USGS (Press release). April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ "The National Volcano Early Warning System". Congressional Research Service. June 13, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  15. ↑ "FY23 Budget Outcomes: US Geological Survey". American Institute of Physics. 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2023-03-10.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.