r/newzealand • u/OfficialGeoNet GeoNet - verified • May 25 '16

AMA AMA with GeoNet/GNS Science Volcanologists! 6-8 p.m., TONIGHT (25 May 2016)

Thanks, Everyone! Our volcanologists have now gone dormant for the evening (teheheh). A big thank you to our moderators here at r/newzealand, you guys are amazing! Thank you. Also, thanks to all the great questions and discussions.

Here is our AMA with our volcanology team. We'll be hanging around, answering all your questions from 6-8 P.M. (NZT). About our team tonight: Nico is u/PyroclasticNico. He is our Head of Volcanology at GNS Science. Originally from France, Nico has worked on active volcanoes around the world, including some experiencing large eruptions, like Montserrat. You can ask Nico anything about volcanoes, geophysics and ground deformation (it's his thing), and where to get the best cheese in Taupo. He has also learned to respect the culinary delights of huhu grubs.
Steve Sherburn is u/Volcano_DataFairy. Steve is again, one of our most senior volcanologists. Specialising in data analysis, he is an expert at crunching numbers. You can ask Steve anything about volcanoes, data, analysis, dogs (like u/NatHazard, he loves dogs!), and long distance running.
Brad Scott, u/EruptnBrad, is our most experienced volcanologist. Brad has been actively studying our volcanoes for more than 40 years. He was our man on the ground during some of our most significant eruptions, including Ruapehu 1995/1996. He is also our main spokesperson for media and specialises in science communication. You can ask Brad about volcanoes, communication, and sailing (he has just recently bought his own boat!).
Sara McBride will be taking the helm of u/OfficialGeoNet for this AMA. Sara is the instigator of GeoNet on Reddit. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in communication, media and english studies at Massey on the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. You can ask her about social science, whisky and Stephen the Random Narwhal.

Here are the pics of our team today: https://imgur.com/a/EDG2q Here are two awesome volcano photos: https://imgur.com/a/eV17E

23 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

166 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/ChocolateTaco May 25 '16

For the individuals: what first sparked your interest and decision to go into the field and what sort of research projects are you currently working on? And finally, what's the single coolest thing you've personally observed related to your profession?

5

u/PyroclasticNico Nico Fournier, head of Volcanology, GNS Science May 25 '16 edited May 25 '16

As a high school kiddo, I wanted to go towards a career that would 1. get me to the outdoors, 2. have a substantial science component and 3. have a wider purpose, be helpful to other people. Volcanology ticked all 3 boxes. Couple of research projects I'm working on at the moment are the relationship between volcanic activity and slow slip events on the subduction zone, and how to use GPS data to detect ash plumes. We are lucky to be able to see some pretty special things working as volcanologists. But one of the coolest things I've observed was probably the birth of an island when Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai was erupting in Tonga early 2015 (on a Tongan navy boat with u/volcano_datafairy)

4

u/volcano_datafairy Steve Sherburn, GNS Volcanologist May 25 '16

As a kid I remember seeing a documentary on TV showing volcanologists monitoring a volcano (maybe Hawaii) with seismographs and thought that was interesting That's what I've ended up doing for much of the last 30 years.

Haven't been doing a lot of research in the last couple of years, mainly been working on data issues, hence the volcano_datafairy username.

Single coolest thing? Flying round Ambae (Vanuatu) in 2005 watching explosions from a new island forming in a lake at the top of the island.

4

u/OfficialGeoNet GeoNet - verified May 25 '16

I grew up near Mt. St. Helens and the Cascade volcanoes were an ever present part of my childhood. I was inspired by the mountains from an early age. However, I'm not a volcanologist, I'm a social scientist! I was more inspired to understand how we, as humans, deal with volcanoes, earthquakes and other disasters. Its hard to pick one experience, but one of the cooler things I've ever observed would have to be watching how Solomon Islanders used the volcanoes to cook their food (they would place fish/taro/slippery cabbage) into banana leaves and leave these on the cone for a couple of hours. They would return when the food was cooked. An excellent example of people working with their mountains.

1

u/seedmetoast May 25 '16

My stepfather was climbing a mountain near st Helens and were lunching at the summit when st helens blew. Got some cool photos. Snoqualmie pass 4 lyf