U.S.-U.K. Cooperative Research: Experimental Study of Lava-Flow Interactions with Snow and Ice

0000237 Walder这项为期两年的奖项旨在表彰美英在熔岩流与冰雪相互作用方面的合作，获奖者包括来自波特兰州立大学和华盛顿州温哥华的美国地质调查局喀斯喀兹火山天文台的Joseph Walder，以及来自布里斯托尔大学环境地球物理流中心的R.Stephen J.Spark。这项研究合作旨在了解熔岩在雪和冰川上移动造成的洪水产生和泥石流。提出了几组不同的实验。模拟的熔岩流将在冰和人造雪上释放，融水产生的速度将作为熔岩温度、粘度、流量和冰面坡度的函数来确定。模拟的熔岩流也将通过冰块释放，冰块包含模拟冰川裂缝和冰川融水排水系统的特征。实验结果将与理论模型进行比较，然后理论模型可以按比例对真实世界现象进行预测。这位美国研究人员将冰川学和热火山颗粒流与雪的相互作用方面的专业知识带到了这次合作中。此外，这位英国研究人员还拥有物理火山学方面的专业知识。布里斯托尔中心是世界上最好的冰-熔岩相互作用实验设施，拥有模拟冰上熔岩流动的专门设备。该项目将增进对洪水如何发生的理解，并可能用于预测火山喷发活动造成的洪水。

0000237WalderThis two-year award for U.S.-U.K. collaboration on lava-flow interactions with snow and ice involves Joseph Walder of Portland State University and the Cascades Volcano Observatory of the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver, Washington, and R. Stephen J. Sparks of the Centre for Environmental Geophysical Flows, University of Bristol. The research collaboration is aimed at understanding flood generation and debris flows caused by the movement of lava over snow and glacier ice. Several distinct sets of experiments are proposed. Simulated lava flows will be released over ice and artificial snow, and the rate of meltwater production will be determined as a function of lava temperature, viscosity, discharge rate and ice-surface slope. Simulated lava flows will also be released over ice blocks containing features that emulate glacial crevasses and a glacial meltwater drainage system. Experimental results will be compared to theoretical models that then can be scaled to make predictions about real-world phenomena.The U.S. investigator brings to this collaboration expertise in glaciology and the interaction of hot volcanic grain flows with snow. This is complemented by the U.K. investigator's expertise in physical volcanology. The Bristol Centre is the best facility in the world for experimental work on ice-lava interactions and has specialized equipment for simulating lava flows over ice. The project will advance understanding of how flooding occurs and may be used to predict flooding caused by eruptive volcanic activity.