Location, location, location. Most people think "hey, your in Hawaii, there can't be a bad location. These days the VOG coming from the very active volcano of Kilauea has been causing problems for this particular location. The VOG travels from the Kilauea Volcano, travels over Mauna Loa and travels to the other islands in some cases creating more VOG hundreds of miles away on Oahu than there is in the general location of the flume causing the VOG. Volcanoes National Park has closed several times over the past several weeks and those people who have come from all over the world to visit this amazing drive through volcano are being kept out for safety. Though the park was reopened yesterday at 1pm, that is primarily due to the trade winds getting back to "normal". Some sections of the park are still closed.
What is VOG? Well, VOG is, simply put, volcanic air polution. Defined in science terms as Sulfer Dioxide or SO2. Those who have seen LA first thing in the morning can relate to how this air polution affects the sky and the air quality. The USGS has implemented a danger level system sort of like our National Security alert levels. The Civil Defense Department of Hawaii County has a similar code using colors. It is important for everyone to heed the warning signs. Fumes are hazardous to your health. Persons with heart or respiratory problems and infants, young children, and pregnant women are especially at risk and should avoid the volcanic fumes.
Vog Levels:
Extreme: Very reduced visability, no visible horizon. Blue/grey tint to objects a mile or less in distance.
Heavy: Reduced visability, horizon barely visible. Blue/grey tint to objects 3 miles away.
Moderate: Horizon is blurry. Blue/grey tint to objects 5 miles away.
Light: Horizon is almost sharp. Blue/grey tint to objects 10 miles away.
No Vog: Sharp horizon and little haze to distant objects
Kilauea has been flowing since 1983 and as the flow changes the rules of the game change. What the USGS has learned over the past several years has changed 70% of what they thought they knew about volcanos. Pele cannot be stopped. What will she do next? We will have to wait and see.
LOL, Randy. Washington is too busy holding congressional hearing on Steriods in baseball to address anything serious. Pele will chew them up and spit them out! I sure wish there was some way to use this lava as a positive. Too bad I can't fill my gas tank with it ... we would never run out.
John, I live about 40 miles as the crow flies. I am living with it. There is still no better place than here. I am actually looking foward to the day when I can the fire shooting into the sky from the volcano like back in 1984. I wasn't here then, so I would really love to have that experience. One of the most amazing life time experienes I ever had was walking across the fresh crunchy lava field (which is indecsribably sharp and dangerous) and actually walked right up to the lava flowing (acutally oozing) down the mountain. It is so amazing.
We are a group of 6th grade students who are involved in a robotics competition. The theme this year is "transportation" and its problems. We have chosen air currents as our mode of transportation and the problem we are addressing is that the currents around Hawai'i that are transporting toxic gases from volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawai'i that are killing the flowers. We became interested in this problem after reading about vog and how it is impacting the economy of the flower growers.
We learned that the volcanic gases contain sulfur dioxide which is somehow getting into the plants, mixing with water, which results in the formation of sulfuric acid. This acid is burning the plants from the inside out - killing numerous flower crops.
Can you help us understand what is happening chemically between the sulfur dioxide of the vog and the plants? Our goal is to try to propose a plausible solution to this problem. We would like to propose an idea that would help the flower growers deal with the gases that are being emitted by the volcanoes so they can keep their flower farms healthy.
If you have any colleagues who would be able to shed more light on our problem, please have them contact us as well.
Thank you in advance for all the help and insight you can give us. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Amy
Rachel
Natalie
Steven R. Taylor
Technology Education
"Innovation Sparks Excellence"
B.M.S. - Prairie Campus
(P) 847 304 3990
Prairie Middle School students in Illinois Interested in VOG.
Ka'u District of the Big Island of Hawai'i
Kau District of the Big Island of Hawaii
Information about hawaii real estate
south end Big Island free maps, local points of interest, and mls search
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