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From: Gerald Ernst <plumeman2000@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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Advancing volcanology in developing countries: Update & Opportunities
Happy New Year to all !
A year or two ago, I emailed a plea to urge volcano-listservers to
consider dedicating more time toward advancing volcanology in
developing countries and especially working hand-in-hand with local
colleagues who lack expertise, basic equipment etc…
I am writing now to update you on some developments and opportunities
to contribute, as I perceive them (only my opinion; besides I am not
aware of every effort);
1. A conference took place at UPortsmouth, UK, on advances in
volcano remote sensing (VRS) and a special issue of the International
Journal of Remote Sensing, guest-edited by Richard Teeuw and myself is
virtually in press. One key focus is advances of VRS for developing
countries. Several papers are concerned with identifying low cost
solutions adapted to the difficult circumstances in developing
countries (including lack of experience with modelling hazards, lack
of computer resources, no access to high-resolution DEMs; only
potential access to freely available satellite imagery or topo data on
internet).
2. One example of contribution reports considerable advances
documenting the Oldoynio Lengai volcano in recent years. There is also
now 7 years of daily MODIS thermal data for Lengai that we have
available for analysis if anyone is interested in collaboration with
us on this (data collected by Matthieu Kervyn, UGhent). Oldoynio
Lengai has recently changed its style to episodic explosive eruptions,
potentially posing a hazard to airports in the region. Lengai does
this every few decades (last explosive phase was in 1966-1967)
although how this occurs in detail is not understood. Explosive
eruptions at OL will likely go on for several more months or possibly
for a year or two and there is an opportunity to advance understanding
of Lengai by focusing more research there. There is generally a lack
of geophysical data (eg. seismic or ground deformation) or continuous
gas monitoring data there. Recently there was an interesting volcano
tectonic event which affected an area S
of the large Gelai shield in the general Lengai direction. The link
with volcanic activity at Lengai if there is one is not clear. This
was studied in the field by a team including several scientists from
the Royal Africa Museum of Belgium.
3. Our own recent work led by Matthieu Kervyn documented events
leading to the transition from an effusive phase to an explosive phase
at Lengai. Work by our colleagues at Freiburg (Jurgis Klaudius, Joerg
Keller) led to the discovery of major debris avalanches at Lengai.
4. A special working group focused on Active Volcanism and
Continental Rifting (AVCOR) in Africa was created in late 2007
following the greatly successful AVCOR International Workshop, which
took place in Luxembourg in November 2007. If you would like to
participate in the special group activities/efforts, please contact
Nicolas d'Oreye (Natural History Museum of Luxembourg; email:
ndo@xxxxxxx). A special issue of JVGR will be produced from the AVCOR
workshop; if you would like to submit papers for inclusion in the
special issue on "active volcanism and continental rifting (focus is
Africa)', please again enquire with Nicolas d'Oreye.
5. The AVCOR workshop organisers managed to help a dozen central
African scientists to attend. About a quarter to a third of papers
were given by african scientists and more papers included African
colleagues as coworkers. In my recollection, it is the first
volcanology/rifting meeting outside Africa with such a strong direct
participation from African scientists.
6. We also learnt from Freysteinn Sigmundsson that the Icelandic
Governement will sponsor the participation of a number of colleagues
from developing countries to the IAVCEI General Assembly. If concerned
by this, please contact the IAVCEI 2008 organisers for details and
please inform your collaborators in developing countries about this
unique opportunity to get hooked with efforts in the developed
countries.
7. The biggest rifting event on record and associated eruptions
are ongoing in the East African rift (Ethiopia) and it is likely to go
on for several more years, possibly for a decade or so. A
multinational, multidisciplinary consortium has emerged under the
leadership or coordination of Tim Wright (U. Leeds, UK). Intense
studies there are already leading to significant advances in
understanding. Success of the consortium efforts there is a unique
opportunity to demonstrate that studying volcanoes and eruptions in
developing countries is widely beneficial in every way, to advance
science and to help colleagues there. Please contact Tim Wright
(t.wright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) if you would like to propose contributing
to this unique effort. As at Montserrat, there is a chance for a leap
in advance from consortium efforts.
8. Also focusing on Africa, two projects have been developed in
recent years by François Kervyn, Nicolas d'Oreye and colleagues, the
SAMAAV and GORISK. Focus is on helping monitor several active
volcanoes across central Africa. If you are interested in proposing
helping those projects, please contact Francois
(francois.kervyn.de.meerendre @ africamuseum.be) and Nicolas
(ndo@xxxxxxx). Volcanoes focused upon include Fogo (Cape Verde),
Mount Cameroon, Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira, and Oldoynio Lengai.
9. The UK SPIDER network (focused on efforts related to improving
communication during volcanic crises, crisis management and on
studying hazards at volcanoes in developing countries) has also been a
great success. A special SPIDER publication is in press. For info or
for proposing to join the "SPIDER group" to support proposing a
continuation of efforts, please contact for example Richard Teeuw
(Richard.Teeuw@xxxxxxxxxx; UPortsmouth) or Chris Kilburn
(c.kilburn@xxxxxxxxx; UCL, London).
10. At UGhent, we have been active at Mt Cameroon where we have a 5
year cooperation with the local UBuea to develop a capacity for
volcano and geohazard monitoring. 2 PhDs by local scientists are in
progress and we have started training local scientists and local
community stakeholders, in collaboration with close colleagues from
the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Belgium).
11. At UGhent, we have also started research on the Rungwe
Volcanic Province (Tanzania), where there are non-frequent but very
large hazards. There is no awareness about volcanic hazards there
because people are concerned with poverty alleviation today and can
hardly think of a distant tomorrow.
12. There and elsewhere in developing countries I suggest that it
is important to realise that volcanoes are firstly a resource, a
potential benefit that can help people come out of poverty (eg.
through harnessing of volcanic products, heat, spring water, CO2 for
making sodas, ecotourism related to the exceptional eruptions of the
past and to the exceptional geology of the volcanoes). We have come to
realise that helping people today get cash from the volcanoes for
basic needs and development is how they can become more aware of
geohazards tomorrow; besides it anchors efforts around addressing
local people's needs and applied science and development projects
articulated around immediate needs expressed by local people always
make the most sense.
13. We have also welcomed a colleague from the Geological Survey
of Peru and helped her with training on ash dispersal modelling
(thanks due to Chuck and Lisa Connor from USFlorida for their kind
assistance). In Cameroon, Tanzania, Peru, Papua New Guinea, for
example, there are significant hazards and a need for local scientists
to build their expertise and experience working on the volcanoes. To
help Simon Day (UCL, London) with his efforts advancing understanding
of very hazardous volcanoes of Papua New Guinea, please contact Simon
directly (s.day@xxxxxxxxx). For Peru, contact the Geological Survey of
Peru (INGEMMET) where 3 local scientists (eg. Lourdes Cacya) are
trying to map hazards in detail at 7 active volcanoes within few years
!
14. What we do not have at UGhent is very good analytical
facilities to analyse rocks (eg. EPMA, XRF) or date them (C14; Ar-Ar).
If you work in a lab that has good facilities and are willing to help
with our efforts in Cameroon or Tanzania, please contact me on:
plumeman2000@xxxxxxxxxxx
We will be grateful for any offer to help.
15. I wish to propose at the next IAVCEI General Assembly in
Iceland in August 2008 that a special commission be created to regroup
and focus efforts aimed at advancing volcanology and helping
colleagues in developing countries. This commission could have links
with other existing efforts such AVCOR or IGOS and future efforts such
as a continuation of the UK SPIDER Network for example. It could
clearly benefit from the experience of those volcanologists who have
already been active for many years in Central America (eg. Bill Rose,
Andy Harris, Clive Oppenheimer and others) or in Indonesia (some of
the same +VSI, USGS and collaborators) and the Philippines (PHIVOLCS,
USGS, and collaborators), notably. If you have ideas and would like to
help defend the case for such a commission or become an active
participant in it, please contact me. Focus/priority areas to start
with, could include W, C, and E Africa, PNG and Sumatra in Asia and
countries such as Peru in Latin
America, but it is open to any other suggestions.
16. Many months ago already, I was ask to represent IUGG/IAVCEI
Presidents at a meeting in Brussels with the World Bank Disaster
Management Unit. There is still an opportunity to apply for seed
funding from the World Bank to help network African volcanologists
together but I currently do not have time to help coordinate such a
proposal. If anyone would like to help take this forward, please
contact me (plumeman2000@xxxxxxxxxxx) and I can fill you in. The World
Bank was also asking for a list of all experts on specific geohazards
in the volcanological community and who are willing to be on call
during geohazard emergencies at volcanoes, basically to respond on a
24h basis to a WB call to go as an expert to help deal with a crisis
at extremely short notice. Sadly I have no time to compile such a list
in coming months; if anyone wants to follow this up, please let me
know.
17. For info, the World Bank Distaster Management Unit has
expended over 40 billion USD since 1980 on over 500 disaster
response/reconstruction projects but so far hardly any of this has
concerned prevention or indeed volcanic hazards. There is still a need
to convince the World Bank that it could save many lives and huge
heaps of money by focusing on prevention rather than response and
reconstruction. If anyone is an experienced lobbyist, there is a job
for you to convince the WB. Success there could seriously influence
the future of disaster prevention at many of the world volcanoes, eg.
considering that 0.1% of WB investment on disaster response for
geohazard prevention at volcanoes could enable to monitor a large
number of the world volcanoes that remain unmonitored.
Colleagues in developing countries often lack basic training in
volcanology, in related research and monitoring – one of the
fundamental needs I would suggest is for us to share our expertise and
inasmuch as possible our facilities for analyses with colleagues
there. Except for volcanoes where there were large recent disasters
(Ruiz, Nyiragongo, Pinatubo), most volcanoes in developing countries
lack accurate topographic maps (often even air photos cannot be
obtained), geological maps, risk maps, risk models, geophysical
surveys. Most are not continuously or systematically monitored with
the combination of seismic/ground deformation/gas monitoring
equipment. There are infinite opportunities for those who care to
contribute advancing volcanology by working on developing country
volcanoes to get involved.
Hope this may help motivate some more of you to try applying
your expertise on a volcano in a developing country, working with
local people, if you are not already doing so. My own experience is
that it is enormously rewarding both from a personal (human) and from
a professional (science) point of view.
Amities and kind regards to all,
Gerald
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Dr. Gerald GJ. ERNST, Belgian NSF Researcher, Mercator & Ortelius
Research Centre for Eruption Dynamics, Geology Department, University
of Ghent, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Email: plumeman2000@xxxxxxxxxxx
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