Wednesday, April 9, 2008

A Blog About Vog

When I went to work today I thought it was just your average cloudy day, but as the day rolled on I realized that despite the overcast there were indeed no clouds. What the heck?! "It's vog," explained my co-workers. I knew there was more gas being released from the Big Island of Hawaii, but I never thought it would have this big of an impact on Oahu (three islands away). So, I thought I would share some pictures I found online and the definition of vog. Enjoy!


Definition: Vog (volcanic smog) is a mixture that includes gases but is predominately aerosols (tiny particles and droplets) formed when volcanic gas reacts with moisture, oxygen, and sunlight. It is this unique mixture of gas and aerosols that makes vog both difficult to study and potentially more harmful than either gases or particles alone.
Even though potentially hazardous effects of vog may be less dramatic than those of lava flows or earthquakes, there are many, many people who would be vulnerable to such a hazard. With about 1,000 tons of sulfur dioxide being released by the volcano each day, some large area on the island always gets vog. If trade winds blow, vog can be found in areas from Kilauea to Ka`u to North and South Kona. If trade winds are absent, areas in east Hawai'i from Volcano to lower Puna to Honoka'a can be affected.
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/

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