Volcanic Plumes from the Seafloor to the Edge of Space
University of Bath: Neil Hindley, Corwin Wright
University of Bristol: Mark Woodhouse, Ailsa Naismith, Samuel Mitchell, Juliet Biggs, Jeremy Phillips, Matthew Watson, Peter Rowley
Cardiff University: Ricardo Ramalho, David Buchs, Katherine Daniels, George Cooper, Tiago Alves, Thomas Barker, Marc-Alban Millet, Diana Contreras Mojica
University of Exeter: Thomas Aubry (PI), Helen Webster, Jim Haywood, James Hickey
Background
Volcanic plumes are widely distributed and frequent on Earth. Submarine plumes feed our oceans with key nutrients, contribute to seafloor critical mineral resources, and disturb international shipping through large-scale pumice-raft formation. Atmospheric plumes create local devastation, cause continental-scale airspace closure, occasionally induce basin-scale tsunamis, and can disrupt climate globally. We still have a restricted understanding of the dynamics of these plumes owing to challenges in observing them and their highly complex dynamics involving high-velocity, high-temperature flows of chemically reactive gases, fluids, and solids at high temperatures in complex environments. As a consequence, our capability to manage their societal and environmental impacts remains limited.
Project Summary
This project will leverage synergies between the universities of Exeter, Cardiff, Bristol and Bath to deliver step changes in our understanding of volcanic plumes. We will organize a community workshop and support projects led by our junior researchers to enhance collaborative research between our institutions. This will enable to combine our unique skillsets to understand volcanic plume generation and dynamics, and support forecasting and mitigating their environmental and societal impacts.
Image credit: NOAA
