Geohazards - Module Essay 2009 Example

Geohazards - Module Essay 2009 Example Geohazards - Module Essay 2009 â€" Essay Example > Introduction With the increasing level of technology in the world, it would be expected that some natural disasters would not be a threat to man. One such disaster is the occurrence of volcanic clouds, which have several implications for the world’s aviation industry. Many devices and mechanisms have been invented to deal the threat of volcanic ash clouds to flight vessels. Such equipment include a wide array of airborne and ground-based radar systems that are used in observation and monitoring of the occurrence and movement of volcanic clouds (Federal Aviation Administration National Weather Service 2007). In spite of the momentous technological improvements in observation and monitoring of volcanic ash clouds, the fact that the phenomenon occurs naturally and may not be precisely predicted makes volcanic ash clouds pose a major challenge to the aviation industry globally (Federal Aviation Administration National Weather Service 2007, Gad-el-Hak 2008). Although many research institutions are actively involved in more advanced studies to monitor volcanic ash clouds, to say that this natural phenomenon is no longer a threat to the aviation industry would be an overstatement. As it will be discussed in this paper, significant studies on volcanic ash clouds have been done by renowned bodies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) of the United States; and the World Meteorological Organization and the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand among others, but the findings have been unsatisfactory to rate volcanic ash clouds as “safe” with reference to aviation. The paper contains a description of volcanic ash clouds, their implications to the aviation industry, what has been done to contain them, and why they are still a threat to aviation. Overview of volcanic ash clouds Volcanic ash clouds are derived from are pulverized rock materials. The extruded rock materials usually have a large c ontent of siliceous particles that occur in the form of minute glass slices. The temperature of the silica usually below the functioning temperatures of aeroplanes at their various cruise altitudes cruise altitudes. The high temperate of aeroplanes as they pass over volcanic ash clouds causes modification of the ash clouds into complex compound that have multiple effects as will be discussed in other sections of this paper (Krapivin Varotsos 2008). Some of the changes in volcanic ash in which complex reactions are involved include the conversion of sulphur dioxide gas into sulphuric acid and many other deleterious substances (Krapivin Varotsos 2008). Additionally, volcanic ash clouds per se have a resounding effect of causing physical damage to aeroplane parts. All these aspects make volcanic ash clouds a major challenge to aviation as discussed in the following section. Implications of volcanic ash clouds aviationVery few sources of literature, if any, have regarded volcanic ash clouds a normal occurrence that poses no current threat to aviation. It is inarguable that many studies are being done to mitigate the volcanic ash clouds to aviation, but many recent sources of information indicate that indeed the phenomenon is a current problem. Many research works indicate that volcanic ashes indeed pose a major threat to the aviation industry in the world. Very few authors such as Guffanti and Miller (2002) have indicated that the effects of volcanic ash clouds in aviation can be mitigated. Kite-Powell (2001) notes that volcanic ash clouds are on their own a major hazard to aviation in two notable ways. The first one and which is probably the more serious one, is when the ash clouds obstruct aircraft in flight. The second effect is associated with the formation of huge clouds of volcanic ash precipitates that bar the movement of aircrafts, implying that they have to be cleared before aircraft can resume normal operations (Kite-Powell 2001).