More about the Programme
The implementation of the EVOP programme of research onto the six volcano laboratories relies on the concomitant actions of the national and supranational funding. Through the concerted actions enabled by the ESF involvement, five of the six volcano laboratories received a contract from the EC Environment Programme. This allowed a substantial amount of field work, sampling and analyses of volcanic rocks and fluids to be carried out.
As the Krafla volcano was not included in the EC funding - solely on bureaucratic grounds - special attention and funds were provided by EVOP in order to maintain a certain level of European research activity in Iceland. At the same time, the experienced Icelandic volcanologists are involved in almost all the other volcanoes being studied.
In the case of the Santorini (Greece) and Furnas (Portugal) volcanoes, the EVOP plan includes the setting up of a monitoring network of seismographs, mareographs, deformation measuring devices, etc., to be used as an early warning system in case of impending eruption and as an essential tool to study the "normal" behaviour of each volcano, while providing data for modelling the inner workings of the volcanic structure and plumbing system.
There was a well attended workshop on the European Laboratory Volcanoes in Santorini Island, Greece, on 2-4 May 1996, co-sponsored by the ESF and the EC/DGXII Environment and Climate Research Programme. In particular, EVOP provided twelve travel grants to enable young volcanologists to participate in this important event.
At this workshop, quasi final results of the Laboratory Volcanoes Programme were presented regarding magma plumbing and feeding systems, magma evolution and volatile composition, eruptive mechanisms and physical volcanology, simulation and modelling of volcanic processes and volcano monitoring, hazard assessment and risk evaluation.
In Santorini, scientists publicly acknowledged the invaluable role played by the ESF in helping the European volcanologists produce a coherent and convincing science plan, which was well received and funded both nationally and at the European level.
Programme management
Steering Committee chaired by Professor Franco Barberi; (University of Pisa, Italy).
8 contributing organisations.
