EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY INTERNET-ACCESSIBLE MONITORING DATA FROM THE PU‘U ‘Ō‘Ō ERUPTIVE VENT, KĪLAUEA VOLCANO, HAWAI‘I

Since 1983, eruptive activity on the east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, has been nearly continuous. The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent has been the focus of the eruption, experiencing cycles of growth and collapse, high lava fountains, lava lakes, and other phenomena over the course of its existence. To track volcanic activity, various types of monitoring instrumentation have been added to the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone, including (as of August 2009) two webcams, one short-period seismometer, one broadband seismometer, seven continuous GPS stations, and two continuous borehole tiltmeters.

Monitoring data from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō will be made available via the Internet as part of a collaborative research and education project between the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa. The educational Website is intended for use in college and university-level courses, from introductory science classes to graduate-level seminars. Scheduled to come on-line by fall 2009, the Website will include background information and references concerning the 1983–present Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō-Kupaianaha eruption, descriptions of various monitoring tools, resources for instructors, and, most importantly, tools to explore monitoring data from the eruptive vent. Geophysical data, such as GPS, seismic, and tilt measurements, will be accessible via a time-series query tool, while the complete archive of webcam imagery will be available as both individual images and using a movie-making tool to allow for examination of visual changes in volcanic activity over time. The goal of the project is to demonstrate the dynamic nature of the Earth, promote excitement about the process of scientific discovery, and inspire the next generation of Earth Scientists. To encourage use of the Website, a workshop will be held during mid-2010 to develop curricula for various levels of courses at different types of colleges and universities.