RAPID: Monitoring the glacial-outburst flood (jökulhlaup) resulting from the eruption of Barðarbunga Volcano, Iceland

Georgetown University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

a) A non-technical description of the project's broader significance and importance Glacial outburst floods ("jökuhlhaup" in Icelandic) can occur when a volcanic eruption occurs under an ice mass. The surge of water and debris that results can be catastrophic for anything in its path. These events, although relatively rare in most parts of the world, are familiar occurrences in Iceland. This RAPID project will investigate the characteristics of a glacial outburst flood that may result from the eruption of the Baðarbunga volcano. Information derived from this investigation may provide the tools for warning local communities about the timing and size of the flood. The data will be incorporated into a hydrologic model that could be used to predict the effects of large floods in other settings. In addition, the field measurements could help constrain the magnitude of flooding that created observed features on the surface of the planet Mars. b) A technical description of the project This research will monitor the onset and duration of a jökuhlhaup in a well-studied channel in interior Iceland. The investigators will measure water flow, water chemistry, and sediment transport in order to generate a hydrograph of the event. The water chemistry will also provide insight into the mechanisms that generate the jökuhlhaup. The project will also monitor the landscape conditions around the eruptive centers and the outburst flood channel. A graduate student and an undergraduate will be involved in the field effort.