Volcanic Ash Transport and Dispersion Modeling Overview Mt. Augustine volcanic eruption (Credit: Cyrus Read, U.S. Geological Survey) The NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL)-developed HYSPLIT model is run operationally by the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) to forecast the transport and dispersion of volcanic ash in and near the areas of responsibility of the U.S. Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC) (Anchorage, AK, and Washington, DC). The HYSPLIT forecasts are used by meteorologists at the VAAC for writing Volcanic Ash Advisories and at Meteorological Watch Offices for writing warning messages (SIGMETs), and are issued to the public and made available online such as at the NWS Aviation Weather Center. ARL conducts supporting research to improve the volcanic ash forecasts and transfers updated or new dispersion capabilities to the NWS. ARL is represented on the Working Group for Volcanic Ash of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology (OFCM), which, in part, oversees the National Volcanic Ash Operations Plan for Aviation. ARL also supports the U.S. representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) International Airways Volcano Watch Operations Group (IAVWOPSG). The main ARL volcanic ash web page contains links to:
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