Open AccessCredibility of Volcanic Ash Thicknesses Reported by the Media and Local Residents Following the 2014 Eruption of Kelud Volcano, Indonesia
Author(s) -
Setsuya Nakada,
Akhmad Zaennudin,
Fukashi Maeno,
Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto,
Natsumi Hokanishi
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of disaster research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.332
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 1883-8030
pISSN - 1881-2473
DOI - 10.20965/jdr.2016.p0053
Subject(s) - volcano , exaggeration , volcanic ash , credibility , geology , geochemistry , tephra , seismology , earth science , law , political science , medicine , psychiatry
Ash thicknesses reported by the media and witnessed by local residents may be exaggerated. A good example of such exaggeration is ash thicknesses reported following the Plinian eruption on February 13, 2014 at Kelud volcano, East Java, Indonesia. Volcanic ash thicknesses reported by the media and local residents were generally by 2–7 times larger than the actual values measured by volcanologists. Sensational news reports and strong fresh impressions may cause such exaggeration, or these exaggerated values may simply represent abnormal concentrations of volcanic ash. It is important to pay careful attention to the parameters that are being documented by the media and by people who do not have scientific backgrounds when utilizing such reports in scientific analyses.