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National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System
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The '''National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System''' is a [[United States|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.
==Background==
There are 161 [[List of volcanoes in the United States|active volcanoes]] in the [[United States]], many of which are considered hazardous due to their proximity to populated areas.<ref name="hazard"></ref> 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.<ref name="tdn"></ref> Many volcanoes lack any instruments, and the seismometers at other sites are inadequate for useful analysis.<ref></ref> One of the most active volcanoes in Washington, [[Glacier Peak]], only has a single seismometer.<ref></ref> Early warnings are particularly critical for air traffic control, which needs to be made aware of ash-producing eruptions in time to [[Volcanic ash and aviation safety|reroute airplanes]].<ref></ref>
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".<ref name="threat"></ref> 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 (state)|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.<ref name="priority"></ref> 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".<ref name="earther"></ref>
==Purpose==
The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System has two purposes:<ref name="law"></ref>
*To organize, modernize, standardize, and stabilize the monitoring systems of the volcano observatories in the United States, which includes the [[Alaska Volcano Observatory]], [[California Volcano Observatory]], [[Cascades Volcano Observatory]], [[Hawaiian Volcano Observatory]], and [[Yellowstone Volcano Observatory]].
*To unify the monitoring systems of volcano observatories in the United States into a single interoperative system.
==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.<ref name="law" /> 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.<ref name="tdn" /> A watch office will be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.<ref name="law" /> In addition, the USGS will set up a grants program to support research into techniques for monitoring and analyzing volcanic activity.<ref name="earther" />
The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System was authorized $55,000,000 for fiscal years 2019 through 2023, however the funds still need to be [[United States budget process#Authorization and appropriations|appropriated]].<ref name="earther" />
==References==
==Further reading==
*[https://ift.tt/2HyzCLN Observing the Volcano World: Volcano Crisis Communication]
*[https://ift.tt/2KyjvLJ An assessment of volcanic threat and monitoring capabilities in the United States: framework for a National Volcano Early Warning System]
*[https://ift.tt/2HxtbIZ Instrumentation Recommendations for Volcano Monitoring at U.S. Volcanoes Under the National Volcano Early Warning System]
==External links==
*[https://ift.tt/2OgMjeZ Monitoring Volcanoes (National Park Service)]
==Background==
There are 161 [[List of volcanoes in the United States|active volcanoes]] in the [[United States]], many of which are considered hazardous due to their proximity to populated areas.<ref name="hazard"></ref> 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.<ref name="tdn"></ref> Many volcanoes lack any instruments, and the seismometers at other sites are inadequate for useful analysis.<ref></ref> One of the most active volcanoes in Washington, [[Glacier Peak]], only has a single seismometer.<ref></ref> Early warnings are particularly critical for air traffic control, which needs to be made aware of ash-producing eruptions in time to [[Volcanic ash and aviation safety|reroute airplanes]].<ref></ref>
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".<ref name="threat"></ref> 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 (state)|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.<ref name="priority"></ref> 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".<ref name="earther"></ref>
==Purpose==
The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System has two purposes:<ref name="law"></ref>
*To organize, modernize, standardize, and stabilize the monitoring systems of the volcano observatories in the United States, which includes the [[Alaska Volcano Observatory]], [[California Volcano Observatory]], [[Cascades Volcano Observatory]], [[Hawaiian Volcano Observatory]], and [[Yellowstone Volcano Observatory]].
*To unify the monitoring systems of volcano observatories in the United States into a single interoperative system.
==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.<ref name="law" /> 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.<ref name="tdn" /> A watch office will be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.<ref name="law" /> In addition, the USGS will set up a grants program to support research into techniques for monitoring and analyzing volcanic activity.<ref name="earther" />
The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System was authorized $55,000,000 for fiscal years 2019 through 2023, however the funds still need to be [[United States budget process#Authorization and appropriations|appropriated]].<ref name="earther" />
==References==
==Further reading==
*[https://ift.tt/2HyzCLN Observing the Volcano World: Volcano Crisis Communication]
*[https://ift.tt/2KyjvLJ An assessment of volcanic threat and monitoring capabilities in the United States: framework for a National Volcano Early Warning System]
*[https://ift.tt/2HxtbIZ Instrumentation Recommendations for Volcano Monitoring at U.S. Volcanoes Under the National Volcano Early Warning System]
==External links==
*[https://ift.tt/2OgMjeZ Monitoring Volcanoes (National Park Service)]
March 22, 2019 at 06:11AM
