Puff model
Encyclopedia
The Puff model is a volcanic ash tracking model developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
. It requires windfield data on a geographic grid covering the area over which ash may be dispersed. Representative ash particles are initiated at the volcano's location and then allowed to advect, diffuse, and settle within the atmosphere. The location of the particles at any time after the eruption can be viewed using the post-processing software included with the model. Output data is in netCDF format and can also be viewed with a variety of software.
, 1989. Dr. Craig Searcy rewrote and modified the Puff code in C++
, and created the initial GUI
so the program could be used operationally for volcano monitoring in the early and mid-1990s. His version of the program is running at the National Weather Service
(NWS), Anchorage, Alaska
, although updated versions of Puff are also available at the NWS.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory
(AVO) provided support for Puff through a post doctorate position (Drs. Mark Servilla and Jon Dehn) during the late 1990s to support analysis of volcanic clouds during eruptions.
In a joint program called University Partnering for Operational Support (UPOS) between the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
(early 2000s), Puff was integrated into the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) volcano monitoring system by Rorik Peterson and David Tillman. UPOS support resulted in the testing of the sensitivity of Puff and the development of WebPuff, and new modules including the capability to model stratospheric eruptions, non-point source events (e.g. fires) and tracking of volcanic clouds from multiple eruptions simultaneously by Dr. Rorik Peterson. The utility of the multiple eruption capability became evident during the 13 January 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano
where the movement of six volcanic clouds across the Gulf of Alaska
were tracked simultaneously.
Starting in 2006, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
(ARSC) provided support for Puff through a Post Doctorate position occupied by Dr. Peter Webley. Puff is now in use at AVO, Anchorage Volcanic Ash Advisory Center
(VAAC), AFWA, and other national agencies worldwide as well as at other universities. Professor Ken Dean has been the principal scientist leading the development of Puff since Professor Tanaka returned to Japan in the early 1990s.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
. It requires windfield data on a geographic grid covering the area over which ash may be dispersed. Representative ash particles are initiated at the volcano's location and then allowed to advect, diffuse, and settle within the atmosphere. The location of the particles at any time after the eruption can be viewed using the post-processing software included with the model. Output data is in netCDF format and can also be viewed with a variety of software.
History
Puff was initially conceived and developed by Prof. H. Tanaka as a novel method for simulating ash cloud trajectories during the eruption of Mt. RedoubtMount Redoubt (Alaska)
Mount Redoubt, or Redoubt Volcano, is an active stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located in the Chigmit Mountains , the mountain is just west of Cook Inlet, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough about 180 km southwest of Anchorage...
, 1989. Dr. Craig Searcy rewrote and modified the Puff code in C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
, and created the initial GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
so the program could be used operationally for volcano monitoring in the early and mid-1990s. His version of the program is running at the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
(NWS), Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, although updated versions of Puff are also available at the NWS.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory
Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a joint program of the United States Geological Survey, the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys...
(AVO) provided support for Puff through a post doctorate position (Drs. Mark Servilla and Jon Dehn) during the late 1990s to support analysis of volcanic clouds during eruptions.
In a joint program called University Partnering for Operational Support (UPOS) between the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Applied Physics Laboratory
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , located in Howard County, Maryland near Laurel and Columbia, is a not-for-profit, university-affiliated research center employing 4,500 people. APL is primarily a defense contractor. It serves as a technical resource for the Department of...
(early 2000s), Puff was integrated into the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) volcano monitoring system by Rorik Peterson and David Tillman. UPOS support resulted in the testing of the sensitivity of Puff and the development of WebPuff, and new modules including the capability to model stratospheric eruptions, non-point source events (e.g. fires) and tracking of volcanic clouds from multiple eruptions simultaneously by Dr. Rorik Peterson. The utility of the multiple eruption capability became evident during the 13 January 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano
Augustine Volcano
Augustine Volcano is a Lava Dome Complex on Augustine Island in southwestern Cook Inlet in the Kenai Peninsula Borough of southcentral coastal Alaska, southwest of Anchorage. The Alaska Volcano Observatory currently rates Mount Augustine as Level of Concern Color Code Green for aviation and the...
where the movement of six volcanic clouds across the Gulf of Alaska
Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.The entire shoreline of the Gulf is...
were tracked simultaneously.
Starting in 2006, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
The Arctic Region Supercomputing Center is a research facility organized under the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center offers high-performance computing and mass storage to the UAF and State of Alaska...
(ARSC) provided support for Puff through a Post Doctorate position occupied by Dr. Peter Webley. Puff is now in use at AVO, Anchorage Volcanic Ash Advisory Center
Volcanic Ash Advisory Center
A Volcanic Ash Advisory Center is a group of experts responsible for coordinating and disseminating information on atmospheric volcanic ash clouds that may endanger aviation. As of 2010, there are nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers located around the world, each one focusing on a particular...
(VAAC), AFWA, and other national agencies worldwide as well as at other universities. Professor Ken Dean has been the principal scientist leading the development of Puff since Professor Tanaka returned to Japan in the early 1990s.