Mount Redoubt Steaming, Anchorage Waiting, Webcams Watching

Places like Anchorage, Alaska, and Mount Redoubt don't get in the news much, unless there's something like a volcanic eruption. Which may happen any time, now:

• "Scientist see holes in glacier at Alaska volcano"
  The Associated Press (February 1, 2009)
  • "ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Geologists monitoring Mount Redoubt for signs of a possible eruption noticed that a hole in the glacier clinging to the north side of the volcano had doubled in size overnight — and now spans the length of two football fields.
  • "Scientists with the Alaska Volcano Observatory on Friday flew close to Drift Glacier and spotted...."
• "Alaska volcano 'more energetic,' scientists say"
  CNN (January 30, 2009)
  • "(CNN) -- Mount Redoubt, the Alaskan volcano expected to erupt at any time, is getting a bit more edgy...."
• "Inside Alaska's Explosive Redoubt Volcano"
  LiveScience (January 30, 2009)
  • "Mount Redoubt volcano in Alaska could erupt within days to weeks, say scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, amazing the rest of us with their certainty...."

One of my favorite headlines is:

• "Travelers volcano eruption survival guide"
  Alaska Transportation Examiner (January 30, 2009)
  • "In case you had not heard, Mt. Redoubt is set to do another big blow. The last time was about twenty years ago and the spewing of ash disrupted air travel for weeks.""
    (January 30, 2009)

The article's tone is light:"...The problem is that as you can imagine, volcanic ash and jet turbines do not mix very well...." You'll get a pretty good background on why it isn't a good idea to fly through a volcanic ash cloud. And, more to the point, a sensible-sounding list of ways to prepare, if you're traveling past an active volcano.

The University of Alaska has a couple of webcams pointed at Mount Redoubt. One of them was watching another volcano, but they turned it for this occasion. At this moment (about a quarter after 10 in the morning, here in central Minnesota), there's not much to see. Anchorage is west and north of us - so it's still night there.

"Live webcam images of various Alaskan volcanoes"
Alaska Volcano Observatory
Including two for Mount Redoubt:

• Hut
  "This camera provides a view of the north flank of Redoubt."
• CI
  "The camera is located on Unocal Platform Anna, approximately 38 miles SE of Mt. Spurr, it was originally pointed at Mt. Spurr."

The Alaska Volcano Observatory looks like a pretty good resource for information about Alaska's volcanoes.

And, on Mount Redoubt: "Redoubt Activity"

Mount Redoubt is roughly a hundred miles away from Anchorage, near the east edge of the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, west of that long island across Cook Inlet from Clam Gultch.


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