Addressing volcano hazards effectively entails more than doing good science. It requires ongoing and long-term conversations with communities at risk. Much of my job has involved the development and maintenance of inter-agency partnerships that are comprised of scientists, emergency officials, news media, educators, and park staffs in WA and OR.
My science career began in 1978 at the USGS—Project Office Glaciology research group in Tacoma, WA, where my first task was to oversee photogrammetry for the remapping of long-term study glaciers, as designated during the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958). During the early 1980s, I participated in a multi-faceted study of drastic recession at Alaska’s Columbia Glacier, and its hydrologic environment. By the mid-1980s, rapid thinning had commenced at some Cascade Range glaciers, and for most of a decade thereafter, I co-led a study of glacier-related floods and debris flows that ravaged regions of rapid glacier recession, principally at Mount Rainier. The May 18, 1980 catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens killed 57 people and caused more than $1 Billion in damages. Involvement in that eruption response inspired projects that assessed impacts of volcanic ash on snowmelt, and the potentially hazardous hydrologic contributions of glaciers. However, the most far-reaching impact of the eruption on me came from being present to observe and reflect upon the necessary roles of researchers as scientific investigators, and as effective communicators and advisors to public officials. This realization was a career changer. In 1995, then domiciled at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, I made a switch from scientific projects to establishing the Cascades ‘Living with a Volcano in your Backyard Outreach Program.’ Emergency managers were creating inter-agency Volcano Hazard Working Groups in volcanic areas of Washington and Oregon. Since the mid-1990s and continuing to today, these working groups prepare and exercise emergency coordination plans and address issues of pertinence to policy makers, planners and infrastructure specialists. My role has been aiding the working groups and creating venues for educating communications professionals who can disseminate hazard information efficiently through their professional communication pathways. These groups include educators, park interpreters, public information officers, and the news media. Between 2013 and 2020 a new career dimension opened with co-developing a ‘binational exchange program’, whereby groups of public officials learn about volcanically devastated or at-risk regions of Colombia and the USA through interactions with visiting professional counterparts. Some earlier career experiences have informed my career, including several years of teaching in a US public school and a private school in Kathmandu, Nepal, and working as an Interpreter at two National Park facilities. These experiences helped me to understand elements of effective science communication that are common to multiple professions. Now in status as a Scientist Emerita, I am completing writing projects that provide documentation about ongoing interagency efforts and pathways forward on behalf of volcano hazard mitigation in the Cascade Range.
Professional Experience
USGS Professional History USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, WA 1990 - present
-Urban Hazards Initiative
-Volcano hazards communications, with current focus on inter-agency partnerships and community outreach
-Mount Rainier curriculum development and ongoing teacher workshops
-Volcano Science Center Communications Work Group
USGS Washington Water Resources District Office, Tacoma, WA 1987 - 1990
-Mount Rainier debris flow studies.
USGS National Research Program Project Office - Glaciology, Tacoma, WA 1978 - 1987
-Photogrammetric remapping of IGY long-term study glaciers
-Field mapping of IGY study glaciers for glacier-climate studies
-Columbia Glacier ice-marginal and sub-glacial hydrology
-Response at Mount St. Helens eruptions
-Snowmelt-volcanic ash interactions
-Ice-radar studies at Cascade volcanoes
Education and Certifications
M.S. Shippensburg State University of Pennsylvania, 1978
B.S. Bloomsburg State University of Pennsylvania, 1975
Secondary School Teaching Credentials, 1977
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Geological Society of America (GSA)
National Association for Interpretation (NAI)
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the .Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
Chair of the Cities and Volcanoes Executive Committee, 2017-present
International Glaciological Society (IGS)
Volcano hazard interagency-working groups (Baker, Glacier Peak, Rainier, St. Helens/Adams, Hood, Central Oregon)
Honors and Awards
Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award 2023
USGS Shoemaker Lifetime Achievement Award 2016
Mount St. Helens Response Achievement Award 2005
USGS Shoemaker Communications Award 2001
National Park Service Achievement Award for promoting inter-agency cooperation 1992
Abstracts and Presentations
"Mount St. Helens Revisited: Lives Changed, Lessons Learned and Legacies of the 1980 Eruptions" June, 2021 USGS Public Lecture https://www.usgs.gov/news/state-news-release/media-advisory-mount-st-helens-revisited-live-online-public-lecture"Mount St. Helens Revisited: Lives Changed, Lessons Learned and Legacies of the 1980 Eruptions" June, 2021 USGS Public Lecture
Science and Products
lawilátɬa—Mount St. Helens—Land in transformation
Development of a volcanic risk management system at Mount St. Helens—1980 to present
Ten ways Mount St. Helens changed our world—The enduring legacy of the 1980 eruption
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory news media management guide — General protocols and templates
Living with volcano hazards
U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program—Assess, forecast, prepare, engage
Get your science used—Six guidelines to improve your products
Reducing risk from lahar hazards: Concepts, case studies, and roles for scientists
Mount St. Helens, 1980 to now—what’s going on?
Volcano crisis response at Yellowstone volcanic complex - after-action report for exercise held at Salt Lake City, Utah, November 15, 2011
Mount Rainier— Living safely with a volcano in your backyard
Geologic hazards at volcanoes
A New Perspective on Mount St. Helens - Dramatic Landform Change and Associated Hazards at the Most Active Volcano in the Cascade Range
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 28
lawilátɬa—Mount St. Helens—Land in transformation
This poster provides an overview of Mount St. Helens’ eruption history and emphasizes the continuous transformation of the volcanic landscape and its ecosystems. After each eruption, the landscape and ecosystems are not so much restored as they are morphed into new forms and patterns.AuthorsCarolyn L. Driedger, Alysa Adams, Michael A. Clynne, Kristi Cochrane, Abi Groskopf, Emma Johnson, Heather Monti, Elizabeth WestbyDevelopment of a volcanic risk management system at Mount St. Helens—1980 to present
Here, we review volcanic risk management at Mount St. Helens from the perspective of the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) experience over the four decades since its 18 May 1980 climactic eruption. Prior to 1980, volcano monitoring, multidisciplinary eruption forecasting, and interagency coordination for eruption response were new to the Cascade Range. A Mount St. Helens volcano hazards assessment hadAuthorsHeather M. Wright, Carolyn L. Driedger, John S. Pallister, Christopher G. Newhall, Michael A. Clynne, John W. EwertTen ways Mount St. Helens changed our world—The enduring legacy of the 1980 eruption
Mount St. Helens was once enjoyed for its serene beauty and was considered one of America’s most majestic volcanoes because of its perfect cone shape, similar to Japan’s beloved Mount Fuji. Nearby residents assumed that the mountain was solid and enduring. That perception changed during the early spring of 1980. Then, on May 18, 1980, following 2 months of earthquakes and small explosions, the volAuthorsCarolyn L. Driedger, Jon J. Major, John S. Pallister, Michael A. Clynne, Seth C. Moran, Elizabeth G. Westby, John W. EwertUSGS Cascades Volcano Observatory news media management guide — General protocols and templates
This guide describes general protocols and provides templates for news media management at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) and is intended for use by the CVO scientist-in-charge, communications staff, scientists, and guest communications colleagues. This public version, with CVO names and contact information removed, may be useful to other agencies developing tAuthorsCarolyn L. Driedger, Elizabeth G. WestbyLiving with volcano hazards
Volcanic eruptions are among Earth’s most dramatic and powerful agents of change. Ash, mudflows, and lava flows can devastate communities near volcanoes and cause havoc in areas far downwind, downstream, and downslope. Even when a volcano is quiet, steep volcanic slopes can collapse to become landslides, and large rocks can be hurled by powerful steam blasts. Hazardous volcanic conditions might laAuthorsWendy K. Stovall, Carolyn L. Driedger, Elizabeth G. Westby, Lisa M. FaustU.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program—Assess, forecast, prepare, engage
At least 170 volcanoes in 12 States and 2 territories have erupted in the past 12,000 years and have the potential to erupt again. Consequences of eruptions from U.S. volcanoes can extend far beyond the volcano’s immediate area. Many aspects of our daily life are vulnerable to volcano hazards, including air travel, regional power generation and transmission infrastructure, interstate transportatioAuthorsWendy K. Stovall, Aleeza M. Wilkins, Charlie Mandeville, Carolyn L. DriedgerGet your science used—Six guidelines to improve your products
Introduction Natural scientists, like many other experts, face challenges when communicating to people outside their fields of expertise. This is especially true when they try to communicate to those whose background, knowledge, and experience are far distant from that field of expertise. At a recent workshop, experts in risk communication offered insights into the communication challenges of probAuthorsSuzanne C. Perry, Michael L. Blanpied, Erin R. Burkett, Nnenia M. Campbell, Anders Carlson, Dale A. Cox, Carolyn L. Driedger, David P. Eisenman, Katherine T. Fox-Glassman, Sherry Hoffman, Susanna M. Hoffman, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Lucile M. Jones, Nicolas Luco, Sabine M. Marx, Sean M. McGowan, Dennis S. Mileti, Morgan P. Moschetti, David Ozman, Elizabeth Pastor, Mark D. Petersen, Keith A. Porter, David W. Ramsey, Liesel A. Ritchie, Jessica K. Fitzpatrick, Kenneth S. Rukstales, Timothy L. Sellnow, Wendy L. Vaughon, David J. Wald, Lisa A. Wald, Anne Wein, Christina ZarcadoolasReducing risk from lahar hazards: Concepts, case studies, and roles for scientists
Lahars are rapid flows of mud-rock slurries that can occur without warning and catastrophically impact areas more than 100 km downstream of source volcanoes. Strategies to mitigate the potential for damage or loss from lahars fall into four basic categories: (1) avoidance of lahar hazards through land-use planning; (2) modification of lahar hazards through engineered protection structures; (3) lahAuthorsThomas C. Pierson, Nathan J. Wood, Carolyn L. DriedgerMount St. Helens, 1980 to now—what’s going on?
Mount St. Helens seized the world’s attention in 1980 when the largest historical landslide on Earth and a powerful explosive eruption reshaped the volcano, created its distinctive crater, and dramatically modified the surrounding landscape. An enormous lava dome grew episodically in the crater until 1986, when the volcano became relatively quiet. A new glacier grew in the crater, wrapping aroundAuthorsDaniel Dzurisin, Carolyn L. Driedger, Lisa M. FaustVolcano crisis response at Yellowstone volcanic complex - after-action report for exercise held at Salt Lake City, Utah, November 15, 2011
A functional tabletop exercise was run on November 14-15, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to test crisis response capabilities, communication protocols, and decision-making by the staff of the multi-agency Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) as they reacted to a hypothetical exercise scenario of accelerating volcanic unrest at the Yellowstone caldera. The exercise simulated a rapid build-up of seiAuthorsThomas C. Pierson, Carolyn L. Driedger, Robert I. TillingMount Rainier— Living safely with a volcano in your backyard
Majestic Mount Rainier soars almost 3 miles (14,410 feet) above sea level and looms over the expanding suburbs of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. Each year almost two million visitors come to Mount Rainier National Park to admire the volcano and its glaciers, alpine meadows, and forested ridges. However, the volcano's beauty is deceptive - U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research shows that Mount RaAuthorsCarolyn L. Driedger, William E. ScottGeologic hazards at volcanoes
Most volcano hazards are associated with eruptions. However, some hazards, such as lahars and debris avalanches, can occur even when a volcano is not erupting.AuthorsBobbie Myers, Carolyn L. Driedger - Maps
A New Perspective on Mount St. Helens - Dramatic Landform Change and Associated Hazards at the Most Active Volcano in the Cascade Range
Mount St. Helens has erupted more frequently than any other volcano in the Cascade Range during the past 4,000 years. The volcano has exhibited a variety of eruption styles?explosive eruptions of pumice and ash, slow but continuous extrusions of viscous lava, and eruptions of fluid lava. Evidence of the volcano?s older eruptions is recorded in the rocks that build and the deposits that flank the m - Multimedia
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government