Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre

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Environment Canada, in agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has designated the Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC) as a regional Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC).

Volcanic ash presents a significant hazard to aviation; particularly to aircraft in flight. Flight through an ash cloud can result in damage to engines, airframe, and electronics; potentially leading to partial or total loss of flight control and communications.

Click here for further information on aviation hazards (link courtesy of Michigan Tech University).

VAAC Montreal Operations: Overview

VAAC Montreal is a unit of the Operations Branch of the Canadian Meteorological Centre.

Environmental Emergency Response Division duties of Operations Branch personnel include continuous monitoring of volcanic activity, and the issuance of Volcanic Ash Advisory Statements.

VAAC Montreal monitors and advises on volcanic ash transport as part of the International Airways Volcano Watch (IAVW); a joint initiative of ICAO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

VAAC Montreal's area of responsibility includes Canada; Greenland & adjacent Arctic waters; and the North Atlantic Flight Information Region (Gander, Newfoundland FIR).

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VAAC Areas of Responsibility (map courtesy of Meteo France).

VAAC Montreal is one of nine centres worldwide:

Montreal, Canada
Washington DC, USA
Anchorage (Alaska), USA
Tokyo, Japan
Darwin, Australia
Wellington, New Zealand
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Toulouse, France
London, United Kingdom

Within Canadian-controlled airspace, the primary volcanic eruption hazard exists along the Pacific "Ring of Fire". VAAC Montreal also monitors volcanic activity along and east of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge; including Iceland.

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(Map courtesy USGS)

Monitoring Volcanic Activity

VAAC Montreal receives direct notification of volcanic eruption from three primary sources:

VAAC Montreal also maintains a continuous watch on Global Telecommunications System alphanumeric traffic; and is alerted in real-time to reports of volcanic eruption or airborne ash encounter.

Imagery from polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites is the major data source for detecting the boundaries of a volcanic ash cloud, and for estimating the current altitude and movement of an ash plume.

Ash can move long distances in a relatively-short time; as illustrated by the major eruption of Alaska's Mount Spurr on Sept 17 1992. This eruption sent large quantities of ash to jetstream altitudes. The resulting ash plume was transported across North America to reach the Atlantic coastline within 3 days of the eruption. Significant disruption in air traffic occurred during this event.

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Satellite composite imagery courtesy of Michigan Tech University.

The attached image illustrates two key points

Airborne volcanic ash is rarely just a local problem.
The Sep 17 1992 Mt Spurr eruption sent an ash plume across North America in less than 3 days.
In many cases, satellite imagery can be successfully used to detect and track airborne ash plumes.

VAAC Montreal Operational Response

VAAC Montreal uses satellite imagery; in combination with computer models and other observational data, to forecast the evolution of a volcanic ash cloud. VAAC Montreal products include both Volcanic Ash Advisory Statements and Graphical forecasts of ash trajectory and concentration.

Volcanic Ash Advisory Statements

When airborne volcanic ash is observed or forecast to be present in a VAAC's area of responsibility, the VAAC issues a Volcanic Ash Advisory Statement (VAAS bulletin). VAAS bulletins are intended to provide the following information in a timely manner:

Geographic information (location, name, elevation) of eruption source
Summary of recent observational data; including type and time of observation
Details of observed ash plume location, dimensions, and recent motion.
General discussion of expected trajectory of ash plume
Reference to current specific SIGMET (SIGnificant METeorological aviation hazard) bulletins.

VAAS bulletins are (by definition) advisory in nature, and are meant to complement and support, but not replace, meteorological and aviation-related warnings and forecasts.

ICAO-designated Meteorological Watch Offices (MWOs) are responsible for issuing Volcanic Ash SIGMET bulletins.

ICAO has designated two Environment Canada MWOs for Volcanic Ash SIGMETs. MWO Kelowna (British Columbia) issues Ash SIGMETs for all Canadian Continental FIRs (Flight Identification Regions); including the Arctic Ocean.

MWO Gander (Newfoundland) issues Ash SIGMETs for the Gander Oceanic (Northwestern Atlantic Ocean) FIR.

Provision of Volcanic Ash SIGMETs for Canadian-controlled airspace is an essential part of the aviation weather forecast services provided by Environment Canada, under contract to Canada's air navigation corporation, NAVCANADA.

VAAS and SIGMET distribution

SIGMET and VAAS bulletins for Canadian-controlled airspace are distributed via NAVCANADA Area Control Centres and Flight Information Centres; directly to aviation users including aircraft in flight, airline flight dispatchers, and other flight control agencies. In addition, Environment Canada's telecommunications network ensures immediate international distribution of VAAS and SIGMET bulletins via the World Aviation Forecast System (WAFS).

VAAC Montreal Graphical Forecasts (Volcanic Ash Transport Models)

Graphical forecasts are an integral part of VAAC Montreal's products and services.

The Canadian Meteorological Centre's Environmental Emergency Response Division has developed significant global experience in the modeling of airborne tracers and pollutants, including volcanic ash.

Using CMC's Long-Range Transport Models ;VAAC Montreal routinely generates forecasts of ash concentration and ash trajectory for specified atmospheric layers. These graphical forecasts are available in real time, on a global domain; in response to volcanic eruption or other environmental emergency.

As an active participant in ICAO's International Airways Volcano Watch, VAAC Montreal provides operational support and backup to other VAACs worldwide.

VAAC Montreal routinely generates trajectory forecasts for a number of the world's active volcanoes; including several in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

(Click here to select from a list of current automatic trajectories).

More details on VAAC Montreal are available online; at the Canadian Meteorological Centre's Library.

(select "Volcanic Ash Forecasting at CMC")

Meteorological Service of Canada - Environment Canada - Government of Canada

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