Making flights safer from volcanic ash April 6, 2026 According to the FAA, there are over 16 million flights a year in the U.S. and approximately 5,500 aircraft in the sky over the U.S. at peak times. Ash in the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions is a surprisingly common and very dangerous hazard that many people…
HYSPLIT Volcanic Ash Model Mt. Augustine volcanic eruption(Credit: Cyrus Read, U.S. Geological Survey) Volcanic ash is hazardous to aircraft because it can degrade engine performance and navigational and operational instrumentation. Meteorologists at the VAAC and the Meteorological Watch Offices use the HYSPLIT forecasts, among other sources of information, for writing Volcanic Ash Advisories and Significant…
Initializing HYSPLIT with Satellite Observations of Volcanic Ash ARL is investigating the use of satellite information about volcanic ash clouds to improve volcanic ash forecasts made with HYSPLIT. Some of this work has been described in a paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres: Crawford, B. J. B. Stunder, F. Ngan, M. J.…
Volcanic Ash Modeling Mt. Augustine volcanic eruption(Credit: Cyrus Read, U.S. Geological Survey) Volcanic ash is a hazard to aircraft because it can degrade engine performance and navigational and operational instrumentation. Operationally, the NWS runs the ARL-developed HYSPLIT model to forecast the transport and dispersion of volcanic ash in and near the U.S. Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers’ (VAAC)…
ARL News National Volcanic Ash Operations Plan August 30, 2007 The Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM) will soon publish the “National Volcanic Ash Operations Plan for Aviation and Support of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) International Airways Volcano Watch”. ARL’s role, outlined in the plan, is to…
ARL HYSPLIT model version nine upgrade implemented May 7, 2026 HYSPLIT plume showing the projected time-of-arrival in a hypothetical release originating from Germany on April 21, 2026, across the Mediterranean toward North Africa. Credit: NOAA ARL The Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) and National Weather Service’s National Center for Environmental Protections (NCEP) approved ARL’s HYSPLIT version…
Chemical leak at public pool leads to requests for HYSPLIT runs for community’s safety July 21, 2025 A maintenance employee checked the chemical room at a Millville, PA community pool last Thursday morning. He saw something leaking and immediately recognized the smell as liquid chlorine due to his background as a volunteer firefighter. The chemical…
Air Resources Laboratory’s HYSPLIT v9 approved for implementation March 20, 2025 https://www.arl.noaa.gov/wp_arl/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/HYSPLIT-Ash-Simulation.mp4 HYSPLIT simulation of ash from a hypothetical eruption of Mount Spur. Credit: Alice Crawford (NOAA) The Air Resources Laboratory’s (ARL) HYSPLIT model is one of the most extensively used atmospheric transport and dispersion models in the atmospheric sciences community. It has been used…
Ariel Stein appointed to serve on the National Volcano Early Warning System Advisory Committee ARL Director Ariel Stein was appointed by the Secretary of Interior to a two-year term to serve on the National Volcano Early Warning System Advisory Committee (NVEWSAC). As part of this committee, he will help the Secretary with the implementation of…
Air Resources Laboratory Celebrates 75th Anniversary at AMS January 25, 2024 As an opening to the 75th anniversary celebrations, ARL is hosting sessions at AMS in Baltimore on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. Director, Dr. Ariel Stein, and Deputy Director, Dr. LaToya Myles will chair three sessions on the history, current and future research, and partnerships…