Effects of Volcanoes on Caribbean

Society and Economy

SOCIAL EFFECTS
Short Term
 Lava flows and lahars can wipe out the flanks of mountainsides and destroy
the natural environment/wildlife.
 Lava flows and lahars destroy settlements as well as human life.
 Volcanic ash can blanket the landscape for miles. Ash clouds can disrupt
aircraft travel and cause breathing problems/respiratory illnesses for humans
and animals
 Disrupts human life and forces them to abandon their homeland, only to
return years after to a completely transformed landscape which they are not
accustomed to, i.e. difficulties in re-constructing cities and re-constructing
their lives.

Long Term
 Eruptions can inject massive quantities of ash into the atmosphere, greatly
reducing the solar heating of the Earth and potentially interrupting the global
food supply for several years.
 Strong winds spread the aerosol particles from the plume around the globe.
The result was a measurable cooling of the Earth's surface for a period of
almost two years.
 The role of natural hazards research and developing applications to mitigate
the effects of disasters has implications on society such as the mass
education of the population on disaster preparedness/awareness, establishing
areas that are unfit for construction e.g at the base of a volcano to reduce the
risk on human life as well as the detection of ash and plume products for
warnings for airline industry.
ECONOMIC EFFECTS
Advantages of Living near a Volcano
 Volcanoes provide resources for energy extraction, also called geothermal
resources. Heat from the earth's crust is being converted to energy. The big
advantages to this type of energy are that it is very clean and nearly
inexhaustible.
 When a volcano erupts it throws out a lot of ash. At short notice this ash is
very harmful to the environment, but on the long term the ash layer, which
contains many useful minerals, will be converted to a very fertile soil which
will facilitate successful agricultural practices. Nearly
everywhere volcanoes are located people use the rich soil for farming. Even
after an eruption people still return because of the fertile soil around
the volcano.
 Volcanoes can produce very spectacular scenery like the beautiful sunsets
caused by explosive eruptions. Other features include plant-rich
environments, stunning eruptions, beautiful lava fountains etc. In the
Caribbean, such environments are crucial to the Tourism Industry.
 Small active volcanoes at Papua-New-Guinea, deep beneath the sea, have
thrown precious metals out of the earth. The sea-bottom there contains so
much gold and other metals that commercial ventures are being investigated.
These minerals contain much more gold, silver, zinc and copper than ore on
land.
 When a lava flow meets the sea border and plunges into the ocean, new land
is formed offshore as the lava is instantly cooled to form igneous rock. This
land can be used for any offshore-based industrial activity.

Disadvantages of an Eruption
 Lava flows and lahars instantly destroy urban centres of economic activity.
Business and company buildings are demolished and infrastructure and
transport routes are ruined negatively affecting services.
 An eruption can cause earthquakes to occur as massive amounts of energy
are instantly released in the earth’s crust. Earthquakes further destroy cities
and areas of economy activity.
 The Natural landscape and environment is destroyed, negatively affecting
the Tourism industry as foreigners do not want to come to the island.
  Agricultural fields are destroyed and income is lost as crops to be exported
are ruined and food supply in the country is depleted. Governments must
find alternative ways of feeding its population.
 The cost of repairing and rebuilding the country is enormous, further
depleting the country’s resources.

Contamination of water supplies

The water supply from springs or rivers on a volcano may become
contaminated as a result of the activity inside the volcano. But heavy ash falls
can also contaminate surface sources of drinking water such as rivers and
reservoirs. Fluorine is a toxic element that can be emitted in large quantities in
certain volcanoes, and the ash can kill animals grazing in the vicinity as well as
contaminates drinking water. Chemical testing of the ash and water is required
to rule out this possibility. Heavy collections of ash can also clog drains and
sewers and damage machinery in water treatment plants.

Acid rain
Although uncommon, there is the possibility that chemicals or acid rain could
contaminate some water supplies. Rainfall in the area of an erupting volcano
will dissolve the acid gases − in particular the highly soluble gas, hydrogen
chloride − creating acid rain.

Acid rain burns and kills vegetation, and while it does not present a direct
health hazard acid rain can corrode metal roofs and pipes and contaminate
water supplies collected in outdoor cisterns. Over time, it could affect soldered
pipes and weaken galvanized nails and steel roofs as well, increasing the
number of household accidents and causing more water and sewage problems.
Harmful concentrations of metals such as aluminium, lead, and zinc can
contaminate drinking water where rain is collected from metal roofs. Due to
this, water supplies must be checked periodically for excess fluorine or toxic
metals.

Even if water quality is found to be safe, ash falls impact the delivery of water
to homes and health facilities. Falling ash may clog pipes, and power outages
could interrupt water pumping. All of these factors must be considered when
planning for a volcano crisis.

Gases
Along with the lava and ash, volcanoes spew out gases such as water vapour
and carbon dioxide. Sulphur dioxide can pollute the air a long distance from the
volcano, causing breathing problems in healthy individuals as well as asthma
sufferers. Fortunately, in most eruptions these gases are quickly dispersed by
winds and rendered harmless. However, certain relatively heavy gases, like
carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulphide, may collect in low−lying areas of the
volcano and occasionally cause fatalities. In addition, gases from certain
low−lying volcanoes can flow into populated areas, but this should not be a
widespread health concern for the exposed population.

Tsunamis
When a volcano is under water, especially in shallow areas, it is like a ticking
time bomb. Because of the lethal combination of magma and water, it could
explode at any moment. Tsunamis are enormous waves that can flow for several
kilometres inland, causing serious damage. There are volcanoes in the
Caribbean that could trigger tsunamis should they become active and erupt. The
risk is small, but the consequences so serious they cannot be ignored.

Disaster Preparedness and Alleviation

PREPAREDNESS/PREDICTION MEASURES
 Seismographic Monitoring - Rising magma causes moderate
earth tremors, when the magma is approaching the surface
the frequency and intensity of the tremors will increase. These shallow
volcanic earthquakes are perhaps the most reliable sign a volcano is about to
erupt. They can be detected by automatic telemeter recorders, relayed for
immediate interpretation to an observatory.
  Tiltmeters- are very accurate levels composed of three graduated pots
arranged in a triangle and filled with water or mercury. Rising magma within
a volcano often causes ground deformation. The ground deformation is
measured by tiltmeters. Tilting is for instance measured when
rising magma makes a bulge. This process takes place slowly as
the eruption looms.
 Surveillance by Satellite - is costly and still in its infancy. Nevertheless
it offers some of the best future prospects in forecasting volcanic eruptions.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) for example is used to monitor
ground displacements, including those around volcanoes, which might
pinpoint future activity. GPS uses data transmitted by orbiting satellites.
 Gas and Steam Emission – emissions of
gas and steam from fumaroles, mud pots and solfataras often show that
the magma is rising closer to the surface. Such information is hard to collect
because the emissions damage instruments and are noxious to their
observers.
 Hazard Assessment Maps - On hazard assessment maps the areas of
greatest danger and highest risk around a volcano are defined. It is very
important the danger zones have been pointed out very precisely and
correctly so the people who are living in those areas or danger zones can be
evacuated.

ALLEVIATION METHODS
 National level – Governments must implement national organisations
within the island to carry out mass education of the population of how to
deal with a volcanic eruption, establish and advertise evacuation plans for
the whole country and also implement laws to prevent construction in high
risk areas e.g. the bottom of a volcano. These organisations are also
responsible for monitoring volcanoes in order to predict the occurrence of an
eruption via the methods listed above.
 Regional level – Other Caribbean countries assist during times of volcanic
crisis by sending money, food, medicine etc. Also, when a member of a
Caribbean community such as CARICOM experiences such a hazard, all
other members pool together resources for that country.
 International – assistance from international organizations and groups.