The Alaska Volcano Observatory

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The Alaska Volcano Observatory
Fifteen years of working to mitigate the risk to
aviation from volcanic ash in the North Pacific

Tom Murray USGS - Alaska Volcano Observatory Ju
ne 2004
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
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ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY(AVO)

• 1986 Augustine Volcano erupts
• 1988 AVO founded as partnership between U.S.
  Geological Survey, University of Alaska Fairbanks
  Geophysical Institute, and the State of Alaska
  Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys
• December 14, 1989 Redoubt Volcano erupts
• December 15, 1989 A 747 flies into an ash cloud
  from Redoubt and experiences complete engine
  failure on all 4 engines before landing safely in
  Anchorage

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Expanded seismic monitoring to unmonitored
volcanoes
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Established a remote sensing group as an integral
part of the observatory
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Thermal Anomalies
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Shishaldin Volcano, Viewing Angle Affects

• The thermal anomaly was only visible in AVHRR
  imagery when viewing the crater at low zenith
  angles.

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Undertook a program of geologic studies to
determine the eruptive history and potential of
Alaskan volcanoes
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Summary Volcano Hazard Map
Akutan Volcano
AKUTAN VOLCANO
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Worked with State and Federal agencies to insure
that timely information is communicated to the
aviation community
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Coupled research and monitoring efforts to
improve our capabilities
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Worked with our Russian counterparts to insure
that information about volcanic activity in
Russia is broadly distributed
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Jet contrails off Kamchatka
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KVERT Collaboration
KVERT (?????)
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Main efforts of AVO the last 15 years

• Expanded seismic monitoring to unmonitored
  volcanoes
  
• Established a remote sensing group as an integral
  part of the observatory
  
• Undertook a program of geologic studies to
  determine the eruptive history and potential of
  Alaskan volcanoes
  
• Worked with other govt. agencies to insure that
  timely information is communicated to the
  aviation community
  
• Coupled research and monitoring efforts to
  improve our capabilities
  
• Worked with our Russian counterparts to insure
  that information about volcanic activity in
  Russia is broadly distributed