Session summaries by conveners

Session 1-1: Recent developments in volcano research

     This session began with a plenary talk by Dr. Bruce Houghton discussing the diversity of volcanism and the new developments regarding understanding of various volcanic processes.  Oral sessions on Monday afternoon discussed tomographic analyses of seismic anomalies under individual volcanoes along the Japanese volcanic front and also across all of east Asia, interactions between basalts and granites in plutonic systems, numerical simulations of magma permeability, fluid dynamics of volcanic blasts, and petrologic insights on magma system recharge. Subsequent talks provided compelling evidence that high-temperature silicic lava domes are capable of developing seismogenic faults, discussed volcanic degassing processes and their implications with regard to hazards and hazard mitigation, and concluded with a study on experimental studies of the eruptive products from Unzen volcano.  Presentations on Tuesday continue to explore the diversity of volcanism by focusing on various research on pyroclastic flows, lava flows, volcano deformation, lahars, tephra falls, and the processes and physics associated with emplacements of silicic lava domes.
     The Thursday afternoon mostly focused on the description of the dynamics of eruptive phenomena as pyroclastic flow, tephra fallout, lahar, lava dome, lava flows and tsunamis. The session began with a talk by K.Kano on the analysis of pyroclastic flow dynamics by using thermo-remanent magnetization vectors. F.Maeno presented a new model of pyroclastic flow impact on sea and investigated the dynamics of associated tsunamis with specific application to the Kikai caldera, Japan. C:Bonadonna presented a review of tephra dispersal modeling and draw some conclusions on the comparative applicability of existing models. V.Manville and S.Fagents discussed lahar dynamics of the recent 2007 Ruapehu lahar by illustrating observational data and shallow-water modeling, respectively. M.Favalli presented a numerical model aimed at the definition of lava flow invasion maps and discussed its application to Mt. Etna and Nyiragongo. Finally, the sub-section included two talks on lava domes: one given by Y.Lavallee on the experimental determination of rheological properties of crystalline lavas, and the other given by K.Anderson on the investigation of effusive silicic eruptions by using a numerical model of the volcanic system. (A. Neri)

Session 1-2: Volcano observation research and eruption forecast and alert programs

     Oral presentations on Thursday and Friday included reports on developments in satellite remote sensing, including semi-automated processing of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data for deformation studies and the Ozone Mapping Instrument (OMI) for studies of pre-eruptive and eruptive degassing of sulfur dioxide.  Both presentations emphasized the goal of making these important data more easily and widely available to the volcanological community.  Recent developments in seismic, lightning detection, and infrasound monitoring techniques were also presented.  We heard about exciting early results of testing of the millimeter wave AVTIS system that can be used to track thermal and morphologic changes at volcanoes in cloudy conditions.   Recently developed instrumentation standards for monitoring in the U.S. will be described.  Case studies of recent eruptive events including the 2006 eruption Merapi, Indonesia and the 2007 eruption of Stromboli, Italy were heard, along with and account of the technology used to alert authorities of the well-forecast breakout of Ruapehu crater lake.  Reports on the effort to create the WOVOdat database of volcanic unrest and of the probabilistic forecasting system BET-EF were given.  Two talks about the challenges of providing timely information about volcanic eruptions to the aviation sector were given, and we are reminded that we might consider the large number of people in airplanes in volcanic airspace as “cities over volcanoes.” (J. Ewert)

Session 1-3: Health hazards of coexisting with active volcanoes

•    Important lessons for the treatment of casualties were obtained at Unzen and are very applicable to emergency planning at other volcanoes.
•    Workers involved in responding to volcanic crises need special occupational health and safety provision as they work long hours and are under stress.
•    The evacuation of health facilities such as hospitals presents very special problems, for example, for psychiatric patients.
•    The hazards of soil gases need to be more widely understood in volcanic areas where there are communities potentially exposed to soil CO2, radon and H2S. Persistent degassing at volcanoes can present hazards through contamination of rain water or grounding. The monitoring of so2 at Miyakejima is unique and would serve as a model for other small islands with degassing. More information and warning is needed in volcanic areas to prevent fatal accidents. H2S is the most important gas to consider.
•    River waters from volcanoes can present toxic hazards. The example of neutralisation at Kusatsu is another important model.
•    Multidisciplinary studies between volcanic modellers and mineralogists offer new innovative approaches to risk assessment for volcanic ash health hazards.
•    New mineralogical analytical methods are being developed to enhance toxicological understanding.  (C. Horwell)

Session 2-1a: Responding to Natural Disasters: Case histories with lessons for volcano crises

     The session highlighted common issues inherent in natural disaster preparation and response regardless of the type of natural crisis, technological sophistication or country wealth.  All speakers addressed the need for sound scientific understanding, hazard assessment and monitoring; pre-planning amongst responsible agencies and the communities at risk; trust among communities, scientists and public officials; and most importantly the establishment of effective communications and relationships prior to the crisis.  Although easily said, it is not.  Effective disaster preparation is a long-term, continuous commitment by all parties.  Also highlighted during the session were additional complications caused by dealing with simultaneous or by closely-spaced natural crises, underscoring the need to plan for and practice worst case scenarios. (C. Gardner)

Session 2-1b: Assessing long term volcanic hazards and risks

      The session on long-term volcanic hazard assessment included a wide-range of talks on the challenges facing volcanologists in understanding low probability, but potentially high consequence volcanic events. Papers were presented about volcanic hazard assessment for nuclear facilities, both existing and planned, and on-going volcanic hazards to urban regions, such as Manila, Barcelona, Mexico City, Naples, and Auckland, as well as hazards faced by whole regions, such as the Asia-Pacific region. Many presentations included a variety of probabilistic approaches to assessing the recurrence rates of volcanic activity, the potential magnitudes of volcanic eruptions, and the potential spatial distribution of future volcanic events. In several regions, such as the Campi Flegrei and Auckland, these probabilistic assessments are part of a comprehensive volcanic hazard assessment. The session demonstrated examples of both temporal and spatial clustering of volcanic eruptions, and the relationships of this clustering to factors such as geophysical anomalies, tectonic settings and magma production rates. Very large explosive eruptions and caldera formation represent rare but major hazards in many countries. The session highlighted the difficulties in evaluating the hazards from such events and recognising precursory signs of such eruptions. Key challenges for long-term hazards assessments include: organisation and availability of systematic data, major knowledge gaps in the developing world, and development of methodologies that are widely accepted by the volcanological community. Some of these challenges can be partly addressed by development of databases, such as in the VOGRIPA Project, and through ongoing activities of the IAVCEI Commissions on Statistics in Volcanology, WOVO and Explosive Volcanism. (T. Ui, C. Connor, S. Sparks)

Session 2-2: Impacts of volcanic activity on infrastructure and effective risk reduction strategies

     Recent volcanic unrest around the world has provided many opportunities to study, mitigate, and recover from impacts of eruptions and related hazards.  This session covered research on volcanic sedimentation and other hazardous processes, case studies of impacts, mitigation measures, and vulnerability and risk analyses. 
     Volcaniclastic sedimentation often produces lahars that alter the landscape and interfere with lifelines for many years.  As the hydrologic system adjusts to the new sediment regime and material is redistributed, lahar occurrence and intensity decreases.  Higher storm intensities suggest more severe lahar hazards in the future and utilization of meteorological data in real time is critical.  Structural mitigation, while expensive, can be effective in minimizing lahar impacts.  Ash fall impacts are often widespread and significant even in small amounts to utilities; pre-eruption evaluation of vulnerability to ash fall and preparedness planning can reduce impacts. 
     Hazard maps and emergency response plans must be updated following major volcanic events to account for new channel geometry.  Community involvement in ongoing hazard monitoring and warning systems – especially in rural areas – can be effective.  Hazard mapping and vulnerability analyses and risk assessments must be geared to the needs of local authorities, the public, and managers of utilities and other elements of infrastructure.  Interagency relationships are often complex, but must be developed to ensure effective coordination and integration of scientific information into emergency planning.  Warning and response systems require practice and attention to back up communication.  Public education is important to dispel over-reliance on engineered structures for safety.  Finally, practitioners must use care in explaining concepts of hazard and risk, and work towards a consistent terminology. (T. Neal)

Session 2-3: Long-term land use planning that mitigates volcanic risk

     In the session of "Long-term land-use planning that mitigates volcanic risk", seven oral presentations and four poster presentations were performed. Among these, it was reported that emergency response plans that had been established after the catastrophic 1980 eruption of Mount St.Helens in the United States had functioned effectively at 2004 eruption in the presentation performed by the keynote lecture. A federal government acquired private and leased lands around the volcano in immediate hazard zones based on the volcanic hazard maps, and measures to place roads and facilities outside of immediate hazard zones were executed. It was shown for such a land use and the facilities arrangement to greatly reduce potential hazard to life and the property and to have become a factor to do emergency response efforts smoothly.
     It was shown that the land-use plans were main measures to reduce the volcanic risk in other presentations. Because the volcano approaches the urban area in Japan where land- use is severe, the land-use plan including the house is necessary. In the municipality located in the foot in Mt. Usu where the eruption of 2000 was experienced, it was reported that elementary schools and hospitals, etc. had relocated to safer area based on the land-use plan based on the hazard map that had been shown in the plans for reconstruction of the area affected by volcanic activity. It was introduced to have achieved the reconstruction plan of resident conception to reproduce the residential area in which it was struck by the volcanic disaster of Mt.Unzen by raising the land. Moreover, the ideal of the support plan to rebuilding the house in which it was struck by natural disasters was proposed, and the participant's agreement was obtained. (K. Takahashi)

Session 3-1: Linkage for Reducing Volcanic Risks: Cooperation and mutual support among researchers, administrators, mass media, inhabitants, local organizations and volunteers

     Because of increasing wide recognition of this subject, the Hall C was full of attendants mostly (over 95%) from overseas. Various trials toward effective communication in higher standard were reported from many countries. Cooperative linkages not only during the crises but also under the normal condition resulted in many success stories or advances such as Tungurahua in 2006.  Hugo Yepes reported “the Tungrahua’s success was possible because scientists worked with the community and not for the community. The concept working closely scientist and community, the continual presence of scientists in the area, and their integration into the community, plus the integration of county authorities, has generated a new model of risk management in Ecuador.”  The attending Japanese journalists pointed that this statement is equivalent to the idea of home doctor in cases of the crisis managements at Mt. Unzen in 1990-1995, Mt. Iwate in 1998 and Mt. Usu in 2000. New advances were also reported for information sharing through IT technology, such as utilization of real time web in New Zealand, an effective real time Web Journalism at Miyakejima, and  U. S. Pierce County’s “Intellicast system” that allows tens thousands telephone calls to each home and business in a few minutes in case of emergency. Difficult problems were also reported: difficulty of scientific terminology such as “small pyroclastic flow” during Mt. Unzen crisis, single voice vs. second opinion, and lack of key information despite of flood. The Multinational Andean Projects: Geosciences for Andean Communities (MAP-GAC) funded by Canadian International Developing Agency provided for geo-science institutions lateral linkage of “transforming science into action”.  We asked each speaker for 15 minutes talk instead of original 20 minutes, and over 30 minutes were spent for stimulating discussions in the audience. This session may the first to show the presence of the 3 Japanese journalists long working together with volcanologists since the 1991 Unzen disaster.  (H. Okada)

Session 3-2: Education and outreach – Strategies that improve community awareness about volcanoes

In our session we discussed the importance of using many existing venues to promote an awareness of volcanic hazards.  For example, museums, schools, tourist facilities, cultural exchange programs and the Internet are effective and efficient means for reaching whole families, and for bringing information about hazards to the next generation.  New technologies, some of them interactive in nature, are increasing our opportunities to teach about geologic landscapes to large numbers of people.   We discussed the importance of local communities keeping records of volcanic eruptions and their effects.  People who have experienced volcanic eruptions should record their experiences in written accounts, photographs and videos, and in memory.  They share a duty to bring this information to the next generation.  Participants in session 3.2 and in the Outreach Exchange that followed demonstrated that when they apply their minds! to it, they can invent effective physical models that demonstrate volcanic processes.   Whatever venues are used for raising awareness about volcanoes, we should use choose our messages carefully and make the information meaningful to listeners by applying analogies to which the audience can relate.  We must not overwhelm listeners with scientific information.  Finally, it is of utmost importance that scientists, citizens, local authorities and media should work collaboratively, with complementary messages, toward a common goal of raising awareness about volcanoes. (C. Driedger)

Session 3-3: Community and Volcanism-archaeology, tradition and recovery

     This session consisted of a plenary talk and 10 further speakers covering a very wide range of subjects; from volcanoes in the mythological world to actual recovery problems from the volcanic disasters in the 21th century.
     A range of myths are known to describe volcanic eruptions directly or indirectly. Two presenting groups (Japanese and NZ)demonstrated how geological studies are being used to confirm what kind of volcanic phenomena those myths might express (or not). Other groups showed that combined volcanology and archaeological studies could demonstrate aspects of recovery from volcanic catastrophes, specifically through the cases of 5~6th century eruptions of Haruna in Japan and in the AD1362 Oraefahjokull eruption in Iceland. Archeological surveys also were described to show how dreadfully volcanic eruptions damaged a community or a family in the case of the 472 Vesuvius eruption or in late Holocene eruptions affecting the present area of Managua in Nicuragua. In the cases of the 1926 Tokachi eruption and the 1943 Showa-Shinzan eruption in Hokkaido, there were two local persons who dedicated their lives to observing and educuating on the eruption and aftermath of volcanism. The last two speeches were made by sociologists, the former discussed a series of surveys in Japan (2003-05) on how people percieve of the socio-economic impact of volcanic eruptions, and the latter explained aspects of human behavior relating to evacuation from volcanism compared to other natural hazards. (I. Kitahara)