Volcano Hazards Program

A large source of error in SO2 emission rates derived from mobile Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) of volcanic gas plumes is the uncertainty in atmospheric light paths between the sun and the instrument, particularly under non-ideal atmospheric conditions, such as the presence of low clouds. DOAS instruments measure the SO2 column density along the effective light path, so chang

Maunaloa—the largest active volcano on Earth—erupted in 2022 after its longest known repose period (~38 years) and two decades of volcanic unrest. This eruptive hiatus at Maunaloa encompasses most of the ~35-year-long Puʻuʻōʻō eruption of neighboring Kīlauea, which ended in 2018 with a collapse of the summit caldera and an unusually voluminous (~1 km3) rift eruption. A long-term pattern of such an

Distinguishing periods of intermittent unrest from the run-up to eruption is a major challenge at volcanoes around the globe. Comparing multidisciplinary monitoring data with mineral chemistry that records the physical and spatio-temporal evolution of magmas fundamentally advances our ability to forecast eruptions. The recent eruption of Mauna Loa, Earth’s largest active volcano, provides a unique