Skip to content

Volcanic Wisdom: Strengthening Global Resilience Through Enhanced Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Alert Level Systems

Molly Urquhart 1, Carina Fearnley 1, Sarah Dryhurst 2

  • Affiliations: 1 Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London, London, England; 2 Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, London, England  

  • Presentation type: Talk

  • Presentation time: Monday 14:45 - 15:00, Room R380

  • Programme No: 7.2.7

  • Theme 7 > Session 2

Abstract

This research aims to enhance global preparedness for natural multi-hazard events by leveraging the volcanological community's experience with the Volcanic Alert Level System (VALS). ** **With the growing intensity of natural hazards felt globally, there is an increased need for robust Early Warning Systems (EWSs) and Alert Level Systems (ALSs) that assist in mitigating the detrimental effects of natural hazards on communities. Despite international efforts, current EWSs and ALSs lack integration across multiple hazard types and geographies, leading to insufficiencies in hazard communication and risk management. Additionally, numerous EWSs and ALSs are employed globally for varying hazards, yet there is limited literature on these systems' current design and implementation. Conversely, volcanoes, which pose a wide range of threats over different geographic and temporal scales, have well-developed ALSs and EWSs that necessitate the consideration of multiple hazards concurring and/or compounding. The volcanological community's use of VALSs offers a rich case study for improving current multi-hazard ALSs and EWSs. Globally, VALSs have been utilized to varying success to communicate volcanic risks, yet there is limited scientific analysis of the operational efficacy of these systems. My research aims to fill this gap by conducting a comprehensive global survey of VALSs, analyzing their design, implementation, and effectiveness to inform broader multi-hazard EWS and ALS development. By leveraging the extensive experience of the volcanological community in dealing with anticipatory issues from multi-hazard events and the use of diverse warning systems, more effective global EWSs and ALSs for multi-hazard events can be produced.