USGS wants better volcano watch

WASHINGTON – While Mount St. Helens and Kilauea generate the most attention, many other volcanoes in the United States have little or no regular monitoring and need to be watched for potential eruptions, a new report warns.

The U.S. Geological Survey said Friday that monitoring gaps exist for volcanoes in Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Wyoming and the Northern Mariana Islands that could pose a hazard both on the ground and to aviation.

The report reviews the hazard of 169 volcanoes in the United States and its territories and calls for a 24-hour, seven-day Volcano Watch Office and increased monitoring at many of the peaks.

“We cannot afford to wait until a hazardous volcano begins to erupt before deploying a modern monitoring effort. The consequences put property and people at risk including volcano scientists on site and pilots and passengers in the air,” said Survey Director Chip Groat.

“It forces citizens, scientists, civil and aviation authorities, and businesses into playing catch up with a dangerous volcano, a risky game indeed,” he said.

Monitoring volcanoes in advance of problems is essential to help develop emergency response plans to keep communities safe, he said.

“We nearly lost a fully loaded Boeing 747 to volcanic ash cloud in Alaska in 1989,” Capt. Ed Miller of the Air Line Pilots Association said in a statement.

Flying into a cloud of volcanic ash can cause jet engines to fail. Many flights every day pass over volcanic areas.

In addition to the top priorities, the report said 21 under-monitored volcanoes in Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Alaska, the Marianas and Wyoming are also important targets for monitoring.