Volcano Risk Reduction in Canada project
The Volcano Risk Reduction in Canada project (VRRC) is a three year project funded by the Canada Safety and Security Program (CSSP-2022-CP-2537). Its objective is to develop and promote an evidence-based approach to volcanic disaster risk reduction in Canada. It brings together researchers, government agencies, practitioners, and communities to:
- Develop a hazard and risk assessment at a key very high threat volcano, Nch’ḵay̓ (Mount Garibaldi), which is located near the town of Squamish, British Columbia, on the traditional and unceded lands of the Squamish Nation
- Develop a single operational volcano data monitoring stream, using InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar), to monitor volcanoes for ground surface deformation and improve situational awareness about the dormancy or unrest state of Canadian volcanoes
- Lead:
- Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
(Geological Survey of Canada, Canadian Hazards Information Service, Canadian Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation) - Partnerships:
- Aisix Solutions, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University
- Timeline:
- May 2022 to March 2026
- Funded by:
- Canada Safety and Security Program (CSSP-2022-CP-2537)
- Funds:
- $1.465 million in direct funding, $1.546 million in co-investment contributions, over 4 years
- Desired outcome:
- Canadian organizations and communities will make evidence-based decisions about volcanic risk.
- Project deliverables:
-
- Hazard and risk assessment for Nch’ḵay̓ (Mount Garibaldi)
- Guidelines for volcanic hazard and risk assessment in Canada
- Operational InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) monitoring system for Canadian volcanoes
- Knowledge codeveloped with communities
- Desired benefits:
- Greater resilience to volcanic unrest and eruptions, potentially reduced future losses, improved socio-economic security
Background
Reducing the risk from volcanic hazards has several components (Figure 1):
- Understanding long-term volcano behaviour (what a volcano will do over years to centuries): This requires detailed geological studies and hazard assessment
- Understanding short-term volcano behaviour (what a volcano will do over hours to weeks): This requires monitoring of earthquakes (seismic activity), ground deformation, gas emissions, and other events that may provide information about what is happening at the volcano
- Understanding volcanic risk: This requires combining hazard information with exposure information (for example, overlaying maps of where lava is likely to go with maps of where buildings are located)
- Education, communications, and emergency management: These components are critical in order to ensure that scientific information is relevant, accessible, and trusted; that decisions are based on evidence; and that all those who might be affected by the volcano are involved
In order to develop our capacity to reduce risk from volcanoes (Figure 2), we started by assessing which Canadian volcanoes were dangerous. Canada has at least 348 young volcanic vents distributed across 28 volcanic complexes or fields, all in British Columbia and the Yukon. We assessed the threats at these volcanoes—the likelihood that the volcano might harm people or damage property. The assessment used a ranking system developed by the United States Geological Survey and was based on a number of geology factors (like how often the volcano erupts or how big past eruptions were) and a number of exposure factors (like how many people live nearby, or what infrastructure is close to the volcano). We grouped the volcanoes into five threat categories, based on this assessment, ranging from Very Low Threat to Very High Threat. Canada has two very high threat volcanoes, Nch’ḵay̓ (Mount Garibaldi) and Qw’elqw’elústen (Mount Meager).
Based on this threat ranking, we chose Nch’ḵay̓ (Mount Garibaldi) as the hazard and risk assessment target for this project, both because of its very high threat level and because we know very little about its eruptive history and hazards compared to Canada’s other very high threat volcano, Qw’elqw’elústen (Mount Meager). Hazards maps have been made for many volcanoes around the world because they can show us what areas may be affected by different volcanic hazards, how likely it is an area may be affected, and how dangerous certain areas are. The hazard assessment will help us to understand Nch’ḵay̓’s eruptive history and potential hazards, such as lahars, pyroclastic flows, lava flows, and volcanic ash.
The InSAR monitoring system we are developing for Canadian volcanoes will provide a cost-effective way to look at many volcanoes using existing satellite resources. This will provide a window into the status of volcanoes, giving clues about whether a volcano is still dormant or whether it may be awakening. Although this ground deformation monitoring cannot tell us everything we need to know in order to forecast what a volcano will do over short time periods of hours, days, or weeks, it will greatly improve our situational awareness. If we see signs of unrest, we can then respond appropriately by adding more monitoring, by providing information to emergency managers and communities, or by taking other actions as needed. Using evidence to make decisions is key.
We will communicate the new scientific knowledge to the people and communities at risk, through guidelines for volcanic hazard and risk assessment, maps, reports, Web pages, and other methods. We hope that communities, organizations, and individuals will use Volcano Risk Reduction in Canada project results to make evidence-based decisions about volcanic hazard and risk, according to their own needs, values, and priorities.
