Abstract
Eruptive column models are powerful tools for investigating the transport of volcanic gas and ash, reconstructing past explosive eruptions, and simulating future hazards. However, the evaluation of these models is challenging as it requires independent estimates of the main model inputs (e.g. mass eruption rate) and outputs (e.g. column height). There exists no database of independently estimated eruption source parameters (ESPs) that is extensive, standardized, maintained, and consensus-based. This paper introduces the Independent Volcanic Eruption Source Parameter Archive (IVESPA, ivespa.co.uk), a community effort endorsed by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) Commission on Tephra Hazard Modelling. We compiled data for 134 explosive eruptive events, spanning the 1902-2016 period, with independent estimates of: i) total erupted mass of fall deposits; ii) duration; iii) eruption column height; and iv) atmospheric conditions. Crucially, we distinguish plume top versus umbrella spreading height, and the height of ash versus sulphur dioxide injection. All parameter values provided have been vetted independently by at least two experts. Uncertainties are quantified systematically, including flags to describe the degree of interpretation of the literature required for each estimate. IVESPA also includes a range of additional parameters such as total grain size distribution, eruption style, morphology of the plume (weak versus strong), and mass contribution from pyroclastic density currents, where available. We discuss the future developments and potential applications of IVESPA and make recommendations for reporting ESPs to maximize their usability across different applications. IVESPA covers an unprecedented range of ESPs and can therefore be used to evaluate and develop eruptive column models across a wide range of conditions using a standardized dataset.
Highlights
IntroductionEruptive column models: key tools for linking eruption source parameters and characterizing explosive volcanic plume dynamics
With no other contextual information available, each data contributors” (DCs) had to interpret or guess the following information: i) Is the value quoted a.v.l. or a.s.l.? ii) Is the value quoted most representative of the ash top height or ash umbrella height? iii) How high does “over 10, 000 m” mean? iv) Is the height quoted more representative of the maximum reached during the eruption or of a time-averaged value, which is what we aim to provide in Independent Volcanic Eruption Source Parameter Archive (IVESPA)? Given these considerations the range of values proposed by DCs can be regarded as low, and we settled for an ash top height value of 12±5 km a.s.l. with a flag 1 for the best estimate and 2 for the uncertainty
IVESPA has been endorsed by the IAVCEI commission on Tephra Hazard Modelling (THM) and is supported by the British Geological Survey which hosts the database website
Summary
Eruptive column models: key tools for linking eruption source parameters and characterizing explosive volcanic plume dynamics. Settle, 1978; Wilson et al, 1978; Sparks et al, 1997a; Mastin et al, 2009) relationships linking the mass eruption rate (MER), and the column height. These scaling relationships, sometimes referred to as 0th order relationships or 0D ECMs, have become popular tools due to their simplicity. The value of ECMs has become apparent during the 21st century due to an increased use of volcanic ash transport and dispersion models (VATDMs) to forecast the dispersion of ash clouds in the atmosphere and ash deposition on the ground. 1D ECMs are being coupled with VATDMs used in operational response to forecast ash dispersion (e.g. Bursik et al, 2012)
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