What is the Alaska Volcano Observatory?

Explosive eruptions from Alaska's more than 40 active volcanoes pose a significant and recurring threat to communities, commerce, and aircraft in the north Pacific. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) was established in 1988 to carry out volcano monitoring, eruption notification, volcanic hazard assessments, and volcano research in Alaska. Effective notifications and advanced warnings during the 1989-90 eruptions of Redoubt and the 1992 eruptions of Spurr increased public safety and helped minimize the impact of these events.