[jwplayer config=”550×310-16:9″ mediaid=”72880″]
Time-lapse movie of Pu‘u ‘O‘o Crater

(Volcano Watch is a weekly article written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)

In late August, volcano scientists from around the world gathered in Waikoloa, Hawai`i, and shared what they have learned about how Hawaiian volcanoes work. Within that group were four scientists from the Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise (OVPF), a sister observatory monitoring a frequently active French volcano in the Indian Ocean.

OVPF’s presentations were about Piton de La Fournaise (PdF), a volcano that is similar to Hawai`i Island’s Kilauea Volcano in many ways: PdF erupts often and usually emits lava flows but also has explosive eruptions; it is located within a National Park; it is one of two volcanoes that form La Reunion Island; and it is susceptible to large landslides that can generate local tsunamis. So while the OVPF presentations were about a volcano half a world away, they could have been talking about Kilauea.

As important as the similarities between our volcanoes are, the differences are equally important. Kilauea’s eruption rates are about 10 times those of PdF. La Reunion Island is, however, one-fourth the size of Hawai`i Island and has more than four times as many residents. While the hazards (lava flows, earthquakes, and other volcanic activity) may be lower at PdF than Kilauea, the higher population density means that the risks (the likelihood of people being affected by the volcanic activity) may be comparable.

The OVPF scientists were in Hawai`i for two purposes: (1) to attend the meeting and learn what is being done to understand Hawaiian volcanoes; and (2) to meet with HVO scientists to learn how we monitor Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes.

OVPF, founded in 1979, is a small observatory with only 9 permanent staff members (compared to about 25 at HVO). It is still growing, and OVPF scientists want to learn from HVO’s successes and mistakes over our past century of existence. So, we spent a few days working out mutual priorities for the exchange of technologies and volcano expertise over the next five years.

The HVO-OVPF discussions mostly focused on how we get our respective jobs done. HVO technician offered lots of advice on field installation and maintenance methods developed for many technologies over many years. In this way, working together can significantly speed the development of state-of-the-art monitoring networks on PdF.

We also talked about the differences in the way we communicate with emergency managers. HVO issues warnings and other information directly to local emergency managers, who take action to keep people safe. OVPF issues their warnings to the local government, which must send the information to Paris before it is sent back to La Reunion for action. Understandably, “unofficial” communications directly to the local gendarmes have been necessary to get timely evacuations started.

In addition, there is increasing pressure to promote tourism on PdF, which is in conflict with OVPF’s efforts to promote understanding of the volcanic hazards. This aspect reminded many HVO folks of the removal of the Hawaiian warrior signs that used to mark island lava flows with the year each flow was erupted.

The OVPF scientists were not the first Reunionites to seek relationships with Hawaiians. Last October, La Reunion President Didier Robert visited Hawai`i Island to promote “sister park” status between Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and Reunion National Park and to gather ideas on how to increase tourism to PdF and the island. President Didier also discussed the possibility of Sister City relationships with Hawai`i Island Mayor Billy Kenoi during his visit.

Much of this inter-island cooperation is the result of efforts by part-time Volcano resident Alain Gerente. Gerente, a well-known videographer of Piton de la Fournaise eruptions, is a mathematician who was on the faculty at the University of Science on La Reunion. He has been a tireless supporter of closer relations between his two island homes – Hawai`i and La Reunion – which have so much in common.

Through the joint efforts of HVO and OVPF scientists, individuals like Alain Gerente, parks, and island governments, we all hope to benefit from our combined experience and improve monitoring and hazard assessment and communication for basaltic island volcanoes. The end result will be resident and tourist populations alike living with and experiencing active volcanoes safely.