Glaciers and ice sheets interact with volcanoes in several ways, including instances where volcanic/geothermal activity alters glacier dynamics or mass balance, via subglacial eruptions or the deposition of supraglacial tephra. Glaciers can also impact volcanism, for example by directly influencing mechanisms of individual eruptions resulting in the construction of distinct edifices. Glaciers may also influence patterns of eruptive activity when mass balance changes adjust the load on volcanic systems, the water resources and hydrothermal systems. However, because of the remoteness of many glacio-volcanic environments, these interactions remain poorly understood, although they are particularly important in polar and high-latitude regions, including coastal and marine settings where ice dynamics affect landscapes from frozen summits to shorelines and the seafloor.
Hazards associated with glacier-volcano interaction can vary from lava flows to volcanic ash, lahars, landslides, pyroclastic flows, submarine eruptions or glacial outburst floods. These can happen consecutively or simultaneously and affect not only the earth, but also glaciers, rivers and the atmosphere. As accumulating, melting, ripping or drifting glaciers generate signals as well as degassing, inflating/deflating or erupting volcanoes, the challenge is to study, understand and ultimately discriminate these potentially coexisting signals. This challenge also extends to coastal and submarine environments, where coupled cryosphere–volcanic–oceanic processes can impact signals and deposition dynamics on the seafloor. We wish to fully include geophysical observations of current and recent events with geological observations and interpretations of deposits of past events.
We invite contributions that deal with the mitigation of the hazards associated with ice-covered volcanoes or studies focused on volcanic impacts on glaciers and vice versa. Research on recent activity is especially welcomed. This includes geological observations, e.g. of deposits in the field or remote-sensing data, together with experimental and modelling approaches. We particularly encourage abstracts that includes multi-scale and technology-driven approaches. We also invite contributions from any part of the world and other planets on past activity, glaciovolcanic deposits and studies that address climate and environmental change through glaciovolcanic studies.
Tryggvi Unnsteinsson