|
 Explosive
volcanic eruptions pose both short-term and long-term hazards. Lava
flows and lahars can wipe out the flanks of mountainsides. Volcanic
ash can blanket the landscape for miles, and ash clouds can disrupt
aircraft travel, such as the incident in 1989 when ash from Alaska's
Redoubt volcano temporarily disabled a passenger airplane. On longer
time scales, eruptions can inject massive quantities of ash into
the atmosphere, greatly reducing the solar heating of the Earth
and potentially interrupting the global food supply for several
years.
In
1991, mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted, and strong winds
spread the aerosol particles from the plume around the globe. The
result was a measurable cooling of the Earth's surface for a period
of almost two years. The role of natural hazards research and developing
applications to mitigate the effects of disasters has global implications
for reducing loss and saving lives.
Expected
Accomplishments:
- Global
inventory of active volcanoes
- Volcanic
activity warning system
- Further
define the relationship between deformation, seismicity, intrusions,
and eruptions
- Forecasting
of volcanic activity on progressively longer timescales
Practical
Benefit to Society:
- Hazard
mitigation due to improved volcanic activity warnings
- Advanced
planning for effects on populations near volcanically active regions
- Detection
of ash and plume products for warnings for airline industry
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