MENLO PARK, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Millions of people in the United States live every day with the threat of a volcano close by. If it erupts, it could be disastrous -- not only for the people on the ground, but also for the planes flying above. But a new website could help warn them both if disaster strikes.
You need Flash Player 8 or higher to view video content with the ROO Flash Player.
Click here to download and install it.
In 1989, a plane full of passengers flew into a cloud, which stalled all four engines! It's not the weather to blame, but a volcano! Ash plumes can bring down planes and send entire towns running for cover. Now, there's a new way for emergency managers and the people who live in the shadows of a volcano to know if danger is on its way.
"We're looking at about 170 that could potentially erupt," Dina Venezky, Ph.D., a geologist for the United States Geological Survey's volcano hazards program in Menlo Park, Calif., told Ivanhoe. She is launching a website combining google maps with research from around the country, to show all the volcanoes in the United States that could erupt, updating their status and providing information about possible hazards.
"Most of the volcanoes are around the ring of fire, which means that they're along the coast of the western U.S. and then heading up through Alaska," Dr. Venezky explains. The website shows not only volcanic activity, but also seismic activity and changes in the gas chemistry, which can indicate a potential eruption. The warnings are color coded. Green … everything is normal. Yellow … there is some activity. Orange … even more activity. "For Mount St. Helens, there's a dome that was growing and has paused," Dr. Venezky says.
The threat is real. Just last month gases from Kilauea in Hawaii forced two thousand people from their homes. "Kilauea in Hawaii is going through new phases of activity and so there's ash coming out; there's lava entering the ocean," Dr. Venesky explains.
Knowing when and how fierce a volcano is erupting can save thousands from lava flows, avalanches of hot volcanic debris, gas and large clouds of ash -- all potentially life-threatening. Researchers hope information at http://www.volcanoes.usgs.gov will give everyone the tools they need to be prepared on the ground and in the air.
Pilots were able to get the plane KLM 867 back on track and everyone on board was safe.
The Geophysical Union and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
The time you sit in your chair could be keeping your body’s fat burning in park! The science of how sitting can lead to diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
More than a quarter of all toddlers in the United States may be under-vaccinated, but a new tool is helping parents keep their kids' vaccines on track.
Millions of people in the United States live every day with the threat of a volcano close by, but a new website could help warn them both if disaster strikes.
Maintaining a saltwater aquarium can be an expensive hobby, but a group of young engineers have created a revolutionary pump for saltwater aquariums that may help some species thrive in captivity.
