{"id":136269,"date":"2021-02-28T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T19:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=136269"},"modified":"2021-02-26T15:50:46","modified_gmt":"2021-02-27T01:50:46","slug":"lava-zones-attract-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/02\/28\/lava-zones-attract-development\/","title":{"rendered":"High-risk lava zones with infrequent eruptions attract development"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><figure id=\"attachment_136287\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136287\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-eruption-population-growth.jpg\" alt=\"kilauea eruption in 2018\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-eruption-population-growth.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-eruption-population-growth-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-eruption-population-growth-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-136287\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fissure 8 erupts in lava hazard zone 1, May 5, 2018. (Photo credit: Bruce Houghton)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The unprecedented cost of the 2018 Ki&#299;lauea eruption in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> reflects the intersection of distinct physical and social phenomena: infrequent, highly destructive eruptions and atypically high population growth, according to a new study published in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-021-21455-2\"><em>Nature Communications<\/em><\/a> and led by University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> at M&#257;noa researchers.<\/p>\n<p>It has long been recognized that areas in Puna, <span aria-label=\"Hawaii,\">Hawai&#699;i,<\/span> are at high risk from lava flows. In fact, Puna lies within the three highest-risk lava hazard zones (1, 2 and 3). This ensured that land values were lower, which actively promoted rapid population growth.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/tag\/kilauea-eruption-2018\/\">Read more about <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii's\">糖心Vlog官方\u2019s<\/abbr> research on the 2018 Ki\u012blauea eruption.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&ldquo;Low prices on beautiful land and a scarcity of recent eruptions led to unavoidable consequences&#8212;more people and more development,&rdquo; said <strong>Bruce Houghton<\/strong>, the lead author of the study and Gordan Macdonald Professor of Volcanology in the <abbr>糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M&#257;noa <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soest.hawaii.edu\/soestwp\/\">School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology<\/a> (<abbr>SOEST<\/abbr>). &ldquo;Ultimately this drastically increased the value of what was at risk in 2018, relative to earlier eruptions of K&#299;lauea.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><figure id=\"attachment_136286\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136286\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-kilauea-eruption-population-risk-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"kilauea eruption in 2018\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-136286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-kilauea-eruption-population-risk-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-kilauea-eruption-population-risk-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-kilauea-eruption-population-risk.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-136286\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Houses surrounded by lava. Roads now lead to nowhere. Fissure 8 fountain. (Photo credit: Bruce Houghton)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><figure id=\"attachment_136285\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136285\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-kilauea-eruption-population.jpg\" alt=\"kilauea eruption in 2018\" width=\"250\" height=\"350\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-kilauea-eruption-population.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-kilauea-eruption-population-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-kilauea-eruption-population-93x130.jpg 93w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-136285\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In lava hazard zone 1 a cone is formed and a lava river flows to zone 2. (Photo credit: Bruce Houghton)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>K&#299;lauea is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth and has one of the earliest, most comprehensive volcanic monitoring systems. Its recent history has been dominated by activity at the summit caldera and from one of two lines of vents called the Eastern Rift Zone. Between 1967 and 2018, volcanic activity was dominated by eruptions from the upper part of the Eastern Rift Zone. In contrast, no damaging eruptions occurred after 1961 in the more heavily populated Puna district from the vents within the lower portion of the Eastern Rift Zone.<\/p>\n<h2>Assessing trends<\/h2>\n<p>The <abbr>糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> team assessed trends in population growth in P&#257;hoa-Kalapana, Hilo and Puna using census data, and compared the median cost of land and household income in these areas.<\/p>\n<p>Valuable lessons regarding the complex interplay of science, policy and public behavior emerged from the 2018 disaster.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Steep population growth occurred during the absence of any locally sourced eruptions between 1961 and 2018, and set the scene for the unprecedented levels of infrastructural damage during the 2018 Lower Eastern Rift Zone eruption,&rdquo; said <strong>Wendy Cockshell<\/strong>, co-author on the paper and technical assistant at the <a href=\"https:\/\/ndptc.hawaii.edu\/\">National Disaster Preparedness Training Center<\/a> (<abbr>NDPTC<\/abbr>) at <abbr>糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M&#257;noa.<\/p>\n<p>If population growth resumes in lava hazard zones 1 and 2, there will be increased risk in the most dangerous areas on this exceptionally active volcano translating into high cost of damage in future eruptions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our funded research supports the principle of the initiatives by local and federal government to provide buy-out funding to landowners affected by the 2018 eruption to enable them to relocate outside of these hazardous areas,&rdquo; said Houghton.<\/p>\n<p>The study was funded with support from the National Science Foundation and the <abbr>NDPTC<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<p>This effort is an example of <abbr>糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M&#257;noa\u2019s goal of Excellence in <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=25\">Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), one of four goals identified in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf\">2015\u201325 Strategic Plan<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8211;By Marcie Grabowski<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2018 K&#299;lauea eruption in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> reflects the intersection of infrequent, highly destructive eruptions, and atypically high population growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1313,1467,1363,158,92,9,108,176],"class_list":["post-136269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-kilauea-eruption-2018","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-publication","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-uh-manoa","tag-volcano","tag-volcanology","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136269"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136305,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136269\/revisions\/136305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}