Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has provided a new imaging geodesy technique to measure the deformation of volcanoes at tens-of-meter horizontal resolution with centimeter to subcentimeter vertical precision. The two-dimensional surface deformation data enables the construction of detailed numerical models allowing the study of magmatic and tectonic processes beneath volcanoes....

Unrest at large calderas rarely ends in eruption, encouraging vulnerable communities to perceive emergency warnings of volcanic activity as false alarms. A classic example is the Campi Flegrei caldera in southern Italy, where three episodes of major uplift since 1950 have raised its central district by about 3 m without an eruption. Individual episodes have conventionally been treated as indepe...

We review here three main (first-order) mechanisms of stress variation able to influence the triggering of volcanic eruptions and the possible impact on eruption dynamics. They are shortand long-term unloading, seismic energy effects, and changes in far field stress due to geodynamic processes. We present an equilibrium equation for rupture of magma chamber and opening of a dyke up to the surfa...

Understanding the influence of bubble foams on magma permeability and strength is critical to investigations of volcanic eruption mechanisms. Increasing foam porosity decreases strength, enhancing the probability of an eruption. However, higher porosities lead to larger permeabilities, which can lessen the eruption hazard. Here we measure bubble size and wall thickness distributions, as well as...

Sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) released by the explosive eruption of Mount Pinatubo on 15 June 1991 had an impact on climate and stratospheric ozone. The total mass of SO(2) released was much greater than the amount dissolved in the magma before the eruption, and thus an additional source for the excess SO(2) is required. Infrared spectroscopic analyses of dissolved water and carbon dioxide in glass in...

[1] Several state‐of‐the‐art general circulation models (GCMs) predict that large volcanic eruptions should result in anomalous dry conditions throughout much of monsoon Asia. Here, we use long and well‐validated proxy reconstructions of Asian droughts and pluvials to detect the influence of volcanic radiative forcing on the hydroclimate of the region since the late Medieval period. Superposed ...

The effects of large tropical volcanic eruptions on Indo-Pacific tropical variability are investigated using 122 historical ensemble members from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5. Radiative forcing due to volcanic aerosols in the stratosphere is found to increase the likelihood of a model climatic response that projects onto both the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean ...

Introduction Airborne volcanic ash is a major aviation, health, and infrastructure hazard. When ingested into aircraft engines, volcanic ash can cause engine damage or failure. For example, in December 1989, a 747 jetliner carrying 231 passengers encountered an ash cloud during an eruption of the Mount Redoubt volcano, located southwest of Anchorage, AK. Within 60 seconds of encountering the he...