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Research focussed on understanding volcanic degassing and developing monitoring methods to forecast volcanic activity forms the basis of this impact case; this work was carried out by a group of academic staff and early-career researchers based in Cambridge. The arrival of large fluxes of sulphur-rich gases at the surface can be used to assess magma movement and forecast volcanic activity. This assessment feeds into local governmental decisions regarding risk mitigation and development planning, and the viability of commercial enterprises requiring access to volcanic areas. The development of automatic spectrometer networks for monitoring sulphur dioxide emissions was pioneered by this group. The prototype system was developed at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat and since then, the design has been patented and adopted at 20 volcano observatories worldwide.
Measurements of sulphur dioxide emissions from volcanoes provide critical evidence for forecasting eruptions. From 2001 the research team led by Clive Oppenheimer (Department of Geography, University of Cambridge: Lecturer 1994-2003; Reader 2003-12; Professor 2012-) has shown that a new technique based on UV spectroscopy can revolutionise such measurements. The approach (awarded a US patent in 2006) has since 2008 come to underpin the state-of-the-art in operational surveillance of volcanic emissions worldwide, contributing significantly to hazard assessment and emergency management at over thirty volcanoes, and helping to save lives by providing early warning. The team has trained and supported volcanologists around the world in the methodology (in Costa Rica, 2008; Java, 2010; Iceland, 2012), and has helped in collecting data during volcanic crises (e.g. Merapi, 2010), contributing to planning decisions and the safety of local populations.
The longevity of volcano impact monitoring projects is a strong argument for the involvement of citizen scientists and volunteers. Professor Rymer and colleagues have run several long-term volcano projects in collaboration with the charity Earthwatch. Over 500 citizen scientists have collected geophysical and environmental data since 2000. The work has impacted on the lives of the volunteers, who are engaged and enthused by scientific research, park wardens in Nicaragua who continue to monitor long-term SO2 release, and authorities in Costa Rica, Iceland, Italy and Nicaragua who use the citizen science data to mitigate the environmental effects of persistent volcanism.
Researchers at the University of Reading have developed and implemented ground and satellite-based techniques that improve the monitoring of impending volcanic eruptions and their aftermath. Our systems have been mainly used in collaboration with the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) and the local government civil protection committee on Montserrat. In July 2008 the early rescinding of a precautionary evacuation was made possible by these techniques, thereby minimising disruption and lost economic revenue. The deployment of a permanent, operational ground-based instrument on Montserrat provides a capability that will reassure inhabitants and the island's commercial sector of future timely warnings, thereby enhancing their quality of life and allowing companies to return to the island.
Cascade Technologies is a rapidly expanding technology company that contributes significantly to the UK economy. The company, a spin out from the Physics Department, manufactures gas sensors based on Strathclyde research that are used for environmental monitoring, security monitoring and process monitoring. From 2008 to 2013 the company has expanded to employ 50 people and sales have increased from £0.9 million to £6.4 million. From 2008 the company's products are used on a number of commercial shipping fleets to monitor emissions, and from 2010 until 2011 have been used to increase traveller safety at Glasgow airport
Impacts: I) Operational decision making during the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, including that of the UK Civil Aviation Authority to relax airspace restrictions over Europe. II) Strategic planning for future volcanic hazards, including the 2012 classification by the UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies of Icelandic volcanic eruptions as a `highest priority risk'.
Significance and reach: The relaxation of airspace restrictions over Europe affected up to ten million travellers and mitigated on-going airline industry costs of up to £130 million per day.
Underpinned by: Research into the size, frequency and dynamics of Icelandic volcanic eruptions, undertaken at the University of Edinburgh (2006 — January 2013).
The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Iceland caused prolonged closure of European airspace, costing the global airline industry an estimated $200 million per day and disrupting 10 million passengers. We have developed and tested models that predict the dispersal of volcanic ash and developed instrumentation to monitor ash clouds during flight bans and used it to test the models. Our research played a key role in establishing the need for a flight ban and in the adoption of a more flexible approach to its staged lifting as the emergency continued. It also led to increased levels of readiness and to new emergency procedures being put in place across Europe which have minimised the economic costs and human inconvenience without an unacceptable rise in the risks to passengers and crew. The new procedures safely eliminated unnecessary disruption to flights in the latter days of the crisis and during the subsequent eruption of another Icelandic volcano, Grímsvötn in 2011.
Technology developed at UoM on clouds and aerosols proved vital in deriving ash mass concentrations during the 2010 eruption of the Iceland volcano, verifying the Met Office model that was defining the airspace exclusion zone and predict ash loadings for the Civil Aviation Authority. The shutdown of airspace cost the airline industry worldwide an estimated $1.7bn, reaching $400m per day on April 19th. Reassurance provided by our verification allowed lifting of flight restrictions which had the immediate effect of re-opening airspace, relieving the impact on hundreds of thousands of people globally, leading to an estimated global saving to the industry of $10bn The approach has resulted in new long term airborne response capability at the Met Office.
Novel methods in applied physical volcanology, such as expert elicitation, and hazard and risk assessment, developed mostly during the ongoing volcanic crisis at Soufrière Hills Volcano (Montserrat), continues to inform decision making, worker and public safety, and management of administrative hazard zones that control access. These methodologies have been adopted worldwide using Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) as an exemplar by the World Organisation of Volcano Observatories (WOVO). Bristol researchers have advised on institutional programmes and informed international agencies, such as the United Nations and the World Bank, to reduce risk presented by volcanic hazards, and save lives. Such is the impact of Bristol's work at MVO it has been studied by up to nearly one million school children in the UK since 2008.
The future of the world's energy supply is a global concern, as the demands of a growing population rise and the ability to locate precious oil and gas resources becomes increasingly difficult. Researchers at the University of Glasgow have made a fundamental contribution with the development of LightTouch™ — a Shell proprietary ultrasensitive, technologically advanced gas sensing survey method. In fourteen years of cooperation with Shell, the University of Glasgow has delivered multi-million dollar savings and improved the delivery of efficient survey data, substantially decreasing the economic impact associated with unsuccessful drilling.