The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) Professional Webinar Series is a development opportunity for middle and high school educators nationwide. All educators are welcome to register, and NOSB coaches are highly encouraged to participate.

The free online webinar series will focus on the 2019 NOSB competition theme of ‘Ocean Observing.’

Each of the presenters will give a one hour live webinar presentation on their current research or topic of interest, followed by a 30 minute Q&A session.

All participants logged into the meeting will be able to listen and follow along with the presentation, as well as type questions for the presenter during the live presentation. The NOSB national office staff will read the questions to the presenter.

Questions? Please contact us at nosb@ucar.edu.

Date of Webinar: January 25, 2019

Topic/Title: Using Ocean Observations to Forecast Volcanic Eruptions: From the seafloor to the summits of Earth’s terrestrial volcanoes

This presentation will provide a brief review of global ocean observing techniques with an emphasis on seafloor observations. A necessary introduction to volcanology will allow us to explore the submarine volcano, Axial Seamount, and the unique behavior which enabled it to become the first volcano with an accurate eruption forecast based off ground deformation data alone. With the development and implementation of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Cabled Axial Seamount Array, Axial Seamount is not only the most well-monitored submarine volcano, but arguably one of the best studied volcanoes on earth. We will explore the capabilities of the Cabled Axial Seamount Array and discuss how its data may be used to develop a real-time eruption forecasting strategy for the Axial Seamount volcano. Finally, we discuss the implications of this approach to forecasting volcanic eruptions on land, and thus the use of ocean observations to forecast volcanic eruptions from the seafloor to the summits of Earth’s terrestrial volcanoes!

Haley Cabaniss, PhD Candidate

Haley is a currently a PhD candidate in geophysics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where she uses numerical modeling as a tool to study volcanic eruptions. In particular, she is interested in understanding the structure and stability of the shallow crust, its effect on magmatic and hydrothermal processes, and vice versa. The overarching goal of her dissertation research is to implement a real-time eruption forecasting approach for the Axial Seamount Volcano off the Coast of Oregon. Haley received her B.S. in Geology from the College of Charleston in South Carolina where she first discovered her passion for volcanology and marine science. She has since participated in multiple sea-going research expeditions, including one which allowed her to dive in the Alvin submarine. Given that less is known about the Earth’s seafloor than is the surface of some planets, Haley’s favorite thing about marine science is the sense of discovery provided by every seafloor observation.