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Orographic effects on the transport and deposition of volcanic ash: A case study of Mount Sakurajima, Japan
Author(s) -
Poulidis Alexandros P.,
Takemi Tetsuya,
Iguchi Masato,
Renfrew Ian A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1002/2017jd026595
Subject(s) - orographic lift , volcanic ash , volcano , orography , plume , deposition (geology) , atmospheric sciences , geology , context (archaeology) , altitude (triangle) , environmental science , meteorology , geomorphology , geochemistry , geography , sediment , precipitation , paleontology , geometry , mathematics
Volcanic ash is a major atmospheric hazard that has a significant impact on local populations and international aviation. The topography surrounding a volcano affects the transport and deposition of volcanic ash, but these effects have not been studied in depth. Here we investigate orographic impacts on ash transport and deposition in the context of the Sakurajima volcano in Japan, using the chemistry‐resolving version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model. Sakurajima is an ideal location for such a study because of the surrounding mountainous topography, frequent eruptions, and comprehensive observing network. At Sakurajima, numerical experiments reveal that across the 2–8 ϕ grain size range, the deposition of “medium‐sized” ash (3–5 ϕ ) is most readily affected by orographic flows. The direct effects of resolving fine‐scale orographic phenomena are counteracting: mountain‐induced atmospheric gravity waves can keep ash afloat, while enhanced downslope winds in the lee of mountains (up to 50% stronger) can force the ash downward. Gravity waves and downslope winds were seen to have an effect along the dispersal path, in the vicinity of both the volcano and other mountains. Depending on the atmospheric conditions, resolving these orographic effects means that ash can be transported higher than the initial injection height (especially for ash finer than 2 ϕ ), shortly after the eruption (within 20 min) and close to the vent (within the first 10 km), effectively modifying the input plume height used in an ash dispersal model—an effect that should be taken into account when initializing simulations.