(in german but some nice pics)

spring temps are also forecasted for the next few days, i wonder if its going to have some dimming effect, (probably unmeasurable).

Ron de Haan (14:08:38) :

“[...]

I wonder what’s the use is of such a sensitive seismic system!
I also wonder why it takes such a long time for AVO to make a note at the webicorder page.

We need better monitoring systems which include real time visual observation technology.”

Ron, I think you may be being unnecessarily harsh on the AVO – this is very likely a fairly small office of career civil servant technicians and field geologists mandated to keep an observational presence over Alaska’s 130 some volcanos and is typically underbudgeted and understaffed. This certainly appears to be the case based on the image galleries. Also, the field aspects of this work is extremely difficult (think Catlin without the sponsorship, and look for the pictures of the Hut reporting station :) I suspect their wish list is longer than Anthony’s blog….

Couple that with steady demands made by a dozen federal and state agencies when one of the puffers blows near a major population center, and you’ve got more work than people. I note that 24 hour manning of the AVO is NOT the norm.

During this sort of event timeline, updating things like websites of inconsequential events is likely the loser choice between sleep, lunch and demands from agencies for info on the stuff close to home”.

PFC,

Thanks for your response.
It was not my intention to be harsh on AVO.

I only argue for better real time monitoring systems.
This technology is available now and should be applied.

And why not?

Volcanic eruptions are a serious security issue for air traffic at these locations.

http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2009/30mar09/so2_gome2_anim.gif?PHPSESSID=oe7cnls8v1k5pm4chgv581i2l3

its in a story from spaceweather.com currently on the main page.. it would seem that the sulfur dioxide dispurses pretty darn nicely….

“[...]

I wonder what’s the use is of such a sensitive seismic system!
I also wonder why it takes such a long time for AVO to make a note at the webicorder page.

We need better monitoring systems which include real time visual observation technology.”

Ron, I think you may be being unnecessarily harsh on the AVO – this is very likely a fairly small office of career civil servant technicians and field geologists mandated to keep an observational presence over Alaska’s 130 some volcanos and is typically underbudgeted and understaffed. This certainly appears to be the case based on the image galleries. Also, the field aspects of this work is extremely difficult (think Catlin without the sponsorship, and look for the pictures of the Hut reporting station :) I suspect their wish list is longer than Anthony’s blog….

Couple that with steady demands made by a dozen federal and state agencies when one of the puffers blows near a major population center, and you’ve got more work than people. I note that 24 hour manning of the AVO is NOT the norm.

During this sort of event timeline, updating things like websites of inconsequential events is likely the loser choice between sleep, lunch and demands from agencies for info on the stuff close to home.

“I wonder what the difference is between the web data and their “internal data”.”

I understand the webicorder presentations are a “visual throwback” to the old chart pen recorders. I wonder if the modern digital stream from the instruments is filtered for environmental anomalies and only warns office staff for discrete events, whereas the webicorder software gets the raw stream…

I wonder what the difference is between the web data and their “internal data”.

We need more reliable monitoring systems like:
Immediate Identification of Volcanic Eruption Intensity: Promising Test of a New Monitoring System Based on Short-Term Electrostatic Field Variations at the Active Volcano Popocatepetl, Mexico
Developed by Physikalisch Vulkanologisches Labor (PVL) in Würzburg
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006AGUFM.V51A1664B

I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

I get a kick out of reading things like this. Letting the scientists know that there’s a world out there truly interested in their work; not everyone’s watching to see what some celebrity chick is (or isn’t) wearing.

I wonder what’s the use is of such a sensitive seismic system!
I also wonder why it takes such a long time for AVO to make a note at the webicorder page.

We need better monitoring systems which include real time visual observation technology.

Even a perfectly secured recorder will pick up wind noise. It might be dead calm at the site of the recorder, but if there’s a storm at sea some within 1000 km, there will be seismic noise created by a million waves.

Oh well… at least we know.