Hail formation triggers rapid ash aggregation in volcanic plumes
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Abstract
During explosive eruptions, airborne particles collide and stick together, accelerating the fallout of volcanic ash and climate-forcing aerosols. This aggregation process remains a major source of uncertainty both in ash dispersal forecasting and interpretation of eruptions from the geological record. Here we illuminate the mechanisms and timescales of particle aggregation from a well-characterized ‘wet’ eruption. The 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano in Alaska incorporated water from the surface (in this case, a glacier), which is a common occurrence during explosive volcanism worldwide. Observations from C-band weather radar, fall deposits, and numerical modeling demonstrate that volcanic hail formed rapidly in the eruption plume, leading to mixed-phase aggregation of ~95% of the fine ash and stripping much of the cloud out of the atmosphere within 30 minutes. Based on these findings, we propose a mechanism of hail-like aggregation that contributes to the anomalously rapid fallout of fine ash and the occurrence of concentrically-layered aggregates in volcanic deposits.
Suggested Citation
Van Eaton, A., Mastin, L.G., Herzog, M., Schwaiger, H.F., Schneider, D.J., Wallace, K.L., Clarke, A.B., 2015, Hail formation triggers rapid ash aggregation in volcanic plumes: Nature Communications, v. 6, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8860.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Hail formation triggers rapid ash aggregation in volcanic plumes |
| Series title | Nature Communications |
| DOI | 10.1038/ncomms8860 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Publication Date | August 03, 2015 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| Contributing office(s) | Volcano Science Center |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Redoubt Volcano |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |