Manchester-based Volcanologists have developed a method and camera that could help reduce the dangers, health risks and travel impacts of ash plumes during a volcanic eruption.
Ash is sometimes seen as a secondary danger in volcanoes when compared to more visual hazards, such as lava and pyroclastic flows. However, ash can have a major impact on human lives and infrastructure, such as the 2010 eruption of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, which brought international aviation across Europe to a standstill.
This research, which is being published in Scientific Reports, uses a new kind camera, developed at The University of Manchester, to measure the flow and speed of ash falling out of a volcanic plume.
The researchers measure how ash particles interact with sunlight and, specifically, how they change the polarisation of sunlight, in a similar way to how polarised sunglasses work. This wouldn’t have been possible without the development of the new “AshCam” which is the first camera of its kind in the world.
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Image via University of Manchester
