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Assessing Tephra Mass Deposition on Roads for Effective Management of Volcanic Eruption Impacts: The Case of Mount Etna, Italy

Luigi Mereu 1,2, Manuel Stocchi1,3, Alexander Garcia1, Michele Prestifilippo4, Laura Sandri1, Costanza Bonadonna5 and Simone Scollo4

  • Affiliations: ; 1Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia INGV, Sezione di Bologna, 40100 Bologna, Italy; ; 2CETEMPS Center of Excellence, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy; ; 3Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70125 Bari, Italy; ; 4Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia INGV-OE, Sezione di Catania, 95015 Catania, Italy; ; 5Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland;

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Friday 16:30 - 18:00, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 113

  • Programme No: 6.7.21

  • Theme 6 > Session 7

Abstract

Explosive volcanic eruptions release large amounts of tephra, which can spread widely and accumulate on the ground, causing significant damage and disruption to public infrastructure, including transportation networks. The dispersal and deposition of tephra depend on various factors, such as the mass eruption rate (MER), tephra characteristics (e.g., size, shape, and density), plume height (HTP), grain size distribution (GSD), and local wind conditions. This study focuses on quantifying the tephra mass deposited on the road network along the east-southeast flanks of Mount Etna, Italy, during the sequence of lava fountain events of 2021. We analyzed a series of 39 events detected by X-band weather radar, using the volcanic ash radar retrieval (VARR) technique that allows us to calculate key eruption source parameters (ESPs) such as MER, HTP, and GSD. When radar data were unavailable we derived the ESPs using images from both the SEVIRI radiometer and from the visible/thermal infrared cameras operated by the INGV, Osservatorio Etneo (Catania). The ESPs were then used as inputs to run two different dispersion models, TEPHRA2 and FALL3D, which simulate the dispersion and fallout of volcanic tephra. The output of the model runs were processed to produce geo-referenced estimates of the tephra mass deposited across the entire road network of three nearby municipalities, enabling us to identify which roads were most heavily impacted by tephra accumulation. These data provides valuable insights for planning and managing the short-term tephra load hazard during future explosive events at Etna.