World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO)
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
The World Organization of Volcano Observatories was established as the result
of a meeting of representatives from world-wide volcano observatories, held in
Guadeloupe in 1981. WOVO became International Association of Volcanology and
Chemistry of the Earth's Interior Commission in the following year.
The principal aims of the World Organization of Volcano
Observatories are:
- To stimulate cooperation between scientists working in observatories and to
create
or improve ties between observatories and institutions directly involved in
volcano
monitoring.
- To facilitate an exchange of views and experience in volcano monitoring by
convening periodic meetings including field-based ones, by periodic
newsletters, and by
promoting a specific e-mail observatories network service.
- To maintain an up-to-date inventory (Directory of Volcano Observatories) of
networks and of instrumentation and manpower that could be made available to
any of
the member institutions if a situation arises that requires scientific support.
- To supply technical support at observatories in developing countries and to
create a
WOVO fund to be used by these observatories (activities of WOVO generally
speaking
are focused on dangerous volcanoes in developing countries).
- To organise an international task force and to promote funding from
international
organisations that could help defray travel and related expenses of scientific
support
teams.
The chairman of the Commission on WOVO is Chris Newhall. For more information on WOVO please visit the official WOVO site.
Volcano Monitoring Techniques,
Working on Hawaiian Volcanoes,
and
What tools
do Volcanologists use to study volcanoes?
are summaries of the instruments and methods volcanologists use to study
volcanoes.
The following are brief descriptions of the observatories, the volcanoes they
monitor, and how to contact them.
Click on a region of the map, or click one of the categories below:
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