What can glacier speed tell us about volcanic activity? This is what a recent study published in Communications Earth & Environment hopes to address as a team of researchers from the United Kingdom and United States investigated how volcanic heating can cause nearby glaciers to speed up based on the distance between the two objects. This study has the potential to help researchers better understand warning signs of an impending volcanic eruption, which could lead to early evacuations and a reduction in human loss when such an eruption occurs.
For the study, the researchers conducted a first-time global analysis of 85 percent of approximately 217,000 glaciers worldwide comparing glacier speed to their distance within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from active volcanoes and glaciers outside of this 5-kilometer area with the goal of ascertaining if volcanic heating influenced the speed of glaciers. In the end, the researchers found that 46 percent of glaciers located within the 5-kilometer area exhibited increased speed compared to glaciers located outside the 5-kilometer area, indicating that glacier speed could be a good indicator in identifying volcanic activity, specifically pending eruptions.
“If glacier velocity can be used as a precursor months before an eruption, it will help focus additional monitoring efforts on volcanoes likely to erupt, which in turn will alert decision makers,” said Dr. Matteo Spagnolo, who is a professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Aberdeen and a co-author on the study. “It could provide much needed forewarning to local authorities to plan the possible evacuation of a nearby city, or impose a no-fly zone, without relying on last minute decisions. It will also help preparing the local population for what might come well in advance.”
According to the British Geological Survey, the Earth averages between 50 to 70 volcanic eruptions annually with more than 1,500 active volcanoes occurring across the globe. Therefore, early warning signs of pending eruptions could help local agencies take necessary steps to evacuate residents, thus substantially reducing the loss of life.
What new connections between glacier speed and volcanic eruptions will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Communications Earth & Environment, EurekAlert!, British Geological Survey
