Mauna Loa Volcano Awake Almost 40 Years

Mauna Loa Volcano, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, has been awake for nearly two years, and has finally erupted in late November.

This imposing volcano is one of the most active in the world and its activity reveals fascinating insights into geology and Earth's shifting landscape.

In this article we explore what an 'awake' Mauna Loa means for locals, scientists and hikers alike.

Mauna Loa Volcano: Exploring Its Recent Activity

Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on Earth, located in Hawaii.

It has been active since its formation thousands of years ago and continues to show signs of activity today through periodic eruptions.

Over the past two years, Mauna Loa has awakened again with a series of small earthquakes that have caused concern among scientists and residents alike. Prior to this activity the last eruption was not since 1984. 

From December 2018 to July 2019, there were 619 small magnitude earthquakes detected near Mauna Loa Volcano’s summit region (at depths less than 5 km).

Scientists believe these quakes are related to magma movement within a shallow magma reservoir close beneath the surface—an indication that new eruptions were likely years down the road, and it finally happened.

What makes this event so interesting and noteworthy is not just its size but also its duration; most seismic swarms associated with volcanoes typically last only weeks or days whereas this one has lasted an entire eight-month period.

The fact that seismic activity continued for such an extended time frame tells us something important: it was likely driven by pressure from large amounts of trapped gas rather than rising molten rock inside a shallower chamber below ground level.

The eruption occurred as pressurized gasses like carbon dioxide rose with the molten rock fast enough to the surface. The expanding gasses and materials lead to big explosions as the energy is rapidly released, sometimes in spouting lava plumes. 

As part of ongoing monitoring efforts, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff took measurements several times during April 2020 showing increases in sulfur dioxide gas emissions at both Kilauea Summit and lower East Rift Zone vents, as well as changes in temperature consistently throughout those locations, indicating flow pathways which connect distant regions across multiple areas spanning tens of kilometers .

This data reveals that pressure is building inside the volcano to critical rates and future eruptions could occur relatively quickly until the molten materials are dispensed.

Understanding how volcanoes behave requires lots of data analysis compiled from various sources, including remote sensing technologies such as satellites equipped with infrared cameras able to detect heat radiating off the landscape for potentially hazardous hot spots. Field observations closely study features occurring in the surroundings using ground-based instrumentation to track and measure subsurface conditions. The data surveys atmosphere pollution particles in order to assess impacts on the environment to manage land usage for safety purposes. Gathering observations allow for risk analyses to proactively protect affected communities from any future disaster scenarios and identify signs of a possible imminent threat posed to nearby populations.

Mauna Loa's recent awakening provides valuable insight into predicting volcanic behavior: • Insight into pressurization levels behind quakes linked to specific movements happening in deeper chambers, providing better identification strategies for gauging levels of risk in the front-end model. Better identification strategies will aid emergency communication, accordingly helping avert disasters if spotted early enough.

Challenges Facing The Monitoring Of A Restless Giant

Scientists have been closely monitoring Mauna Loa for the past two years, as its state of unrest signaled potential eruptive activities. 

The volcano is located on Hawaii’s Big Island and rises 13,680 feet above sea level.

As one of the world’s most active volcanoes, its activity can cause significant disruption to communities living nearby or even downwind from it.

Here are some of the challenges facing scientists and other authorities as they monitor this restless giant:

1) Inadequate Resources – Monitoring such an active volcano requires constant surveillance including ground deformation measurements, seismic monitoring equipment, aerial photographs and real-time satellite imaging to identify possible eruptions before they occur.

Unfortunately, these efforts require substantial financial resources that many cash-strapped governments lack; consequently, dangerous situations may go unnoticed until it is too late for action.

2) Difficult Accessibility – Many parts of Mauna Loa are quite remote and difficult to access quickly by personnel when necessary, such as during earthquakes or volcanic eruptions when reliable data must be collected quickly without endangering anyone involved in the mission.

This limitation not only makes monitoring more challenging but also results in inaccurate information being captured due to longer response times, which ultimately leads to false alarms that could potentially result in unnecessary evacuations and widespread panic among populations near potential hazards caused by geological events still happening deep underground in off-site locations.

3) Hazards To Personnel – While measuring Mauna Loa’s earthquake activities, seismologists often have to come close enough to place their recording instruments around lava fields while running current risk assessments on potential present dangers. The high risk environment not only involves themselves but also residents living within areas perceived at harm because of possibly misplaced predictions during geophysical studies. 

These are the reasons why people get paid large salaries to get up close to the volatile volcano, doing what others wouldn't dare try anyway. Many tourists travel to Hawai’i to see the volcano, getting extremely close to the dangerous lava fields despite countless warnings now visible everywhere. Increased global attention and foot traffic have made this process perhaps even more risky than usual when confronting unpredictable forces beyond human control.

Officials have established barriers and road closures to prevent people from wandering into unstable areas, and geologists are constantly monitoring ongoing activities. Already the eruption has experienced many changes and its lava is slowly expanding down its slopes towards roads and other infrastructure. 

4) Technology Limitations

- A common challenge faced by those tasked with studying any natural phenomenon occurs when inadequate technology fails to get accurate readings from volcanic emissions floating through air as conditions greatly change over short periods.

Volatile changes require advanced tools and techniques to obtain reliable quantifications.

Untrustworthy data might disrupt communications causing mistaken decisions to result in serious delays and unfavorable outcomes despite the official's best efforts.

Earth’s Future, Now With 8 Billion Humans

Humanity has long been chasing that 8 billion number for our global population. As of November 2022, we have surpassed it with only increasing trends in sight. With such a large international population and growing numbers, what kind of new stressors will be placed on the planet? 

Global warming is already a direct indicator of influence on the planet. Humans have permanently changed how we interact with Earth's natural resources, but now it's clear that the reliance on those resources will be put to the utmost test. Populations will put immense pressure on nature, forcing humans to compete with other wildlife for water, food, and materials.

The problem not only arises with the total size of the global population but also with the rapid timeline to the astronomical number. Global population sizes previously always remained below 1 billion people on the planet at any given time until the late 18th century during the time of Napoleon. Rapid growth began to influence global numbers after the start of the Second World War when more than 1 billion people were added to the global population every 12 to 15 years. Key events spurred rapid growth over the last 300 years, including the industrial revolution, medical discoveries, technology, and global commerce trade. Currently, the human population is more than double what it was in 1970, doubling in just over 50 years.

Population analyses over the last few decades also draw attention to the uneven growth experienced worldwide. China and the USA are two places where population growth has been slowly leveling. At the same time, low-income regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and India are responsible for approximately 70 percent of the world’s population increases. There are difficulties to be faced in both scenarios because with leveling population growth, fewer individuals will support the enormous economies, and exponential growth in developing countries will continue to exacerbate already strained systems. The other caveat to increased global numbers is its likelihood to influence mass migrations and conflicts and further jeopardize at-risk environments. 

Experts are forecasting slower growth trends in the future, even though the population trends have been increasing exponentially. Their conclusions draw from increased knowledge and dispersal of contraceptives and safe sex to lower-income countries. Other factors influencing level growth trends include increased women’s rights worldwide, younger generations waiting to have families, and economic pressures driving living rates through the roof for most high-income countries. These forecasts are good news for slowing global population growth. Still, the world will likely not observe decreases until the latter half of this century, as fertility rates and population deaths will be important contributors to change. 
The urgency to allocate new green energy resources before it is too late is becoming increasingly evident. Experts agree that installing sustainable energy resources for low-income countries will greatly decrease their carbon emissions by supporting increasing population demands. Other changes must also be made in high-income countries responsible for more than double the carbon emissions released by the poorest half of the world.

Hurricane Ian’s Impact Lingers Amidst Climate Change Implications

Hurricane Ian quickly developed into one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit Florida since 1935, and one of the worst natural disasters in recent years for the United States. Damages from the hurricane are still being evaluated with early estimates totaling more than $60 billion USD alone in damages to infrastructure and properties. This large category 4 hurricane slammed into the Florida coast toward the end of September resulting in significant coastal damages, inland flooding, massive runoff, and large community displacements. Florida experiences many hurricanes each year, but it is now clear that the severity of the storms is increasing as they are exacerbated by the effects of climate change. 

Hurricanes are a natural aspect of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico geography, as conditions in late summer and early fall often generate cyclonic storm cells. A majority of south Florida lies at or below sea level putting many areas at increased risk for minor swells and ocean surges, regardless of storm activities. Florida has invested significant federal and state funds into coastal defense barriers like sea walls, sand dunes, foundation fortifications, and emergency aid response programs. These efforts seem to mitigate many damaging effects, but their effectiveness continues to wane as warming ocean temperatures increase the intensity of these Atlantic storm cells.

Climate change has a variety of negative effects on Earth, specifically intensifying the strength and frequency of destructive storm cell activities. Warmer coastal waters increase surface evaporation, rapidly accelerating hurricane wind speeds and the overall strength of the hurricane. Factors like warming climates, more intense storms, and continued development along the coast of at-risk regions like Florida have also increased the susceptibility of people and infrastructure to extensive storm damage. 

President Joe Biden addressed the nation after surveying the damages of the fierce storm, highlighting its similarities to many other significant natural disasters affecting other regions of the country. He indicated how climate change is responsible for many of the extensive damages caused by this storm, the fires in the midwest, and water shortages on the west coast. The increasing vulnerability of many regions affects more than the durability of the infrastructure, also implicates community health and long-term safety. 

As the aftermath of Hurricane Ian continues to be surveyed, it is clear this storm has impacted a multitude of resources, regions, and people across Florida. Many of Florida’s main waterways are now filled with contaminated pollution as a result of the upstream storm surge inundation and coastal runoff. Organic matter, chemical pollutants, and refuse washed off the land from torrential precipitation leading to additional negative environmental impacts. Environmental scientists suggest the pollution could damage aquatic ecosystems posing short-term dangers to human and resource health, while also subjecting these fragile ecosystems to additional long-term challenges. 
With the increasing intensity and frequency of storms like Hurricane Ian, similar events are likely to become more normal in the future. For at-risk regions, preparing the necessary infrastructure and response teams is vital to adequately handle estimated damages. These damages include factors impacting infrastructure, human health, environmental well-being, and long-term effects. Over the past decade, the United States has already had multiple examples of these effects as climate change continues to increase natural disaster intensities and frequencies.

Increasing Shipping Tolls to Inflate Medical Supply Costs in 2023

Increasing transit tolls for passage through the Suez Canal may result in increased costs associated with healthcare, medical products, and various other consumer industries. The Suez Canal will increase its toll rates for ships using the maritime route connecting Europe to Asia. Expected increases will begin in January of 2023, raising vessel toll rates by 15% for freighters and 10% for dry cargo and cruise ships. Amidst the ongoing pandemic conditions still affecting many regions of the world, access to affordable healthcare and medical products will inevitably succumb to increases as almost 90% of global trade is facilitated through the vital canal. 

The geographic significance of the Suez Canal places it centrally between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Before its development essential commodities, medicine, and health supplies had to make the arduous journey around Africa’s Cape Horn. Bypassing the southern route for the Suez Canal can reduce shipping time by more than seven days and save substantial money. The decision for the increased toll rates for this vital shipping route arose as higher than average rates of vessel traffic returned amid pandemic recovery, technological advancement in vessel utilization, and continued impacts facing congested shipping ports globally. 

The Suez Canal is often described as the artery at the heart of global trade because a majority of trade is facilitated through the canal that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. The canal observed more than 12% of all global trade and 30% of global container traffic each year. These large shipping containers utilize the much faster route to rapidly deliver critical commercial goods, energy, medicine, and industrial components. 

As the coronavirus spread globally in early 2020, catastrophic maritime operation reductions in many ports forced freighters to opt for longer routes affecting their deliveries. The massive redirection of freighters during this time congested areas like the Suez, inadvertently forcing ships into smaller ports not designed to accommodate such a large influx of activity. The effects left medical professionals and the public without access to vital medications, tools, and equipment during a worldwide pandemic. The results of the congestion are still unraveling today, reinforced by the recent canal blockage by a cargo freighter in early 2021. The ship got stuck traversing the canal, blocking any passage by other vessels in the queue. Without an active channel to transport the ships, a gridlock of more than 100 vessels piled up on both sides of the canal, further contributing to the already delayed global trade industry. 

After the 2021 blockage was cleared and signs of the pandemic began relaxing, maritime shipping rapidly increased past former heights as countries attempted to account for the economic losses of the last few years. This rapid traffic influx forced the canal to support the passage of more than 50 vessels per day. Additional advancements in vessel utilization has greatly improved larger freighter’s overall performance, extending their transport range and volume. The canal managers are worried that without adequate funding to support the growing daily use of the route, more accidents like the blockage of 2021 will occur and contribute to future stock shortages, delays, and restricted access to healthcare tools.  

It is highly likely the health industries will face price inflation as the cost of consumer goods increase to match shipping costs. More than $1 trillion USD worth of global commerce industry goods pass through the canal each year. Potential welfare effects may impact less developed regions as healthcare costs also increase to afford inflated medical supply costs. Additional revenue generated by the 2023 toll increases is expected to reinforce the canal, prevent future blockages, and maintain increasing influxes of global traffic. Whatever changes American consumers face regarding the toll increases, the associated costs will still be more affordable than any commodity delivered via longer alternative shipping routes.

Flooding Infrastructure and Climate Change

Over the course of this year, many areas of the United States have experienced severe flooding disasters, including places like Yellowstone, Kentucky, Denver, Death Valley, St. Louis, and Dallas. These areas experienced higher than average prolonged rainfall leading to an inundation of their already weak flood infrastructure, resulting in massive water overflow and significant economic losses. Widespread flooding affects local communities by leading to displacement, damage, and death. With the ongoing climate changes already causing strengthened and more frequent natural disasters, experts agree this flooding is also connected. 

Flooding does not only occur in these large regions because of the excess rain, although that is a significant factor. Many other factors are involved in severe flooding events, and the root of the problem is the predominant lack of adequate flooding infrastructure. Most urban areas use a combination of gutters, storm drains, and underground sewers to remove excess water from street surfaces and redirect it out of the city. These systems work well when there are periodic rain storms, characteristic of the region. However, their systems begin to malfunction when extensive amounts of precipitation inundate the region over a short period. Large influxes of water into the drainage infrastructure can rapidly overwhelm sewers resulting in backflow of water, pooling in large areas of these urban areas. The water can quickly become fast-moving water sources, wreaking havoc on communities and urban centers. 

Effects of flooding from past events like the 2005 Hurricane Katrina can still be seen across Louisiana today. Floods have enormous social consequences for impacted communities and individuals by threatening loss of human life, destroying property, damaging crops, deteriorating health, and leading to increased water-borne illnesses. The long-term effects of these floods can also disrupt clean water access, wastewater management, electricity, transportation, communication, and the loss of countless livelihoods. 

Another major factor affecting the outcome of these flooding events in urban areas is the lack of natural land that would otherwise effectively absorb and redirect excess water into surrounding areas. Most cities have surface areas encased in asphalt and concrete, preventing water from seeping into ground soil below. Impermeable surfaces in large cities increase their susceptibility to flooding when there are large influxes of rain, often making flooding worse.

Many technological and wealthy countries have been investing significantly in flood forecasting and preparation, inadvertently leaving their cities without many of the critical flood infrastructure systems that would protect them from these events. The resulting lack of development has led to many instances of significant loss of life regardless of the ample warnings because the areas were not physically able to manage such large influxes of water. 

The unfortunate reality faced by many areas across the United States is that these flood prevention infrastructures, like dams, reservoirs, and storm drains, were all designed decades ago and are completely outdated. Installed systems have failed to adequately handle the increasing large precipitation events over the last decade. 

New research into natural sources of flood protection found in flood plains, forests, and wetlands discovered that protecting and restoring these threatened regions could effectively protect nearby cities from a large quantity of flooding. These efforts, updating outdated infrastructure, and better allocating development land are all ways to combat future flooding events.