Severe Telecom Interruption Halts Monitoring of Volcanoes in Alaska

Volcano monitoring in Alaska has gone offline due to a 'severe' regionwide telecommunication interruption.

The disruption disabled the instrumental monitoring data of the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). It is unclear when the Alaskan volcanic monitoring system of the AVO will resume full operation.

The severe telecom interruption affected the monitoring of nine active volcanoes in the Katmai region of Alaska.

This means that the AVO can no longer monitor the seismic activity and volcanic activity of these volcanoes, prompting the risk of a blind eye from a potential volcanic eruption or explosion.

The technology to make long-term and accurate predictions for volcanic eruptions is not available yet.

As a result, the shutting down of the instrumental monitoring data of AVO has proved to be a challenge, even in conducting short-term and proximate predictions for these eruptions.

Severe Telecom Interruption

(Photo : Keystone/Hulton Archive via Getty Images)

The AVO stated on Wednesday, March 16, that the monitoring of volcanoes in Alaska has been temporarily halted due to a severe telecom interruption that made the AVO's instrumental monitoring data unavailable, as per Newsweek.

The AVO reportedly clarified that the root of the disruption was located in the small outpost community of King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough of Alaska where a severe interruption of a regional telecommunication link has prevented the flow of seismic data at seismic stations at the nine volcanoes.

The nine volcanoes affected by the telecom disruption are the following: Mount Griggs, Mount Katmai, Mount Mageik, Mount Martin, Novarupta Volcano, Snowy Mountain, Trident Volcano, Ugashik-Peulik Volcano, and Ukinrek Maars Volcano.

Also Read: USGS Raises Volcanic Levels as Three Volcanoes Erupt at Once in Alaska

Instrumental Monitoring Data

The instrumental monitoring data of the AVO has gone offline due to the severe telecom interruption. It is unclear when the system will be back to normalcy.

However, local authorities and seismic experts raised concerns that an unavailable volcano monitoring system of AVO will be critical, as per Newsweek.

According to a Twitter post by the AVO on Thursday, March 17, the aviation color code and alert level of volcanoes being monitored have been changed to "unassigned/unassigned" due to the disruption to the regional telecom link.

The Twitter announcement of AVO indicates that the color code and the alert level for each of the nine active volcanoes in the Katmai region will be temporarily removed and be replaced with the 'unassigned' designation.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows that the AVO uses an alert-level system that determines a potential volcanic eruption based on seismic activity.

The system has helped not only US volcanologists but also other authorities in the world to make short-term predictions of these eruptions.

According to the USGS, the alert-level system comprises four colors or levels: green, yellow, orange, and red-with green being the lowest and red being the highest.

Below is a brief summary of their meaning and severity.

•  Green - normal background; volcanic activity is normal and poses no threat.
•  Yellow - signs of unrest; volcanic activity is occurring but there is no eruption.
•  Orange - precursory unrest or minor ash eruption; volcanic activity has led to a minor volcanic eruption.
•  Red - major ash eruption imminent or underway; strong volcanic eruption is either imminent or ongoing.

In light of the current situation, the USGS is also currently monitoring the volcanoes in Alaska until the regional telecom link is repaired and AVO's instrumental monitoring data is available again.

It is uncertain if the telecom interruption was caused by human error, technical malfunction, or a natural phenomenon.

Related Article: USGS Closely Monitoring 4 U.S. Volcanoes Showing Signs of Unrest