Tag Archives: volcano

Citizen Science: In the Shadows of Volcán Tungurahua

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How Ecuadorian communities and scientists are linking up to reduce the risk of one of South America’s most active volcanoes.

Jonathan Stone: “In volcanology a great deal of research is put into the prediction of specific hazards and the needs of those affected can often be overlooked." Image credit: (Richie Robertson)

Jonathan Stone: “In volcanology a great deal of research is put into the prediction of specific hazards and the needs of those affected can often be overlooked.” Image credit: (Richie Robertson)

Jonathan Stone is a PhD researcher at the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, working in volcanology and disaster risk reduction.  His research focuses on the interactions between citizens, scientists and authorities around volcanoes, examining the effects of citizen science on these relationships. Although his background is in Geology, with an MSc in the Science of Natural Hazards, Jonathan went on to study for an MRes in Environmental Social Sciences before starting a PhD funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the British Geological Survey. This experience (expertise in) of both the natural and social sciences has lead him to work on the Strengthening Resilience in Volcanic Areas (STREVA) project.

Outside of research, Jonathan is passionate about public engagement and was one of the creators of Volcanoes Top Trumps. More recently he has been involved in producing a series of short documentaries about the societal impact of volcanoes, told by the voices of those who lived through eruptions in St Vincent, West Indies. He likes running in his spare time, being involved in his local church – and of course – climbing volcanoes. 

Seemingly unflappable, tall and with a sharp sense of humour betrayed by a cheeky grin that can’t help but make you smile, Benigno Meneces is by no means your average citizen scientist. As a farmer in the modest surroundings of the Ecuadorian Andes village Bilbao, Meneces ploughs the land by day and monitors volcano eruptions by night. He is one of 35 residents across local villages and towns in the path of Volcán Tungurahua that make up a network of volunteers, known as the ‘vigías’.

Translated as watchman, guard or sentinel, the Spanish word ‘vigía’ only partially covers the passion and enthusiasm local villagers have brought to their voluntary roles protecting their communities. Made up from locals working in agriculture, teaching and business – the volunteers are tasked with communicating observations about the volcano to scientists at the Instituto Geofísico de la Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN) and the Secretaría Nacional de Gestión de Riesgos (the Ecuadorian civil protection agency).

Tungurahua looms over the town of Baños.

Tungurahua looms over the town of Baños.

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Mexican volcano spits ash and rock

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A volcano some 60 kilometres from Mexico City has been throwing out ash and hot, glowing chunks of rock since 12–13 April.

This activity isn’t particularly unusual — Popocatépetl (whose name comes from the Aztec for ‘smoking mountain’) is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes. In 1994 it started belching again after more than 50 years of relative quiet, erupting in 1996 and 2000. The 2000 eruption was accompanied by an evacuation of 50,000 people.

“There’s not a huge danger from the present activity as it is,” says James Gardner, a volcanologist at the University of Texas at Austin, who has worked on the volcano. “But there’s good reason to keep an eye on this one.” Even small explosions can send out ash that, if the wind is right, can close Mexico City’s international airport, Gardner says. And the volcano, along with its ice cap, is capable of producing massive lahars or mud flows. The last serious eruption was 500 years ago, he says. A hazard risk map produced in 2001 by Mexican and US researchers shows that such flows could hit populated areas, but definitely not Mexico City (see here for full-size map. The blue areas are cities and towns; red and yellow are flood zones of different severity).

There is “good, capable” scientific monitoring of this volcano to keep people informed of the risk, says Gardner. Popocatépetl Volcanological Observatory was luckily founded in 1994, just a few months before it started rumbling. This includes some 15 remote field stations around the volcano, with seismometers, tiltmeters, and video cameras for real-time monitoring.

For now, local officials at the Mexican National Centre of Disaster Prevention have put out a yellow alert (their third-highest warning) for the volcano, which has about 500,000 people living in its vicinity. People are being asked to stay at least 12 kilometres away. Locals in towns where the ash is falling, including Puebla, are being told to cover their mouths and clean debris from weak rooftops to avoid building collapse.

You can find updates on global volcanic activity, including this one, through the Global Volcanism Program.

Photo: AP/Press Association Images, Map: National University of Mexico (UNAM), University at Buffalo