Redoubt Update: March 31, 2009

Redoubt Activity – Color Code RED : Alert Level WARNING

Date Time :  March 31, 2009 1330 UTC/ March 31, 2009 0530 AKDT

On 2009-03-31 at 05:28:55 AKDT AVO reported:

Seismicity at the volcano has been low, but remains above background level. Weak tremor and small discrete earthquakes have been observed in the past hour.

Latest Images from AVO

Photograph of impact from the volcanic ash fall out in Nikiski, AK from Redoubt volcano. This plume was generated during the March 28, 15:29 AKDT, 2009 event, and ash fall began at approximately 16:16 AKDT and lasted maybe 5 minutes. Fine ash is resuspended as vehicles drive over the recently deposited ash fall deposit. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 16:45:00 AKDT. Image Creator:  Kristi Wallace. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS. [Image added March31, 2009]

Photograph of Redoubt Volcano in eruption taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. View is to the east. Continuous emission of volcanic gas, water vapor, and ash is producing a plume rising to about 15,000 feet above sea level. The haze at left below the drifting cloud is a region of active ash fall. AVO scientists observed ash falling up to 25 miles downwind. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT. Image Creator: Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS. [Image added March31, 2009]

Photograph taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. Looking east / southeast down into the upper crater rim of Redoubt Volcano.
Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT. Image Creator:  Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT. Image Creator: Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT. Image Creator: Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT. Image Creator: Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT.  Looking at the north flank of Redoubt Volcano. Image Creator: Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT. Image Creator: Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT. Looking east at Redoubt Volcano. Image Creator: Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation and gas data collection flight on March 30, 2009. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 AKDT.  Looking at the north flank of Redoubt Volcano. Image Creator: Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

BSE image showing groundmass, with glass, plagioclase, pyroxene, and oxide microlites. The scale bar is absent here, but the image was collected at 400 X, compared with 100 X from image 17485 [SEE BELOW.]  Picture Date: March 30, 2009. Image Creator: Jessica Larsen.  Image courtesy of the AVO/UAF-GI.

BSE image showing amphibole grain with reaction rim in sample AT-1605. Image Creator: Jessica Larsen.  Image courtesy of the AVO/UAF-GI.

Redoubt 15:29 eruption, 3/28/2009. Picture Date: March 28, 2009 AKDT. Image Creator: Tricia Joy Sadler. Image courtesy of the photographer.

Photograph of lightning from Redoubt’s 1:20 am March 28 eruption, courtesy of Bretwood Higman. Picture Date: March 28, 2009. Image Creator: Bretwood Higman. Image courtesy of Bretwood Higman.

For background information and selection of previous images see:

• Redoubt Volcano Erupts Explosively

• Redoubt Volcano: Recent Images
• Redoubt Erupts
• More Redoubt images

Finnish Oil Spill Threatens Baltic Coast

Naantali Oil Spill Spoils Åland Islands

Oil from Sunday’s spill near Naantali, south-western Finland, has drifted as far as the Åland Islands. Officials suspect that it leaked from one or more ships. Image: YLE Uutisgrafiikka. Image may be subject to copyright.

Location Map. Image credit: For licensing details click here.

A long slick of light fuel oil extending for more than 100km has been detected off southwestern Finland in the Baltic archipelago, according to officials.

It’s believed that ship traffic was the likely source of the spill because of the  slick’s location which in shipping lanes stretching from the port of Naantali to the Åland Islands.

“The oil is in the ice, but it has not hit shore yet,” Reijo Salminen, a local fire brigade chief, said.

he added that the oil sightings began in Naantali and ran parallel to a shipping lane to Ledsund, located south of the Åland Islands,  local media reported.

“The oil that found its way into the sea is either fuel oil or diesel oil. It floats on the surface and evaporates quickly, therefore not contaminating sites as badly as heavy oil does,” he added.

Related New Links:

• Large fuel oil spill found in Finnish archipelago
• Åland Islands Affected by Naantali Oil Spill

Fargo Flooding Foregone?

Image of the Day

Nature’s Sense of Humor: Ice, Snow and Water

An aerial view shows a vehicle at a crossroad as snow, ice, and water from overland flooding make county roads nearly impassable south of Fargo, North Dakota March 29, 2009. REUTERS/Allen Fredrickson. Image may be subject to copyright.

Fargo Flood Highlights:

• A Red River dike failed early  Sunday swamping Oak Grove Lutheran School in Fargo.
• Hundreds of National Guards,  residents and volunteers have been building and reinforcing all types of floodwalls around the city.
• The river edged lower to about 40 feet at 2:15 pm CDT on Sunday, down from a record of nearly 41 feet on Saturday.
• At least two deaths and 50 flood-related injuries have been reported so far.
• The North Dakota flood has damaged 215 homes and destroyed five in the state.
• About 430 people were evacuated under  orders. More than 2,000 elderly and disabled people were also evacuated from nursing homes and similar facilities, including 88 disabled children from a center in Jamestown, North Dakota, Reuters reported.
• The temperature in Fargo dropped to  minus 1 Celsius (31 degrees F) on Sunday.
• Large snowmelt expected to start by Wednesday.
• The National Weather Service forecast 15 – 30 cm of snow for the Fargo area by Tuesday.
• Higher winds could damage floodwalls.
• Red River is expected to crest at 51 feet in Grand Forks, North Dakota, by Thursday, NWS said.

Related Links:

• North Dakota Floods

Images of the Day: Tonga Islands Grow Larger

New Landmass Formed by Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Eruption

Submarine Eruption in the Tonga Islands

Image acquired March 26, 2009

Image acquired November 14, 2006

In mid-March 2009, a plume of ash and gas burst out of the ocean as an undersea volcano began to erupt in the South Pacific nation of Tonga. Small sections of the rim of the large undersea volcano had been above water, forming the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha’apai. The eruption occurred at two vents, one submerged and the other on Hunga Ha’apai. The eruption pumped out enough rock and ash that by March 25, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the top image, the submerged vent was surrounded by new land.

The new land is the dark mass south of Hunga Ha’apai. It had not been present when ASTER acquired the lower image on November 14, 2006. In the March 25 image, clouds cover the space between the new land and Hunga Ha’apai, but news reports indicate that the new land connects Hunga Ha’apai with the underwater vent, essentially enlarging the small island. The vent itself is the nearly perfect circular hole near the southern edge of the new land.

The image reveals some of the other impacts of the eruption. The ocean around the erupting volcano is bright blue, likely colored with ash, rock, and other volcanic debris. The eruption also killed or damaged plants on Hunga Ha’apai. In these false-color images, plant-covered land is red. In 2006, Hunga Ha’apai had supported vegetation, but after the eruption, the island was black. Either the plants were buried in ash or dead in the wake of the eruption. According to a visiting reporter, the eruption destroyed plant and birdlife on the island, leaving blackened tree stumps and dead birds and fish.

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Holli Riebeek.Instrument: Terra – ASTER

Related and Possibly Related Links:

• Weekly Volcano Watch: 26 March 2009
• Hunga Ha’apai Volcano Update
• Magnitude 7.9 Quake Strikes Tonga Region
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 19 March 2009
• Rumble III Volcano “blew its top!”
• Tonga’s Metis Shoal may be erupting
• Magnitude 7 Earthquake Hits Kermadec Islands

Redoubt Volcano Erupts Explosively

Published at: March 28, 2009 06:05 UTC (March 27, 2009 22:05 AKDT)

Redoubt Volcano Latest Observations (Source: AVO)

2009-03-27 21:55:58 AKDT
At 19:25 AKDT March 27, 2009 (3:25 UTC March 28) an explosive eruption occurred at Redoubt volcano. National Weather Service reports an ash cloud height of about 51,000 feet above sea level. This follows closely behind the eruption that occurred at approximately 17:35 AKDT (01:35 UTC) that sent ash to an estimated height of 40,000 feet above sea level.
See the National Weather Service Redoubt Coordination Page for any ash fall advisories: http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/volcano.php

For background information and selection of previous images see:

• Redoubt Volcano: Recent Images
• Redoubt Erupts
• More Redoubt images

For Latest Images see below:

Photograph of impact from the volcanic ash fall out in Nikiski, AK from Redoubt volcano. This plume was generated during the March 28, 15:29 AKDT, 2009 event, and ash fall began at approximately 16:16 AKDT and lasted maybe 5 minutes. Fine ash is resuspended as vehicles drive over the recently deposited ash fall deposit. Picture Date: March 30, 2009 16:45:00 AKDT. Image Creator:  Kristi Wallace. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph of Redoubt’s March 27, 19:25 eruption cloud, as seen from near Homer. Photograph courtesy of Dennis Anderson. Picture Date: March 27, 2009 19:57:00. Image Creator: Dennis Anderson. Image courtesy of Dennis Anderson (via AVO)  http://www.auroradude.com

Photograph taken during oberservation / gas collection flight to Redoubt Volcano on March 26, 2009. Image Creator: Tina Neal. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Ash cloud seen in the geostationary MTSAT data, courtesy of the National Weather Service, processed by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison . We are at the extreme edge of the view for the satellite which is over the equator in Asia. Picture Date: March 26, 2009 17:30:00 UTC. Image Creator: Jonathan Dehn. Image courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Redoubt volcano viewed from the south over the ash-covered Crescent River Valley. Picture Date: March 26, 2009 17:18:45 AKDT. Image Creator: Game McGimsey. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

View northeast over the piedmont lobe of the Drift Glacier and down the Drift River valley showing the effects of flooding caused by eruptions of Redoubt volcano earlier in the day. Picture Date: March 26, 2009 17:29:02 AKDT. Image Creator: Game McGimsey. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation / gas collection flight to Redoubt Volcano on March 26, 2009. Picture Date: March 26, 2009. Image Creator: Tina Neal. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph taken during observation / gas collection flight to Redoubt Volcano on March 26, 2009. Picture Date: March 26, 2009. Image Creator: Tina Neal. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

View west across Drift River of small eruption cloud over Redoubt volcano. Picture Date: March 26, 2009 16:08:16 AKDT. Image Creator: Game McGimsey. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Photograph of Redoubt’s ash cloud, taken on the morning of Thursday, March 26, 2009, by Robert Cole, Peninsula Airways pilot. Image courtesy of Robert Cole and PenAir.

View of the ash-covered lower Crescent River Valley. Picture Date: March 26, 2009 17:17:25 AKDT. Image Creator: Game McGimsey. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

OMI sulfur dioxide satellite image from the March 23 2009 eruptive events at Redoubt volcano. Colors represent relative amount of gas with dark orange/red being the highest and blue/purple the lowest. This is from combining 2 OMI orbits for March 23 2009. AURA/OMI: 03/23/2009 20:43 – 22:34 UTC, SO2 mass: 42.152 kt; Area: 285,359 km2, SO2 max: 58.87 DU at Lon: -149.05, Lat: 61.58. These data are from NASA’s EOS-Aura satellite and its Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), courtesy of Dr. Simon Carn, Michigan Technology University. Picture Date: March 25, 2009.

Photograph of ash fall at Homestead Lodge, about 35 miles south of Redoubt, on the western side of Cook Inlet. View is of the backyard, with ash. Picture Date: March 26, 2009. Image Creator: James Isaak. Image courtesy of the photographer.

SEM image of ash particles erupted by Redoubt volcano on March 22, 2009. The ash sample was collected during the ashfall in Healy, Alaska by Pavel Izbekov on March 23, 2009. The image was acquired by Pavel Izbekov and Jill Shipman using ISI-50 Scanning Electron Microscope at the Advanced Instrumentation Laboratory, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Picture Date: March 24, 2009. Image Creator: Pavel Izbekov.  Jill Shipman. Image courtesy of the AVO/UAF-GI.

Related Links and volcano entries for March 2009:

• 60 pct Chance Redoubt May Erupt
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 26 March 2009
• Redoubt Volcano: Recent Images
• Redoubt Erupts

• Hunga Ha’apai Volcano Update
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 19 March 2009
• Rumble III Volcano “blew its top!”
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 12 March 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 5 March 2009 [Take 2]

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• Possible Thule Eruption Disasterous for Antarctic Ice

Indonesian Dam Burst Killing Dozens of People

Indonesian Dam Burst floods hundreds of homes, with 150 people killed or missing

A “horrifying” tsunami-like wave of water about 4m (13ft) high submerged hundreds of homes, with an estimated 150 people killed or missing in the suburb of Cirendeu in the Tangerang district near Jakarta, capital of Indonesia.

“This disaster happened so suddenly,” Danang Susanto, an official with the health ministry’s crisis centre, told AFP. “Because people were sleeping they couldn’t get away.”

It’s believed the death toll would rise because  many houses remained submerged; about 100 people are reportedly missing.

“The dam burst happened at 2:00am (1900 UTC, March 26, 2009) but before that there was heavy rain and wind, many trees were uprooted,” he added.

“Many people are still trapped and the rescue is ongoing. We’ve sent out 10 rubber boats to evacuate the victims.”

The 10-meter-high dam, built on the Pesanggrahan river, held about 2 million cubic meter of water and was more than 100 years old,  according to a city official.

A dam burst its banks near Jakarta, sending tsunami-like waves of muddy water crashing into a suburb of the Indonesian capital. Image AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

Rescuers carry a flood victims on the outskirts of Jakarta where a dam burst killing up to 150 people and flooding hundreds of houses. REUTERS/Dadang Tri. Image may be subject to copyright.

Crowded suburb of Jakarta reduced to a pile of ruble and buried in mud. Up to a 150 people  are feared dead. Image AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

A dam burst on the outskirts of Jakarta, with up to 150 people killed or missing. Image AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

North Dakota Floods

Red River in Fargo, N.D. may see a 12.5m (41-ft) crest by Saturday breaking an all-time record by 0.3m set in 1897.

US President Obama has declared North Dakota a federal disaster area because of record flooding across the state.

Source: NWC/NOAA

About 20,000 volunteers and 1,000 national guards are bagging sand for levees. More than 1.5 million bags have been filled so far, a report said.

More than a thousand students and residents of Fargo gather at the Fargodome on Monday evening to make sandbags around the clock to help prevent the nearby Red River from flooding. Photo By Garrett Hubbard, USA TODAY. Image may be subject to copyright.

North Dakota and Minnesota are preparing for the worst flooding in more than 100 years, affecting farmer decision to plant wheat this spring.

The U.S. Agriculture Department predicts about ½ million hectares (~ 1 million acres) acres in North Dakota will go unseeded this spring, half of which is due to the flooding and the other half prompted by lower wheat prices.

The North Dakota Wheat Commission had already expected wheat plantings from  North Dakota, as well as Minnesota, Montana  and South Dakota to fall by about 5 percent from 5.2  million in 2008 to under 5 million hectares this year.

“Producers want to grow a crop, that’s how they generate their income, but if you just perpetually get stuck all the time or you mud a crop in … it’s like playing in the mud when you’re a kid. It gets hard and packed and pretty poor (for) germination.” Said Jim Peterson, marketing director of the farmer-run N.D. Wheat Commission.

“Western North Dakota, out of the reach of the Red River, is also fighting floods because of ice jams on the Missouri River. The number of residents forced to evacuate statewide was not available on Thursday.” Reuters reported.

Related Links:

• Residents continue sandbagging in Fargo [Video]

• FACTBOX-U.S. Red River Valley braces for floods
• Northern US flooding may cut wheat crop

• US Flooding Observation

Weekly Volcano Watch: 26 March 2009

Volcanic Activity Report: 18 March – 24 March 2009

Source: SI / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

New activity/unrest:

• Galeras, Colombia
• Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, Tonga
• Koryaksky, Eastern Kamchatka
• Redoubt, Southwestern Alaska (search FEWW for previous entries)

VoW: Fonualei, Tonga Islands (SW Pacific)

• Country: Tonga
• Subregion Name: Tonga Islands
• Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
• Volcano Status: Historical
• Last Known Eruption: 1957
• Summit Elevation: 180 m (591 feet)
• Latitude: 18.02°S  (18°1’0″S)
• Longitude: 174.325°W  (174°19’30″W)
• Source: USGS

Fonualei:  Seen from the NE, Fonualei volcano has an upturned saucer profile. The small, less than 2-km-wide island of Fonualei contains a fumarolically active crater, which is breached to the SW with a fresh lava flow extending to the sea and forming a rugged shoreline. Blocky lava flows from a central pyroclastic cone have reached the sea through notches in the rim of a small caldera. Eruptions at Fonualei have been recorded since 1791, with the two largest taking place in October 1846 and July 1847. [In 1847,] explosive eruptions produced large pumice rafts, and ashfall damaged crops on the island of Vavua (56 km away) and fell on vessels up to 950 km distant. In 1939 explosive and effusive activity occurred from summit and flank vents, and water spouts were reported 1.6 km SE of the island. Photo by Paul Taylor (published in Taylor and Ewart, 1997). Caption: GVP

FEWW Comment: Fonualei may be one of the next volcanoes in the Tonga region to erupt in the next 30-90 days.

Ongoing Volcanic Activity:

• Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia)
• Chaitén, Southern Chile
• Dempo, Sumatra (Indonesia)
• Etna, Sicily (Italy)
• Gamkonora, Halmahera
• Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka
• Kilauea, Hawaii (USA)
• Kuchinoerabu-jima, Ryukyu Islands (Japan)
• Lewotobi, Flores Island (Indonesia)
• Okmok, Fox Islands
• Popocatépetl, México
• Rabaul, New Britain (PNG)
• Sakura-jima, Kyushu (Japan)
• Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
• Soufrière Hills, Montserrat (Caribbean sea)
• Tungurahua, Ecuador
• Ubinas, Perú

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program.

Elevated Volcanic Activity in the US [Source: USGS]

Mar 25, 2009 at 21:08:47 PDT [PDT is 7 hours behind of Coordinated Universal Time,UTC]

The following U.S. volcanoes are known to be above normal background (elevated unrest or eruptions) or have shown activity that warranted an Information Release (for example, an earthquake swarm).

Volcano Alert Levels & Aviation Color Codes defined at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/alertsystem.

Volcano Hazards

Redoubt: Alert Level=WATCH. Aviation Color Code=ORANGE. As of Mar 25, 2009, 13:35 ADT

• No explosions in last 36 hours and seismicity has declined. Possible lava dome growth at the summit. Explosions could resume without much warning.
  (Change to current status occurred on Mar 25, 2009 13:35 ADT from Alert Level WARNING and Aviation Color Code RED )For more information see http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php

Kilauea: Alert Level=WATCH. Aviation Color Code=ORANGE. As of Mar 25, 2009, 07:53 HST

• Elevated SO2 and some tephra from Halema`uma`u vent; elevated SO2 from Pu`u `O`o vent; lava in tubes to ocean. (Change to current status occurred on Jul 2, 2007 20:09 HST from Alert Level ADVISORY and Aviation Color Code YELLOW ). For more information see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php

Cleveland: Alert Level=ADVISORY. Aviation Color Code=YELLOW. As of Mar 24, 2009, 12:46 ADT

• No activity reported. (Change to current status occurred on Jan 2, 2009 12:52 ADT from Alert Level UNASSIGNED and Aviation Color Code UNASSIGNED ). For more information see http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Cleveland.php

Mauna Loa: Alert Level=ADVISORY. Aviation Color Code=YELLOW. As of Mar 2, 2009, 15:05 HST

• Low level of unrest continues.(Mauna Loa has been at this Alert Level and Color Code since this system was implemented in 2005). For more information see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/maunaloastatus.php

Program Webcams page links to webcams at 19 of the 169 active volcanoes in the U-S.

California Earthquake Forecast 2009

Magnitude 7.4 earthquake could strike California in 2009

FEWW Forecasts a magnitude 7.4 earthquake and two strong aftershocks (5.5+ Mw) striking California in 2009 with a probability of 0.8. The occurrence uncertainty is about 90 days from the estimated time. The epicenter is located in a built-up area.

Moderators are currently discussing the merits of disclosing further details of the event too early ahead of the forecast seismicity.

Related Links:

• Earthquakes

Redoubt Volcano: Recent Images

Redoubt Activity – Color Code RED : Alert Level WARNING

Local time: March 24, 2009 6:45 AKDT (March 24, 2009 14:45 UTC)

Eruption cloud from an explosion at Redoubt Volcano

AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) false-color satellite image showing the eruption cloud from an explosion at Redoubt Volcano at 3:31am AKDT on March 23rd 2009. Image was captured at 5:30am and shows the ash cloud passing over other volcanoes and heading NE towards Anchorage. Picture Date: March 23, 2009 14:30:29 UTC . Image Creator:  John Bailey. Image courtesy of the AVO/UAF-GI.

Fine ash deposited on a windshield of the car during the 3/23/2009 ash fall in Healy, AK. Picture Date: March 23, 2009 15:38:00 AKDT. Image Creator: Pavel Izbekov. Image courtesy of the AVO/UAF-GI.

SEM image of ash particle from the 3/23/2009 ash fall in Healy, AK. Picture Date: March 24, 2009.  Image Creator: Pavel Izbekov; Jill Shipman. Image courtesy of the AVO/UAF-GI.

• Another SEM image of ash particle
  

Tephra deposits from the eruption of Redoubt Volcano

Photos of the flooding in Drift Valley and tephra deposits from the eruption of Redoubt Volcano. [more detailed caption to follow.] Picture Date: March 23, 2009. Image Creator: Game McGimsey. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Massive flooding in Drift Valley from the eruption of Redoubt Volcano

Massive flooding in Drift Valley from the eruption of Redoubt Volcano. Picture Date: March 23, 2009. Image Creator: Game McGimsey. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Ash Plumes from Redoubt Volcano

Earth Observatory Images of Ash plumes ejected by Redoubt Volcano. Above image was acquired March 23, 2009 at 12:30am AKDT [Add 8 hrs for UTC.] The above Terra MODIS image was captured at 12:30 a.m.  March 23, just 16 minutes after the third large eruption. Two plumes of ash are visible: a long white plume reaching north, and a smaller one just northeast the volcano. Communities along the trajectory of the ash plume included Skwenta and Talkeenta. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.

The Aqua MODIS image  was captured four hours later, at 4:30 a.m. AKDT, just as the fifth large eruption began. At that time, the new ash plume was located directly over Mt. Redoubt. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. Instrument: Aqua – MODIS

Ash on the snow to the NNE of Redoubt

MODIS image from Terra, 23 March 2009, 2149Z. Courtesy of GINA. Ash on the snow to the NNE of Redoubt. Picture Date: March 23, 2009 21:49:00 UTC. Image Creator:  Jonathan Dehn. Image courtesy of the Geographic Information Network of Alaska.

Eruption events 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 from Redoubt Volcano on 22 and 23 March 2009

Montage of various satellite images, from different times, showing eruption events 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 from Redoubt Volcano on 22 and 23 March 2009. There were multiple eruption events, this number of seven is one preliminary interpretation and may be subject to change upon further review. Picture Date: March 23, 2009. Image Creator: Ken Dean. Image courtesy of the AVO/UAF-GI.

Redoubt Volcano Latest Observations from AVO: 2009-03-24 00:35 UTC

The eruption of Redoubt volcano continues and the color code and volcano alert level remains at RED/WARNING. Seismic activity remains elevated, but has declined slightly over the past several hours. The activity consists mostly of volcanic tremor with some discrete events.

• AVO has received no new reports of ash emission since early this morning. The ashfall advisory has expired.

• AVO’s web camera near the volcano is now functioning and meltwater flooding along the margins of Drift glacier is evident.

• AVO has an overflight of the volcano in progress.

Related Links:

• Redoubt Erupts
• More Redoubt images

this post: 9 images +1  image link; 567 words; two links

Brave Maori Say ‘NO’ to Drilling on Sacred Ground

Submitted by TEAA

Maori Block New Zealand Drill Site

Taranaki Maori have occupied a drill site in an attempt to  stop drilling on their sacred ground, pā.

An estimated 75  protesters from Otaraua hapū [a division of Maori clan, iwi ] Sunday blocked the  entrance to the well site at Tikorangi, near Waitara in north Taranaki, New Zealand, to try to stop Greymouth Petroleum preparing for drilling, local media reported.

Day two of the protest at Tikorangi, New Zealand: Police speak with members of the Otaraua hapu who are staging a protest at Tikorangi to stop drilling by Greymouth Petroleum. Photo: Cameron Burnell. Image may be subject to copyright.

Hapu members occupied the site, Tikorangi Pa, to prevent if from being desecrated.  The site is not protected by the district plan.

The group whose members are applying to the Environment Court for an injunction against the oil company, is angered “at the lack of consultation,” the Taranaki Daily News reported.

They were notified of the oil company’s intentions only on Thursday, Otaraua hapū spokesman David Doorbar said, adding that the drill site was “sacred and had great significance and cultural relevance,” media reported.

“Greymouth Petroleum has only recently advised us of their intent, and has not given any consideration to our concerns,” he said.

“They do not understand the significance of this site, which we had mistakenly believed would not be touched.”

Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples said he was “deeply disappointed” that Maori interests are not taken more seriously.

He said Greymouth Petroleum should have consulted with the hapu.

“It shows ignorance by the companies that they can go ahead without thinking. I would expect to see consultation with iwi,” he said.

Taranaki Daily News said their attempts to contact Greymouth Petroleum national office were unsuccessful, and their messages were ignored.

Redoubt Erupts

Redoubt volcano:
Aviation Color Code – RED
Volcano Alert Level – WARNING

On 2009-03-23 at 02:04:08 (10:04:08UTC) AVO said:

As of 2:00AM March 23, 2009, AVO has recorded FOUR large explosions at Redoubt volcano at the following times:

• March 22 10:38PM
• March 22 11:02PM
• March 23 12:14AM
• March 23 01:39AM

[Add 8 hrs to get time in UTC]

The National Weather Service has issued an Ashfall Advisory. Link: http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/volcano.php

Crater showing rapidly melting glacier and enlarged “ice piston” feature. Picture Date: March 21, 2009. Image Creator: Cyrus Read. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Top vent in the Redoubt summit crater. Picture Date: March 21, 2009. Image Creator:  Cyrus Read. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Looking south at the north flank of Redoubt volcano. Ashfall limited to south crater floor, rim, and extending south-southeast. Source of ash is a vent south of the 1990 dome at an elevation of ~8300 ft. (~2, 530m). Picture Date: March 15, 2009 -  Image Creator:  Heather Bleick. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.

AVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice

• Volcano: Redoubt (CAVW #1103-03-)
• Current Volcano Alert Level: WARNING
• Current Aviation Color Code: RED

Issued: Sunday, March 22, 2009, 11:26 PM AKDT (20090322/0726Z)
Source: Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
Notice Number: 2009/A12
Location: N 60 deg 29 min W 152 deg 44 min
Elevation: 10197 ft (3,108 m)
Area: Cook Inlet-South Central Alaska

Volcanic Activity Summary: The eruption of Mt. Redoubt continues. The height of the eruption cloud is estimated to be 50,000 ft above sea level. Further reports will be issued as more information becomes available.

Recent Observations:
[Volcanic cloud height] The height of the eruption cloud is estimated to be 50,000 ft above sea level. Further reports will be issued as more information becomes available.
[Other volcanic cloud information] Nil
[Mudflow] Mudflows are possible on Drift and Crescent Rivers.
[Ash fall] Ashfall likely in the vicinity of and downwind from the volcano.

Location of Redoubt volcano, in relationship to surrounding towns, roads, and other volcanoes. Image Date: September 26, 2008. Image Creator: Janet Schaefer. Image courtesy of the AVO/ADGGS.

Contacts: Tom Murray, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS
tlmurray@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497

Steve McNutt, Coordinating Scientist, UAF
steve@giseis.alaska.edu (907) 474-7131

Mount Redoubt rises to 3108 m on the west side of Cook Inlet, 170 km SW of Anchorage. Redoubt volcano was constructed over a basement of glacially eroded Mesozoic granitic rocks, seen here in the foreground. The volcano has been very active during the Holocene, producing at least 30 tephra layers in the Cook Inlet basin stratigraphy. A steam plume rises from the summit crater, which is breached to the north, in this view from the NW following its 1989-90 eruption. Iliamna volcano is visible in the left distance. Photo by Christina Neal (U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Volcano Observatory). Caption GVP.

Next Notice: A new VAN will be issued if conditions change significantly or alert levels are modified. While a VAN is in effect, regularly scheduled updates are posted at

http://www.avo.alaska.edu

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.

• Alaska Aviation Weather Unit (AAWU) – SIGMETS
• Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU)
• Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
• Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) – Alaska Volcano Forecast Trajectories
• State of Alaska Air Quality Advisories and Alerts

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
240 AM AKDT MON MAR 23 2009

SUSITNA VALLEY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF,  TALKEETNA, WILLOW, CANTWELL

THE ASHFALL ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM AKDT THIS
MORNING.

REDOUBT VOLCANO AT 60.5N 152.7W HAS ERUPTED SEVERAL TIMES DURING
THE NIGHT. LIGHT ASHFALL HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED AT SKWENTNA.
LIGHT ASHFALL IS POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE SUSITNA VALLEY THIS
MORNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

AN ASHFALL ADVISORY MEANS THAT ASH WILL BE DEPOSITED IN THE
ADVISORY AREA. PEOPLE IN AREAS OF ASHFALL SHOULD SEAL WINDOWS AND
DOORS. PROTECT ELECTRONICS AND COVER AIR INTAKES AND OPEN WATER
SUPPLIES. MINIMIZE DRIVING. LISTEN TO YOUR RADIO STATION FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION.

Redoubt Ashfall – Current trajectory model. NOAA/NWS FO

Webcam image – dated March 15, 2009.  AVO/USGS

Live webcam images of various Alaskan volcanoes

Related Links:

• Weekly Volcano Watch: 19 March 2009

• 60 pct Chance Redoubt May Erupt
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 12 March 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 5 March 2009 [Take 2]
• No Doubt about Redoubt Volcano!
• Alaska’s Redoubt May Be About to Erupt

Image of the Day: Catch me if you can!

Direct Action: Don’t let the slow guy behind dictate the terms!

A policeman runs behind a protester during a peace activists action aimed at entering NATO Headquarters in Brussels March 21, 2009. REUTERS/Eric Vidal. Image may be subject to copyright.

World Food Security

Africa: Food Security Alert

East Africa

Dry conditions will continue to persist, affecting pasture and water availability and animal body conditions until the March-May season begins. This season will be critical for pastoral livelihoods. A delay or below-normal performance of the March to May rains could cause a worsening of the current high/extreme food insecurity, particularly in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.

Due to the combined affects of recurrent below-normal rainfall and varied country-specific factors such as, insecurity and civil conflict, high fuel and food prices, inappropriate policy actions (such as export trade bans) about 17 million people remain highly to extremely food insecure in the region.

WEST AFRICA Food Security Alert

Above-average prices threaten food security in West Africa

The 2008/09 growing season in West Africa resulted in above-average harvests sufficient to meet regional demand. Cereal prices, however, did not decrease as much, or for as long, as would be expected following such a harvest. As prices in the region were already above the five-year average for the period prior to the harvest, early post-harvest price increases could lead to moderate, high, or extreme food insecurity for net consumers by the start of the June-September hunger season.

Most Likely Food Security Scenario for West Africa, April – June 2009. Source: FEWS NET

Somalia

Somalia Food Security Alert
Resources urgently required to address extreme food insecurity

At least 3.2 million Somalis in urban centers, rural areas, and IDP camps will require humanitarian assistance through June 2009. While overall conditions in Somalia are not expected to improve over the next six months, delivery of humanitarian aid has become increasingly difficult as a result of increased targeting of humanitarian workers, deteriorating civil security, political tensions, and renewed armed conflict.

Current estimated food security conditions (January-June 2009)

Recent short rains (October to December) were largely inadequate in most parts of the country leading to an extended dry period – a lean season for pastoralists – which affected crop development, pasture growth, and water availability. As a result, rangeland resources are dwindling in many key grazing areas and the deyr harvest is 46 percent below the five‐year average and 48 percent below the post war (1995‐2007) crop production average. Although sorghum belt regions of Bay and Bakool had a near‐normal harvest, the ‘bread basket’ areas of Juba and Shabelle valleys, where the bulk of annual cereal production occurs, experienced an almost complete short‐rains crop failure.

Kenya

The food security status of an estimated 2.5 million pastoralists, agropastoralists and marginal agricultural farm households has deteriorated to critical levels, following the failure of the short-rains season in December 2008, compounded by adverse impacts of high food prices, conflict and livestock disease. An additional 850,000 school children(1) are to be included in the expanded School Feeding Program; 150,000 persons displaced by the post-election crisis and at least 4.1 million urban dwellers are extremely food insecure and are having difficulty meeting their food needs on a predictable basis. The GoK has estimated that an additional 1.9 million persons are food insecure due to adverse impacts of HIV/AIDs.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia continues to face high levels of food insecurity, with an estimated 12.4 million people considered currently food insecure. A total of 7.5 million people will be covered under the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), whilst 4.9 million people require emergency food assistance from January to June 2009.

Food security in the belg crop producing parts of the country is threatened by a delayed and erratic start of the belg rains. If the rains remain poor, a second consecutive below average harvest will occur in these already chronically food insecure parts of the country. Close monitoring of the seasonal rains through the end of the season is required.

The national inflation rate in February 2009 was 46.1 percent, with food inflation at 61.1 percent and a non food inflation rate of 24.2 percent. The price of maize, the food most widely consumed by the poor, is 130 percent higher than the 2004 2008 average and 47 percent higher than that of February 2008. The food security of households that spend a significant proportion of their income on food will continue to be negatively affected due to the high and rising staple food prices. FEWS. Full report

Malawi

High prices create critical food access problems in Southern Malawi

The availability of affordable maize has been a critical problem in southern Malawi this year, and low and middle‐income households are struggling to access enough maize to meet their consumption needs. Last season’s poor production in the south, particularly in Mwanza, Zomba, Machinga, Mulanje, Phalombe, Balaka, and Blantyre districts, has made a larger proportion of households dependent on market purchases than normal, while retail prices of maize and cassava have been rising to abnormally high levels throughout the marketing year (April‐March).

Chad

In the worst-case scenario, the majority of the country will be highly to severely food insecure. The triggers for this situation include a resumption of military conflict in the east, poor implementation of programs to control prices by the government, and shortages of fodder, animal feed, and drinking water.

Other areas

HAITI

A third of the country’s population is food insecure, with the highest concentrations in areas where current harvests have been below‐normal, and where damage from last season’s storms was most intense (e.g., Gonaives and Belle Anse). Despite the below‐normal rainfall forecast for the coming season, a sustained decline in international food prices should mitigate food insecurity over the next few months. However, the extended forecast for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins in June, suggests above‐normal hurricane activity this year. In combination with the effects of the U.S. economic recession, severe storms could undermine food security and lead to increased assistance needs.

Afghanistan

In the worst-case scenario, international wheat prices will increase due to a reduced 2009 global wheat harvest. Kazakhstan may elect to not sell cereals to Afghanistan. The government of Pakistan could also prevent the transshipment of 250,000 MT of Indian-donated wheat through Pakistan.

Guatemala

Food availability in the north, which was recently affected by Tropical Depression 16, is about to improve with the coming harvest, although the maize crop could be hampered by plagues and diseases. The government is currently evaluating the damage in those areas.

Nominal prices for the basic food basket continue to rise, making food access difficult for landless rural and urban populations.

Source: FEWS NET Executive Overview of Food Security

Hunga Ha’apai Volcano Update

Another reminder that volcanic eruptions can destroy everything around them

Hunga Ha’apai eruption “has destroyed rich birdlife and vegetation, leaving a wasteland of black ash and tree stumps,” eyewitness reports say.

Groups of  people who have traveled to the volcanic site described frequent explosions that ejected rocks and ash and spewed smoke hundreds of meters into the air, AFP reported.

Ash rises several hundred meters into the air from Hunga Ha’apai, 62km north-northwest of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa. [Undated photo, possibly taken on Mar 20 or 21, 2009.] Photograph: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

The volcano, which is located on the small islet of  Hunga Ha’apai, about 62km km north- northwest of the Tongan capital Island of Nuku’alofa, began erupting on March 16, 2009, and  continued to ash, volcanic gasses and rocks into the air.

A journalist visiting the Island said: “The island itself is totally destroyed …  there is no living thing left there, it’s all covered in black ash.”

“There are only black stumps where the coconut trees were,” he added. “We saw dead birds and fish in the water.”

According to Tonga’s chief geologist, Kelepi Mafi, who reportedly inspected the area on Thursday, the volcanic debris ejected from the volcano filled the 100 m gap between the offshore vent and  the main vent on Hunga Ha’apai, adding hundreds of square meters to the islet’s land mass.

Mafi reiterated that the government has warned sightseers to stay away from the area, which is very dangerous.

“It’s very interesting, but it’s very risky also,” he said, adding that he expected the eruption to continue for another couple of days.

However, given the renewed seismic activity in the area, and other factors not discussed here, FEWW believes one or more of the following scenarios may likely occur:

1. Eruption could continue for many days (up to several weeks).
2. Hunga Ha’apai’s activity could become sporadic, with extended ‘off’ and ‘on’ periods, lasting for several months (up to a year or so).
3. One or more of volcanoes in the region’s volcanic cluster could erupt.

Related Links:

• Weekly Volcano Watch: 19 March 2009

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• Earthquakes [Links page]
• Climate Change, Earthquakes, Volcanic Eruptions
• Volcanoes [Links page]
• Rumble III Volcano “blew its top!”
• Tonga’s Metis Shoal may be erupting

An earthquake forecast for California will be published here by Tuesday March 24, 2009.