Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Interferogram made from ENVISAT images acquired on January 27, 2003, and June 20, 2005, showing deformation between those two time periods. Each cycle of color indicates 2.76 cm of line-of-sight displacement between the satellite and the ground. In this case, the two enclosed concentric ovals indicate uplift of Mauna LoaÕs summit area (from figure 15).
Robert (Bob) Decker was a volcanological pioneer, introducing new technologies for making deformation measurements at active volcanoes and pushing volcanology into new and exciting frontiers. During his time as a professor at Dartmouth College, Bob explored new methods for quantitatively modeling volcano deformation while working at locales in the United States, Central and South America, Iceland, and Indonesia. In the mid-1960s, Bob introduced Electronic Distance Measurement as a tool for monitoring volcano deformation and began measurements at Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes in Hawai‘i. This contribution ushered in a new age of high-precision volcano geodesy. In 1979, Bob left Dartmouth to take the position of Scientist-in-Charge of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, a post that he held until 1984. Hardly letting his 1989 retirement slow him down, Bob worked closely with his wife Barbara to publish numerous road guides and several volcanological texts, including Volcanoes in America’s National Parks.
Throughout his career, Bob worked tirelessly toward fostering international collaborations in volcanology, serving as the president of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth&rsquuo;s Interior from 1975 to 1979. One of his most influential contributions was the creation of the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at the University of Hawai‘i, Hilo, in 1989, which has since trained hundreds of scientists from around the world—mostly from developing countries—in volcano-monitoring techniques.
Bob died on June 11, 2005. He was an enthusiastic and consummate innovator and a leading field and quantitative volcanologist. He also maintained a strong commitment to education and public outreach. His vision and leadership are sorely missed.
Bob began this work several years before his death. In completing BobÕs manuscript, we strove to preserve his style, content, and original intent.
--Arnold Okamura
--Asta Miklius
--Michael Poland
September 2006
Download this report as a 32-page PDF file (sir2008-5090.pdf; 2 MB)
For questions about this report, contact Asta Miklius or Michael Poland.
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