MIn the 42 years since Mount St. Helens’ eruption over Washington in 1980 in which 57 people were killed and more than a billion dollars of property damage, the United States has seen 120 volcanic eruptions. Although none of these eruptions have been as devastating, their presence can still impact. Activities of the human mindAnd even more economiesMany hundreds of miles away. Together the The US Geological Survey has identified 161 geologically active volcanoes in 14 states and territories, a third of which constitute “high” or “very high” threats to their surrounding communities, and another 58 volcanoes nationwide Listed as being undermonitored. The agency operates five volcano monitoring stations along the west coast to keep an eye on all but the least dangerous as part of the Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program. On average, around 60 volcanoes erupt annually, as Hawaii’s Mauna Loa is doing right now.
Mauna Loa was a stalwart for 38 years. Sunday night was the first time that they woke upThis is the eighth eruption since 1843. “Lava flows are not threatening any downslope communities and all indications are that the eruption will remain in the Northeast Rift Zone,” reads Monday’s red alert update from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). “Volcanic gas and possibly fine ash and Pele’s hairYou may see them moving downwind. Residents at high risk from Mauna Loa Volcano lava flows are advised to review their preparations and refer to Hawai‘i County Civil Defense information for further guidance.” This week’s eruption is decidedly mild compared to 2018’s Kīlauea Volcano event that destroyed 700 homes and launched ash 3,000 meters into the atmosphere, Air traffic patterns were disrupted.
Although lava is the most prominent topic, volcanoes can ruin your week with fire or (literally) brimstone. Volcanic Ash can travel thousands of miles into the stratosphere before falling back to where it came from. Exacerbating chronic lung diseases like asthma or emphysema; Carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfur To suffocate those who are not careful, collect in low-lying placesThe initial explosion can also trigger seismic shifts that can lead to landslides or floods.
“Unlike many other natural disasters … volcanic eruptions can be predicted well in advance of their occurrence if adequate in-ground instrumentation is in place that allows earliest detection of unrest, providing the time needed to mitigate the worst of their effects,” David Applegate, USGS associate director for natural hazards, A House subcommittee was informed in 2017..
As Eos magazine points out, nobody died as a result of the 2018 Kīlauea eruption, in large part due to the efforts of monitors at the HVO. But, A 2018 threat assessment found that, out of the 18 volcanoes listed as “very high” threat, only three — Mauna Loa, St Helens and the Long Valley Caldera — were rated as “well monitored” when that eruption was happening.
On the same day that Kīlauea blew its top, the US Senate unanimously passed S.346Establishing the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System (NVEWS). The House of Representatives adopted its version of PL 116-9/S.47 in March. John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. Not unlike California’s new ShakeAlertThe NVEWS is an early earthquake warning system. It combines and standardizes the existing hodgepodge (Often out of dateVolcano monitoring hardware that can be used by both academic and government agencies into a unified system, “to ensure that the most hazardous volcanoes will be properly monitored well in advance of the onset of activity.”
USGS
“Improvements to volcano monitoring networks allow the USGS to detect volcanic unrest at the earliest possible stage,” Tom Murray, USGS Volcano Science Center director, said in a 2018 USGS publication. “This provides more time to issue forecasts and warnings of hazardous volcanic activity and gives at-risk communities more time to prepare.”
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sponsored the NVEWS Act. It earmarks $55 millions annually for eruption forecasts. This includes increasing partnerships with local governments, and proactive sharing of data with volcano scientists. It also seeks to increase staffing and systems — from broadband seismometers, infrasound arrays, and real-time continuous GPS receivers, to streaming webcams, satellite overwatch and volcanic gas sensors — for 24/7 volcano monitoring and establishes a grant system for furthering volcanology research.
USGS
The USGS ranks volcanic threats based on the risk they pose to public health and property — essentially how potentially destructive the volcano itself is in relation to how many people and things might be impacted when it does erupt. The USGS assigns numbers to each of these threats. 24 possible hazard or exposure factorsEach volcano’s threat score is combined to create the overall threat score. It can then be broken down into five levels (like DEFCONs!) High and Very High get the most detailed monitoring coverage because duh, Moderate threat volcanoes still receive real-time monitoring but don’t have Tommy Lee Jones is available to intervene, and Very Low (and Low) are checked as necessary. The second annual NVEWS report was submitted by the USGS to Congress in May 2022. Just under half had been spent by the USGSThe FY 2021 budget was approved with funds going to activities such as installing a net-gen. lahar detection systemMount Rainier, upgrading telemetry for over 2 dozen observation posts across Alaska, Oregon and Washington.
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