Volcanic Eruption Warnings Are Now Possible With Fiber-Optic Cables
upstart writes:
Although volcanic eruptions can strike when least expected, they sometimes give off warning signs that can be captured by advanced technology. One innovative way to monitor eruptions is now being put to the test at the Reykjanes Peninsula, a hotbed of volcanic activity in Iceland.
In a new study, researchers have reported the successful progress of an eruption warning system that uses distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), which can anticipate volcanic activity through magma movements beneath the surface.
The study, published in Science, demonstrates how DAS sensors at the Reykjanes Peninsula can give the public warnings on lava eruptions up to 30 minutes in advance. The key to this method is in fiber-optic cables that react to disturbances underground. With a system to monitor cables, scientists are tapping into unseen volcanic data like never before.
[...] For the past few years, an international team of researchers has been working toward a solution to catch volcanic activity before it can impact the public. This collaboration led to the development of a DAS system focused on an underground fiber-optic cable.
"The deployment was extremely fast," said Jiaxuan Li, the study's first author and a geophysicist at the University of Houston, in a statement. "We were able to set up our system on a 100-kilometer-long fiber cable within 10 days after a substantial magma intrusion event on November 10, 2023. About a month later, we recorded the first eruption with our system."
The DAS system entails directing lasers into unused underground cables; when vibrations pass through the cables (during an earthquake, for example), the lasers go through what is called a "phase-change," allowing researchers to collect data on seismic waves.
The system can be applied to underground volcanic activity as well. As magma moves upward to surge above the surface, it warps and compresses the ground. The researchers say cable sensors can measure changes in the ground much more precisely than GPS or satellite imaging.
Data from the sensors set up in the Reykjanes Peninsula have allowed researchers to create an early-warning system that could inform the public of an eruption 30 minutes to several hours before it occurs.
Journal Reference: DOI: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu0225
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