Simulation helps ISU researchers understand volcanoes
Geoscientists at Idaho State University can analyze volcanic eruptions the same day they happen, without having to be there. With a volcanic simulation tank, they’re able to examine eruptions from the comfort of their lab.
In the tank, colored dye is shot into the water through a plumbing system in concentrated levels. The dye represents ash in a volcanic plume, and the concentration levels determine how fast the plume erupts and mixes with the air– or in this case the water.
Those factors determine whether the plume will rise or collapse.
“One of the things that we want to do is understand how these plumes choose whether they’re rising up or collapsing down so we can help establish safety areas for communities at risk,” said Shannon Kobs-Nawotniak, assistant professor in the geosciences department.
Community safety is a huge aim for data collected in the simulation tank. By knowing the characteristics of the plume and knowing where it’ll go, the proper safety precautions can be made, like evacuation or diverting air traffic.
“We need every single piece of data that we can to be able to help people,” said Kobs-Nawotniak. “To be able to target our effort so that we can put all of our effort into the most vulnerable people at the site.”
Ph.D. volcanology student Meghan Fischer helped design the tank. She said their research gives an understanding of different eruptions. This helps create a better understanding of how to handle them.
“If we have an understanding of how these volcanoes erupt, we can give more information to our community planners,” said Fischer. “(For example) in Calbuco you don’t need to worry about a lava flow coming and taking out your town, but you should be much more concerned with the ash.”
Fischer developed software that applies eruptions in the tank to eruption videos on social media to determine velocities and speeds of plumes. In the future, cross flow will be added to the tank to simulate real wind situations.
ISU collaborated with Arizona State University on this project.
