Simulating volcanic plumes on the island of Hawai'i

The height and orientation of pollutant plumes have a large impact on which regions are affected by poor air quality and to what degree. Since it began operations in 2010, the University of Hawaii at Manoa Vog Model, a customized version of the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model, has utilized a simple static representation of the volcanic plumes of Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawai'i. These plumes are based on persistent trade wind conditions (northeast winds). Observations from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory suggest that the plume heights are a function of wind speed. Local observations of atmospheric stability are not available at the volcano but it is assumed that plume height is also a function of atmospheric stability. Comparison between plume heights and radiosonde data at Hilo show no relationship. Results from the inclusion of a dynamic plume representation in the vog model, forced by a prescribed surface heat flux, will be compared with results using the static plume representation and validated against downwind observations. Tests will be carried out to show the sensitivity of the plume height to prescribed surface heat flux.