Hail formation triggers rapid ash aggregation in volcanic plumes

Alexa R. Van Eaton (), Larry G. Mastin, Michael Herzog, Hans F. Schwaiger, David J. Schneider, Kristi L. Wallace and Amanda B. Clarke
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Alexa R. Van Eaton: David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory, US Geological Survey
Larry G. Mastin: David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory, US Geological Survey
Michael Herzog: University of Cambridge
Hans F. Schwaiger: Alaska Volcano Observatory, US Geological Survey
David J. Schneider: Alaska Volcano Observatory, US Geological Survey
Kristi L. Wallace: Alaska Volcano Observatory, US Geological Survey
Amanda B. Clarke: School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract During explosive eruptions, airborne particles collide and stick together, accelerating the fallout of volcanic ash and climate-forcing aerosols. This aggregation process remains a major source of uncertainty both in ash dispersal forecasting and interpretation of eruptions from the geological record. Here we illuminate the mechanisms and timescales of particle aggregation from a well-characterized ‘wet’ eruption. The 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, incorporated water from the surface (in this case, a glacier), which is a common occurrence during explosive volcanism worldwide. Observations from C-band weather radar, fall deposits and numerical modelling demonstrate that hail-forming processes in the eruption plume triggered aggregation of ∼95% of the fine ash and stripped much of the erupted mass out of the atmosphere within 30 min. Based on these findings, we propose a mechanism of hail-like ash aggregation that contributes to the anomalously rapid fallout of fine ash and occurrence of concentrically layered aggregates in volcanic deposits.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8860

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