While images of crimson-colored lava erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano continue to captivate the world, one of the greatest concerns is toxic sulfur dioxide gas emanating from every new fissure in the volcano.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2), which mixes with other air pollutants, can harm the eyes, skin and the respiratory system. At a minimum, it causes short-term breathing difficulties and is particularly hazardous for those with conditions like asthma or emphysema.
While images of crimson-colored lava erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano continue to captivate the world, one of the greatest concerns is toxic sulfur dioxide gas emanating from every new fissure in the volcano.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2), which mixes with other air pollutants, can harm the eyes, skin and the respiratory system. At a minimum, it causes short-term breathing difficulties and is particularly hazardous for those with conditions like asthma or emphysema.
NOAA’s HYSPLIT computer model helps forecasters estimate the concentration and movement of SO2 in the air — vital information needed by Hawaii’s emergency responders to make evacuation and other public safety decisions. The model uses wind and other weather data to predict when a plume of toxic gas might drift over population centers.
The first operational HYSPLIT simulation was run by NOAA’s National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Honolulu following an eruption on May 3. As events have unfolded, NOAA scientists developed a customized, enhanced version of the operational model used by NOAA forecast offices nationwide. HYSPLIT was developed and is continually refined by scientists at NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory in College Park, Maryland.
Read more at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Image via NOAA
