This project supports research at the Mt. Erebus volcano observatory, Antarctica. Erebus has a lava lake in its summit crater--one of just a few volcanoes in the world with this feature--that offers a unique window into volcanic processes. During previous funding periods a network of monitoring equipment was installed at seven stations around the volcano. These stations measure seismic waves, gas emissions, surface deformation, and other properties of the volcano and lava lake. The measurements offer unique insight into many volcanic processes, most importantly those relevant to eruption and degassing.
The broader impacts include graduate student education, development of new research infrastructure, outreach via the world-wide-web and a film, and international and national collaborations. In addition, this work has societally relevant goals that include improving eruption prediction, determining volcanic contributions to the atmosphere, and understanding the dispersal of atmospheric pollutants.
