Role of the CVL Commission in Volcanology and IAVCEI

by Johan C. Varekamp

President of the CVL commission

The CVL has an important role to play within IAVCEI and a significant scientific mission in volcanology. Volcanic lakes are used to monitor volcanic activity, they harbour their own volcanic dangers (CO2 explosions, lahars, phreatic explosions), and may leak toxic fluids into the surface environment. In addition, they provide "deep blue" windows into the interior of volcanoes and even deeper into the magma source regions, with topical linkages towards ore deposition and geothermal energy development. Reasons enough to pay substantial attention to volcanic lakes. In addition, many global change researchers use volcanic lakes for the study of environmental change. The sedimentary records are influenced both by climatic / hydrological parameters and volcanic inputs, and the expertise of CVL members can contribute to decipher these records. It was the wisdom of the CVL originators to recognize that volcanic lake science is a special field with intertwined aspects of disciplines such as volcanology, limnology, geochemistry, and biology/toxicology.

We thank Minoru Kusakabe and all the former steering committee members for their efforts, and congratulate them on their success in elevating 'volcano lake science' into a recognized field of inquiry, worthy of its own IAVCEI commission. We should continue to communicate through regular meetings with CVL themes, either jointly with other meetings or as independent CVL conferences.

We also should continue to organize workshops and fieldtrips, as has been done so successfully in the recent past by Minoru Kusakabe, Sergei Fazlullin and Alain Bernard / Manfred VanBergen. Apart from reaching our professional colleagues, there still is a rather open playing field in the communication of volcanic lake science to the general public. In the UK, a documentary on crater lakes was put together by Granada TV, George Kling had a nice write-up in National Geographic, and similar opportunities to peddle our scientific wares abound to those interested in these venues.

The CVL Newsletter had a good run for many years, thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of Sam Freeth, who whipped us up to not only promise papers but also to write them. Recently, the Newsletter faded somewhat as a result of logistical problems combined with the financial burden of producing and mailing a Newsletter to about 100 CVL members. We thought it would be wise to switch formats and establish a formal CVL website, which would become the main means of member communication. It will feature a message board, a membership list with contact info, short articles (similar to the Newsletter), an article archive, photo series and/or volcanic lake art, and news items such as new projects, preliminary results, funding opportunities, conference announcements etc. We would still mail to those members that lack the needed internet access an annual paper copy of the site.

Future projects for CVL :

• The creation of an on-line global catalog of volcanic lakes, which was proposed as a follow-up activity to the Crater Lake (OR) meeting. Such a database should be an integral part of the new volcanic unrest database (WOVODAT), an effort that is being spearheaded by Chris Newhall. The current Wesleyan University volcanic lake site (http://www.wesleyan.edu/ees/volclakes.html ) is the humble beginning of such a larger effort.

• Volcanic lakes are monitored in many parts of the world for volcanic activity through temperature and water composition measurements. The database will provide a background for such monitoring efforts and helps to assess what type of changes are significant. General papers on temperature and chemical variations in crater lakes have appeared in the past, but these are rather theoretical and not easily applicable to real life cases. It would be worthwhile to organize a workshop for scientists from volcano observatories that study crater lakes to discuss the science of volcano monitoring through lakes. The generic computer routines that have been developed over the years by several scientists can be developed into site-specific tools, and can be linked to existing data sets to asses the nature of empirical anomalies.

• Development of degassing technology and monitoring efforts of potentially explosive, CO2-charged lakes.

• Acid, toxic fluids escape from crater lakes and emerge in water-sheds down-slope on the volcano. In many areas, these fluids are sources of natural pollution, but used by the local population for irrigation and/or household purposes. The environmental impact of these hyperacid fluids is poorly known and deserves better study. Coordination with health professionals seems worthwhile.

• Networking with global change researchers and participation in joint meetings These are lofty goals that will keep us busy for the next few years.

They will not only bring intellectual satisfaction to CVL members, but may contain aspects for the common good of people living near active volcanoes.

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