FCM-P35-2007 National Volcanic Ash Ops Plan
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH National Volcanic Ash OperationsPlan for Aviation FCM-P35-2007 Washington, DC August 2007 THE FEDERAL COMMITTEE FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH (FCMSSR) VADM CONRAD C. LAUTENBACHER, JR., USN (RET.) MR. RANDOLPH LYON Chairman, Department of Commerce Office of Management and Budget DR. SHARON L. HAYS MS. VICTORIA COX Office of Science and Technology Policy Department of Transportation DR. RAYMOND MOTHA MR. DAVID MAURSTAD Department of Agriculture Federal Emergency Management Agency Department of Homeland Security DR. JACK HAYES Department of Commerce DR. S. ALAN STERN National Aeronautics and Space MR. ALAN SHAFFER Administration Department of Defense DR. JARVIS MOYERS (Acting) DR. JERRY ELWOOD National Science Foundation Department of Energy MR. PAUL MISENCIK MR. KEVIN “SPANKY” KIRSCH National Transportation Safety Board Science and Technology Directorate Department of Homeland Security MR. MICHAEL JOHNSON U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission DR. MICHAEL SOUKUP Department of the Interior DR. LAWRENCE REITER Environmental Protection Agency MR. RALPH BRAIBANTI Department of State MR. SAMUEL P. WILLIAMSON Federal Coordinator MR. JAMES B. HARRISON, Executive Secretary Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research THE INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH (ICMSSR) MR. SAMUEL P. WILLIAMSON, Chairman MR. KENNETH M. LEONARD Federal Coordinator Federal Aviation Administration Department of Transportation MR. THOMAS PUTERBAUGH Department of Agriculture DR. JONATHAN M. BERKSON United States Coast Guard MS. VICKIE NADOLSKI (Acting) Department of Homeland Security Department of Commerce MR. JEFFREY MACLURE RADM DAVID A. GOVE, USN Department of State United States Navy Department of Defense DR. S. T. RAO Environmental Protection Agency DR. FRED P. LEWIS United States Air Force MR. DAN CATLETT (Acting) Department of Defense Federal Emergency Management Agency Department of Homeland Security MR. RICKEY PETTY Department of Energy DR. RAMESH KAKAR National Aeronautics and Space MR. KEVIN “SPANKY” KIRSCH Administration Science and Technology Directorate Department of Homeland Security DR. JARVIS MOYERS National Science Foundation MR. JOHN VIMONT Department of the Interior MR. DONALD E. EICK National Transportation Safety Board MR. ANTHONY FURST (Acting) Federal Highway Administration MS. LETA A. BROWN Department of Transportation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission MS. MELISSA N. BRANDT Office of Management and Budget MR. JAMES B. HARRISON, Executive Secretary Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Cover photograph courtesy USGS National Volcanic Ash Operations Plan for Aviation and Support of the ICAO International Airways Volcano Watch Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1500 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 www.ofcm.gov 301-427-2002 FCM-P35-2007 Washington, DC August 2007 i ii PREFACE The National Aviation Weather Program Strategic Plan (1997) and the National Aviation Weather Initiatives (1999) both identified volcanic ash as a high-priority informational need to aviation services. The risk to aviation from airborne volcanic ash is known and includes degraded engine performance (including flameout), loss of visibility, failure of critical navigational and operational instruments, and, in the worse case, loss of life. The immediate costs for aircraft encountering a dense plume are potentially major—damages up to $80 million have occurred to a single aircraft. Aircraft encountering less dense volcanic ash clouds can incur longer-term costs due to increased maintenance of engines and external surfaces. The overall goal, as stated in the Initiatives, is to eliminate encounters with ash that could degrade the in-flight safety of aircrews and passengers and cause damage to the aircraft. This goal can be accomplished by improving the ability to detect, track, and forecast hazardous ash clouds and to provide adequate warnings to the aviation community on the present and future location of the cloud. To reach this goal, the National Aviation Weather Program established three objectives: (1) prevention of accidental encounters with hazardous clouds; (2) reduction of air traffic delays, diversions, or evasive actions when hazardous clouds are present; and (3) the development of a single, worldwide standard for exchange of information on airborne hazardous materials. To that end, over the last several years, based on numerous documents (including an OFCM- sponsored comprehensive study on aviation training and an update of Aviation Weather Programs/Projects), user forums, and two International Conferences on Volcanic Ash and Aviation Safety (1992 and 2004), the Working Group for Volcanic Ash (WG/VA), under the OFCM-sponsored Committee for Aviation Services and Research, developed the National Volcanic Ash Operations Plan for Aviation and Support of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) International Airways Volcano Watch. This plan defines agency responsibilities, provides a comprehensive description of an interagency standard for volcanic ash products and their formats, describes the agency backup procedures for operational products, and outlines the actions to be taken by each agency following an occurrence of a volcanic eruption that subsequently affects and impacts aviation services. Since our most recent International Conference on Volcanic Ash and Aviation Safety, volcanic ash-related product and service activities have grown considerably along with partnerships and alliances throughout the aviation community. In January 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environment Prediction began running the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model in place of the Volcanic Ash Forecast Transport and Dispersion (VAFTAD) model, upgrading support to the volcanic ash advisory community. Today, improvements to the HYSPLIT model are ongoing based on recommendations by the OFCM-sponsored Joint Action Group for the Selection and Evaluation of Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion Models and the Joint Action Group for Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion Modeling (Research and Development Plan). Two international workshops on volcanic ash have already taken place, noticeable improvements and innovations in education, training, and outreach have been made, and federal and public education and training programs on volcanic ash-related products, services, and procedures iii continue to evolve. For example, in partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and other academic institutions, volcanic ash hazard and mitigation training has been incorporated into aviation meteorology courses. As an essential next step, our volcanic ash-related efforts in the near term will be centered on the development of an interagency implementation plan to document and address the most critical needs of the volcanic ash advisory community. This interagency plan, developed as the result of the cooperative efforts of six federal agencies, follows the guidelines in support of the ICAO International Airways Volcano Watch. The signatories on the next page are committed to volcanic ash operations for aviation and will work toward full implementation through agency programs, initiatives, and procedures. I extend my sincere thanks to all members of the WG/VA, subject-matter experts, and to my staff for their collaborative and cooperative efforts in developing this first-ever national volcanic ash operations plan. //Signed// Samuel P. Williamson Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research iv National Volcanic Ash Operations Plan for Aviation and Support of the ICAO International Airways Volcano Watch //Signed// //Signed// _________________________________ ______________________________ Ms. Victoria Cox Col. Patrick M. Condray Vice President Commander Operations Planning Services Air Force Weather Agency Federal Aviation Administration United States Air Force Department of Transportation Department of Defense //Signed// //Signed// ________________________________ ______________________________ Dr. James E. Hoke Ms. Linda C. Gundersen Director (Acting) Chief Scientist for Geology Office of Climate, Water, and U.S. Geological Survey Weather Services Department of Interior National Weather Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Department of Commerce //Signed// //Signed// _________________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Steven S. Fine Ms. Kathy Kelly Director Director (Acting) Air Resources Laboratory Office of Satellite Data Processing Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric and Distribution Research National Environmental Satellite, Data, National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Information Service Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Department of Commerce Administration Department of Commerce //Signed// //Signed// _________________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Michael H. Freilich Mr. Lee Siebert Director Director Earth Science Division Global Volcanism Program Science Mission Directorate Department of Mineral Sciences National Aeronautics and Space National Museum of Natural History Administration Smithsonian Institution v vi The National