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(Describer) Title: USGS – Science for a changing world
(Describer) Quick scenes show work at laboratories and footage of giant plumes of ash rising from a volcano.
(Describer) Waves and colors are reviewed on many computer screens. Title: Volcano Web Shorts Number 5 – Volcanic Ash Impacts
My name is Larry Mastin.
I work for the
U.S. Geological Survey
for the Volcano Hazards Program.
(Describer) He works at a computer.
My specialty is understanding
and reducing
impact from volcanic ash
during eruptions.
(Describer) Title: Ash: finely ground volcanic rock.
Volcanic ash is geographically
the most widespread hazard
of all volcanic hazards.
We know from
Eyjafjallajökull,
the Icelandic volcano
that erupted in 2010,
as well as the the 1980 eruption
of Mount St. Helens
and big eruptions
like Pinatubo,
that you can be many thousands
of kilometers away
from a volcano and still have
your life disrupted.
(Describer) It covers ground and a house like heavy snow.
The greatest hazard from ash
to airplanes
is when ash is ingested
into a jet engine.
The ash melting temperature
is usually below
the normal operating
temperature of the engine.
The ash melts and coats
the turbine blades.
It can cause the turbines
to stop.
In the United States we have
about 170 active volcanos,
mostly in Alaska
and the Aleutian Islands.
Although they're remote,
more than
about 300,000 people
fly over or near those
volcanos every day.
We have on average
one eruption per year
from the Aleutians
and Alaska
and a few
smaller eruptions.
Our objective is
to keep people safe
by avoiding that ash
and minimize
the amount of disruption
from those eruptions.
What we do in our group
is develop and test
numerical models
that track volcanic ash
and forecast where it will go
and land during an eruption.
Once we have a forecast,
we can forward them
to the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration,
where they can be fed
into a flight warning system
that can be used to either
reroute or reschedule flights
to avoid that ash.
I like developing models,
but I especially like
developing results
that have some societal value.
Funding to purchase and make
this educational production
(Describer) Titles: A production of USGS Volcano Hazards Program, USGS Office of Communications and Publishing.
Funding to purchase and make this educational program accessible was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Contact the Department of Education by telephone at 1-800-USA-LEARN, or online at www.ed.gov.
accessible was provided by the
U.S. Department of Education:
PH: 1-800-USA-LEARN (V)
or WEB: www.ed.gov.
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