NVEWS: National Volcano Early Warning System
U.S. Volcanoes and NVEWS Targets: red – 35 highest
priority volcanoes, orange – 22 high-priority volcanoes,
small green – the other U.S. volcanoes.
The National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) is a proposed national-scale plan to ensure that volcanoes are monitored at levels commensurate to their threats. The plan was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Hazards Program (VHP) and its affiliated partners in the Consortium of U.S. Volcano Observatories (CUSVO) (http://www.cusvo.org).
Roughly half of the Nation's 169 young volcanoes are dangerous because of the manner in which they erupt and the communities within their reach. Currently, many of these volcanoes have insufficient monitoring systems (for example, seismometers and continuous GPS [Global Positioning System]), and others have outdated equipment. The NVEWS plan ensures that the most hazardous volcanoes would be properly monitored well in advance of the onset of activity, making it possible for scientists to improve the timeliness and accuracy of hazard forecasts and for citizens to take proper and timely action to reduce risk.
In addition, the NVEWS plan seeks to improve a number of capabilities of the US volcanology community through the following elements: 1) Increased partnerships with local governments and emergency responders, 2) grants to universities and other groups for cooperative research to advance volcano science, monitoring technologies, and mitigation strategies, 3) added staffing and automation to improve 24/7 monitoring of volcanoes, and 4) computer systems to distribute data to scientists, responding agencies, and the public, and to unify the systems currently used to monitor US volcanoes.
More information can be found in the documents listed below.
Top Priority Volcanoes for Improved Monitoring Networks
The overall result of the 2005 NVEWS assessment was the identification of 57 priority volcanoes undermonitored for the threats posed and thus targets for improved monitoring networks. Priority targets in this table may have changed since the 2005 assessment as incremental monitoring improvements have been made.
| Region | Highest Priority | High Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Akutan, Amak, Amukta, Augustine, Bogoslof, Cleveland, Fourpeaked, Kasatochi, Kiska, Makushin, Recheshnoi, Redoubt, Seguam, Vsevidof, Yantarni, Yunaska | Black Peak, Chiginagak, Churchill, Dana, Douglas, Dutton, Edgecumbe, Hayes, Kaguyak, Kupreanof, Spurr, Wrangell |
| Washington | Glacier Peak, Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens | Mount Adams |
| Oregon | Crater Lake, Mount Hood, Newberry, Three Sisters | |
| California | Lassen Volcanic Center, Mount Shasta | Clear Lake, Mono-Inyo Craters, Mono Lake Volcanic Field, Medicine Lake |
| Wyoming | Yellowstone | |
| Hawaii | Kilauea, Mauna Loa | Hualalai |
| Commonwealth of N. Mariana Islands | Agrigan, Alamagan, Anatahan, Asuncion, Farallon de Pajaros, Guguan, Pagan | Sarigan |
NVEWS Documents and Other Supporting Information
-
The National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS), By John Ewert, Marianne Guffanti, Peter Cervelli, and James Quick, U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-2006-3142, 2006.
- An assessment of volcanic threat and monitoring capabilities in the United States: framework for a National Volcano Early Warning System, By John W. Ewert, Marianne Guffanti, and Thomas L. Murray, USGS Open-File Report 2005-1164, 2005.
- Instrumentation Recommendations for Volcano Monitoring at U.S. Volcanoes Under the National Volcano Early Warning System, By Seth C. Moran, Jeff T. Freymueller, Richard G. LaHusen, Kenneth A. McGee, Michael P. Poland, John A. Power, David A. Schmidt, David J. Schneider, George Stephens, Cynthia A. Werner, and Randall A. White, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5114, 47 p., 2008.
- Volcano and Earthquake Monitoring Plan for the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, 2006-2015, By the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5276, 2006.
- Technical-Information Products for a National Volcano Early Warning System By Marianne Guffanti, Steven R. Brantley, Peter F. Cervelli, Christopher J. Nye, George N. Serafino, Lee Siebert, Dina Y. Venezky, and Lisa Wald, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007–1250, 2007.
- Summary of the Stakeholders Workshop to Develop a National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS), By Marianne Guffanti, William E. Scott, Carolyn L. Driedger, and John W. Ewert, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006–1224, 2006.
- Facing Tomorrow's Challenges–U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007–2017, By U.S. Geological Survey, Circular 1309, 2007.
- Chronology and References of Volcanic Eruptions and Selected Unrest in the United States, 1980-2008, By Angela K. Diefenbach, Marianne Guffanti, and John W. Ewert, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009–1118, 85 p., 2009.
- Reducing Loss of Life and Property from Disasters: A Societal Benefit Area of the Strategic Plan for U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS), By Rosalind L. Helz and John E. Gaynor, U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2007–1147, 2007
- American Association for the Advancement of Science Review of the United States Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program October 1, 2007 (pdf only)
