NEMOH Final Network School
November 09 – November 14, 2015
Linguaglossa, Catania, Italy
VOLCANIC HAZARDS: From Observations to Forecasts - REPORT
Training Material (temporary link)
At the Finish Line of our Training: The Last NEMOH School at Linguaglossa
Laura Spina – NEMOH fellow
Framed by the rugged landscape of Mt. Etna, the Final NEMOH School has taken place on 9-14 November 2015 at Linguaglossa (Catania, Italy). After having received a broad and stimulating training on investigation and monitoring techniques, it finally comes the time to test ourselves with the fundamental question: what would we actually do during a volcanic crisis? During the week, we took part to an exciting exercitation, challenging our knowledge by establishing our scientific strategy in facing a hypothetical impeding eruption at Mt. Etna. While playing the role of scientific staff of a volcano observatory, we have been assisted by the scientific équipe of Osservatorio Etneo (INGV-OE), in terms of a substantial number of researchers from the observatory and not least the supervision of its Director, Eugenio Privitera. Additionally, we have been supported by the assistance of a great international advisers: Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, Giovanni Macedonio, Christopher Newhall.
They all provided us not only the data we used during our exercise, but most of all their competence and their time. We are definitely thankful for their dedication, and not less, for having resisted any temptation to interfere with our judgments. Even if conscious of being part of a simulation rather than in a real crisis, we had the chance to experience the pressure of the commitment for reporting the state of the volcano to the civil protection, journalists and people. Additionally, we learnt how necessary is not only to process data, but to discuss them and make a single picture altogether.
On the last day of the school, we were also offered a training on Project Writing and European Projects by Fabrizio Storti (Università degli Studi di Parma) and Raffaella Pignolo, that provided us an important background-knowledge for our scientific ideas to get funded. The school was also the time for enjoying a walk on the top of Mt. Etna “A Muntagna” and she offered us a very special day, clear and sunny as few occurs. The dark profile of her black slopes, standing out against the blue sky and only sparsely splashed of white snow, reminded us the forces of nature, which we aim to understand. The volcanic guides Antonino Longo and Giuseppe Mazzaglia lead us up to the crater rim, where we could observe sporadic mild ash emission, and then down to the margin of the Bove Valley, passing through the vent that fed volcanic activity in March 2015. With us, Pietro, the volcano-dog-guide that took a special place in our memories (and pictures!).
Finally, a Marie Curie Open Day was held at Linguaglossa on 13 November. This was not our first MC Open Day, but this time we experienced an added value, facing the curiosity of young (and less young) peoples that live beyond the volcano and are actually used to volcanic phenomena, thought they do not know the science behind. “They were crashing on the car glass. I was with my nephew, and I did not know what to do”-told us a woman, referring to the bombs falling on the northern side of the volcano few months earlier. We will for sure keep in our mind their curiosity and their urgency for having answer, conscious that the role of replying to the unsolved question is now in our hands.
