When Volcanoes Roar: Protecting the Public and Monitoring Long-Term Climate Impacts
2022 was a busy year for volcanic eruptions in Hawaii Mauna Loa and Kilaeau erupt simultaneouslyball Mount Semeru, Indonesia and Hunga underwater volcano in Tonga. While US Geological Survey is the primary agency that monitors volcanic activity in the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitors safety systems for tsunamis and other volcanic threats and studies the impact of volcanic gases on our global climate.
When a volcano erupts, NOAA provides data, satellite imagery, and other information that is used in air quality warnings, ash warnings, and tsunami warnings. Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii erupted in 2022 for the first time since 1984. During this eruption which was visible from spaceNOAA and partners published air quality alerts to protect people voga hazy mixture of sulfur dioxide gas and particles.
Night satellite image of the eruption of Mauna Loa on November 28, 2022 from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) of the Finnish National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP)
NOAA’s GOES WEST satellite was used for tracking clouds of ash From Mauna Loa to create guidelines for volcanic ash. This advice is used in flight safety warnings. Local NOAA weather offices used these advisories as well as the data HYSPLIT volcanic ash model to keep aviation authorities informed of local conditions. When Mount Redoubt erupted In Alaska in 2009 NOAA offered forecast and advisory information on volcanic ash. This volcanic ash guidance was issued in close interagency cooperation with the USGS to provide rapid and consistent information to emergency management and aviation decision makers.
Night satellite image of the eruption of Mauna Loa on November 28, 2022 from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) of the Finnish National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP)
Some volcanic eruptions are powerful enough to trigger tsunamis, such as The volcanic eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia in 1883 which triggered one of the largest and most destructive tsunamis of all time. Today, NOAA has made progress tsunami warning system in place to warn communities at risk of tsunami conditions following a volcanic eruption. In 2022, Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha’apai Volcano triggered a tsunami across the Pacific Ocean. Immediately after the eruption, the NOAA network began issuing tsunami warnings. Deep Sea Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) buoys DART buoys are currently for use throughout the world’s ocean basins and transmit real-time data NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers so critical alerts can be issued before peak water reaches coastal communities.
DART buoys detect tsunami waves and transmit real-time sea level measurement data back to tsunami warning centers. Credit: NOAA
The Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption also created a 300-mile (500 km) wide plume of toxic gas and ash that traveled into the stratosphere, providing NOAA scientists with a rare opportunity learn more about how volcanic emissions affect our global climate. The scientists quickly traveled to the remote island of Reunion in the middle of the Indian Ocean, where they used a collection of scientific weather balloons equipped with Portable optical spectrometers (POPS) to collect detailed atmospheric data. POPS are lightweight aerosol sensors that collect data used to refine atmospheric models and improve scientists’ understanding of how volcanic eruptions affect Earth’s atmosphere. This collaboration meant the fastest scientific answer volcanic eruption so far.
Lava covering the access road to the NOAA Mauna Loa Base Station Observatory during the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption. Photo: NOAA
Paradoxically, volcanoes provide ideal locations monitor atmospheric gas concentrations due to their undisturbed air, remote location and minimal impact of vegetation and human activity. This is why Mauna Loa Volcano is home NOAA Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory which has been continuously monitoring and collecting information related to atmospheric change since the 1950s. The continued study of greenhouse gases that warm the climate and volcanic gases that temporarily cool the climate improves scientists’ understanding of the interaction and effects of these emissions on our atmosphere and global climate. In December 2022, a volcanic lava flow caused the Mauna Loa observatory to lose power, and NOAA researchers worked with researchers from the University of Hawaii begins collecting CO2 measurements in nearby Maunakea. The observatory building was not directly affected, and attempts are being made to restart measurements at Mauna Loa.
NOAA’s research on volcanic eruptions is essential to improving the current technologies and models used to warn and issue warnings about tsunamis, ash, and air quality associated with volcanic eruptions. It also improves our understanding of how volcanic emissions and greenhouse gas emissions affect the atmosphere and global climate.
For more information, contact Emily Ashe, NOAA Research Communications, [email protected].
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