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From: avo-sci@xxxxxxxx
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Alaska Volcano Observatory
March 1, 2007
Dear colleagues:
It has come to our attention that as of January 1, 2007, the Federal
Unitary Enterprise State Air Traffic Management Corporation of Russia
halted financial support for the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team
(KVERT). Attempts to negotiate renewal of the annual funding agreement by
KVERT leadership have thus far failed. As a result, on March 1, KVERT will
cease issuing volcanic warnings to the aviation community.
This unfortunate event comes at a time when three volcanoes in
Kamchatka are at Color Code Orange and intermittently producing ash. For
14 years, KVERT staff and affiliated scientists have alerted regional ACCs,
MWOs, Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAACs), and numerous air carriers to
the onset of volcanic unrest. KVERT’s vigilance and volcanologic and
technical expertise has resulted in many hundreds of accurate and timely
ash cloud warnings. It is a testimony to the success of KVERT and its
international collaborations that during this time period of significant
volcanic activity in Kamchatka, we are aware of no damaging ash-aircraft
encounters among the many hundreds of thousands of flights through the
region.
We do not know official reasons for this action, which,
unfortunately, has occurred before in KVERT’s history. In response, KVERT
and AVO have alerted International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
representatives who have contacted the State Air Traffic Management
Corporation in Moscow to express concern and urge restoration of funding.
During a period of reduced KVERT operations, the Alaska Volcano
Observatory will continue its own routine, daily satellite monitoring of
Kamchatka and we will issue hazard warnings to our interagency partners to
the best of our ability. However, AVO does not have direct access to
seismic or other ground-based monitoring and observational data for Russia,
and thus warnings and notifications may not be as timely, accurate, or
complete as those routinely provided by KVERT.
Sincerely,
Thomas L. Murray
Scientist in Charge, AVO
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From: Olga A. Girina <girina@xxxxxxxxx>
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Thursday, March 01, 2007
KVERT Information:
Due to the discontinued funding of project KVERT, participants of the project from the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (IVS), the Kamchatka Branch of Geophysical Survey (KBGS) and Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), agree that from March 01 the following KVERT services are suspended:
- Assignment of volcanic activity color codes for aviation;
- Sending operational messages on activity of volcanoes of Kamchatka and Northern Kuriles to all users including Tokyo VAAC, Anchorage VAAC, and Washington VAAC
- Sending KVERT Information Releases to all users including Tokyo VAAC, Anchorage VAAC, and Washington VAAC
- Posting English and Russian versions of "KVERT Information Releases" on the official website of KVERT
- Free access to daily updates in Russian on activity of volcanoes of Kamchatka and Alaid volcano posted on the KB GS website
- Free access to MODIS images posted on the IVS web site
- Free access to NOAA satellite images posted on the KG BS web site
- Free access to web cam data for Klyuchevskoy, Sheveluch, and Bezymianny volcanoes
- Posting information on current eruptions on the IVS website
Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail: girina@xxxxxxxxx
Tel. (41522) 58627
Sergey Senyukov, KVERT, KB GS RAS
E-mail: ssl@xxxxxxxxxxx
Tel. (41522) 59523
Tom Murray, Scientist-in-Charge, AVO
E-mail: tlmurray@xxxxxxxx
Tel. 907-786-7497
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