National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System

File:Augustine Volcano Jan 12 2006 edited-1.jpg

There are 169 young volcanoes in the United States, many of which are considered hazardous due to their proximity to populated areas.{{cite web |title=National Volcano Early Warning System - monitoring volcanoes according to their threat |url=https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/nvews.html |website=USGS |accessdate=21 March 2019}} 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.{{cite web |last1=McClatchy |first1=Julianna Rennie |title=More than one-third of US volcanoes are under-monitored. Congress is noticing |url=https://tdn.com/news/state-and-regional/more-than-one-third-of-us-volcanoes-are-under-monitored/article_5a03f236-db1a-5585-9260-2118140a70f6.html |website=The Daily News |date=16 March 2019 |accessdate=21 March 2019}} Many volcanoes lack any instruments, and the seismometers at other sites are inadequate for useful analysis.{{cite web |last1=LaFrance |first1=Adrienne |title=The Scary State of Volcano Monitoring in the United States |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/02/the-scary-state-of-volcano-monitoring-in-the-united-states/518124/ |website=The Atlantic |date=28 February 2017 |accessdate=21 March 2019}} One of the most active volcanoes in Washington, Glacier Peak, only has a single seismometer.{{cite magazine |last1=Klemetti |first1=Eric |title=The US Needs to Seriously Beef Up Its Volcano Monitoring |url=https://www.wired.com/2017/02/us-needs-strengthen-volcano-monitoring/ |magazine=Wired |accessdate=21 March 2019}} Improved monitoring capabilities can provide more timely warnings for evacuations and emergency response coordination, and mitigate the impacts of the travel disruptions.{{cite web |last1=Ross |first1=Erin |title=Scientists Getting New Tools To Monitor The Northwest's Volcanoes |url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/northwest-volcanoes-early-warning-system/ |website=Oregon Public Broadcasting |accessdate=22 March 2019}} Early warnings are particularly critical for air traffic control, which needs to be made aware of ash-producing eruptions in time to reroute airplanes.{{cite web |title=USGS Creates Framework For National Volcano Early Warning System |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050619200305.htm |website=Science Daily |accessdate=21 March 2019}}

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".{{cite journal |last1=Ewert |first1=John W. |last2=Diefenbach |first2=Angela K |last3=Ramsey |first3=David W. |title=2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment |url=https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sir20185140 |website=U.S. Geological Survey |series=Scientific Investigations Report |date=2018 |doi=10.3133/sir20185140 |accessdate=21 March 2019|doi-access=free }} 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, 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.{{cite web |title=National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Legislation in the 116th Congress |url=https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IN10898.html |website=Congressional Research Service Reports |accessdate=21 March 2019}} 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”.{{cite web |last1=Andrews |first1=Robin George |title=The U.S. May Finally Get an Early Warning System For Volcanoes |url=https://earther.gizmodo.com/the-u-s-may-finally-get-an-early-warning-system-for-vo-1832931640 |website=Gizmodo: Earther |date=27 February 2019 |accessdate=21 March 2019}} As of 2018, only three "very high risk" volcanoes are categorized as "well monitored": Kilauea, Mount St. Helens, and Long Valley Caldera.{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Forrest |title=National Volcano Warning System Gains Steam |url=https://eos.org/articles/national-volcano-warning-system-gains-steam |website=Earth & Space Science News |date=23 April 2019 |accessdate=24 April 2019}}

The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System has two purposes:{{cite web |title=John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/s47/BILLS-116s47enr.pdf |website=Congress.gov |accessdate=21 March 2019}}

• 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".

The USGS must submit a five-year plan for monitoring all U.S. volcanoes at a level commensurate with the threat posed by each. 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. A watch office will be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, the USGS will set up a grants program to support research into techniques for monitoring and analyzing volcanic activity.

The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System was authorized $55,000,000 for fiscal years 2019 through 2023, however the funds were not immediately appropriated. Final appropriations for fiscal year 2021 provided $30 million to the Volcano Hazards Program, which includes the warning and monitoring system.{{cite web | title=Final FY21 Appropriations: U.S. Geological Survey | website=American Institute of Physics | date=February 10, 2021 | url=https://www.aip.org/fyi/2021/final-fy21-appropriations-us-geological-survey | access-date=February 13, 2021}}

In April, 2022, the USGS released its Volcano Hazards Program Strategic Science Plan for the five-year period from 2022 to 2026.{{cite press release | website=USGS | url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/usgs-releases-five-year-nationwide-strategic-plan-volcano-hazards | title=USGS Releases Five-year Nationwide Strategic Plan for Volcano Hazards | date=April 27, 2022 | access-date=April 27, 2022}}

As of June, 2022, the USGS had spent approximately $13.5 million on foundational activities for the volcano monitoring system, including a next-generation lahar detection system on Mt. Rainier, upgrading telemetry in Alaska for 27 volcano stations, improving monitoring networks in Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii.{{cite web | website=Congressional Research Service | title=The National Volcano Early Warning System | date=June 13, 2022 | url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11987/6 | access-date=November 29, 2022}} In the fiscal year 2023 budget, Congress increased the funding of the system to over $18 million and also included $29 million from a separate account to replace the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.{{cite web | title=FY23 Budget Outcomes: US Geological Survey | website=American Institute of Physics | date=2023-03-08 | url=https://www.aip.org/fyi/2023/fy23-budget-outcomes-us-geological-survey | access-date=2023-03-10}}

• United States Geological Survey National Volcanic Threat Assessment

{{reflist}}

• [https://books.google.com/books?id=fgFkDwAAQBAJ&q=National+Volcano+Early+Warning+and+Monitoring+System Observing the Volcano World: Volcano Crisis Communication]
• [https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1164/2005-1164.pdf An assessment of volcanic threat and monitoring capabilities in the United States: framework for a National Volcano Early Warning System]
• [https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5114/sir2008-5114.pdf Instrumentation Recommendations for Volcano Monitoring at U.S. Volcanoes Under the National Volcano Early Warning System]

• [https://www.nps.gov/articles/volcano-monitoring.htm Monitoring Volcanoes (National Park Service)]

Category:Volcanology

Category:United States Geological Survey

Category:Volcano monitoring