A quantitative approach to the 2014 Mt. Ontake volcanic eruption news coverage: understanding the information gap and the public response to the anniversary coverage

This paper studies the news coverage of the 2014 Mt. Ontake eruption disaster from 2015 to 2019, and the public response to the fifth anniversary coverage. Information on the issues regarding the risk of low-frequency disaster events such as volcanic eruption is brought into the public largely through the media. Unless there is a volcano nearby, there are few opportunities to discuss volcanic disaster prevention, and enhance volcanic risk perception. Therefore, the media agendas on volcanic risk are an indicator of what people know about volcanic disaster preparedness. This study quantitatively analyzed the 2014 Mt. Ontake eruption reports of national, regional, and local newspapers to reveal their topic distributions. In addition, the anniversary gained intense public attention due to the large amount of media coverage. It was a significant opportunity for society to discuss volcanic risk. By observing people’s online responses to the anniversary coverage, a trend could be identified. We found a significant difference in media attention among the three newspaper types. The local newspaper covered four topics relating to volcanic risk in a well-balanced way, but the national and regional newspapers paid greater attention to one or two topics. Many online comments presented the view that a mountaineering should be done at individuals’ own risk, and volcano shelters would be ineffective for averting volcanic disasters. The anniversary coverage unintentionally contributes to stigmatizing or scapegoating a certain group, rather than promoting risk communication in the public sphere on the Web. With the onset of the information and communication information technology era, an online dialogue regarding disaster awareness and prevention is important. A volcano disaster risk communication strategy on the Web should be developed.

Towards Modelling of Evacuation Behavior and Planning for Emergency Logistics Due to the Philippine Taal Volcanic Eruption in 2020

Emergency evacuation is the immediate escape of people away from a place of an imminent threat to a place of safety. The ability of the households to evacuate is a crucial component in reducing disaster risk. Logistical issues such as a lack of resources during and after the evacuation, as well as road congestion, might arise, especially in short and no-notice calamities such as a volcanic eruption. This study examines the relationship of variables of evacuation logistics of Barangay Banga, Talisay, Batangas in the context of the 2020 Taal Volcanic eruption. A survey was conducted based on the experience of the households during the volcanic eruption. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed for all the variables on household evacuation logistics to understand the behavior of households as they make decisions during emergencies. These variables include the type of evacuation, departure timing, evacuation mode choice, and destination choice. Additionally, a pairwise correlation was employed to identify the influential factors related to household evacuation logistics such as socio-demographic and household characteristics, hazard-related factors as well as their experience with Taal Volcano’s recurring activities. The results of this study aim to provide insights to a better understanding of the evacuation behavior of households in the context of a volcanic eruption and be useful in the evacuation logistics planning of the country.

„Przed nami przepaść, za nami otchłań krateru niezgłębiona”. Motyw wulkanu w prozie Teodora Tripplina

The article introduces the volcano theme present in the prose of Theodor Tripplin, author of immensely popular adventure and travel books in the 19th century. Geology, of which disciplinary framework began to emerge at the turn of the 19th century, was a subject discussed not only at university debates, but also in private lounges, especially since one of the biggest natural disasters caused by volcanic eruption occurred at that time. Therefore, geological and volcanic themes appeared in Tripplin’s works; the writer used them mainly as an element of landscape descriptions, explaining the processes which formed the landscape or the climate of the region. Volcanoes, on the other hand, appeared in his novel Nowa podróż na około Ziemi [A New Journey Around the Earth], where climbing to their summit or the consequences of their eruption were part of the local colour and allowed the reader to feel the exoticism of the distant lands visited by the protagonist of the book. The end of the article mentions Tripplin’s use of the metaphor often also chosen by other authors of the Romanticism period: volcano as a symbol of vehemence, a demonstration of nature’s power which is impossible for a man to subdue.

Nie tylko o Buce. Egzemplifikacje i ewolucje motywu lęku w książkach o Muminkach Tove Jansson

The article discusses the motif of fear in nine illustrated books about the Moomins by Tove Jansson. Methodologically, the study is a qualitative analysis from the perspective of the double address, the psychological differentiation between the concepts of fear and anxiety, and the iconotextual reading. Although Moomin Valley has been traditionally perceived as a literary arcadia, the plot of the books is surprisingly often interwoven with disasters and dangers, including a volcanic eruption, a freezing winter, a comet, floods, and frequent storms. Jansson employed these motifs — evoking fear triggered by substantive causes — in the contents addressed to inexperienced recipients. She did it intentionally and was convinced that children enjoy fear as long as the story ends happily. In this context a particularly sophisticated character is the Groke, which is usually considered as the most terrifying monster in the series. She appears in four volumes — Finn Family Moomintroll (1948), The Exploits of Moominpappa (1950), Moominland Midwinter (1957), Moomin pappa at Sea (1965) — and the analysis proves that her characterization signifi cantly evolves. Her nuanced nature is from the beginning available to more experienced readers, since it is included in the visual representation, disputing the verbal. Furthermore, the Groke appears to be a hybrid character, as she evokes both fear relating to a specific object and anxiety stemming from an unknown threat — in fact, there are no rational reasons for fearing her.

Tropical volcanism enhanced the East Asian summer monsoon during the last millennium

Extreme East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) rainfall frequently induces floods that pose threats to millions of people across East Asia. The intensified EASM rainfall has been generally attributed to internal modes of climate variability, while external volcanic forcing has been suggested to suppress the EASM. In contrast to the hydrological weakening theory of volcanic eruptions, we present convergent empirical and modeling evidence for significant intensification of EASM rainfall in response to strong tropical volcanic eruptions. Our paleoclimate proxy analyses show a significantly increased EASM in the first summer after large tropical eruptions from 1470 AD to the present. The multi-proxy ensemble mean demonstrates that the occurrence of an El Niño in the first boreal winter after a volcanic eruption is necessary for the enhanced EASM. The results from the last-millennium climate model simulations show that a volcano-induced El Niño and the associated warm pool air-sea interaction intensify EASM precipitation, overwhelming volcanic-induced moisture deficiency. This work offers a new perspective on the intertwined relationship between external forcing and internal variability in the complex climate system and potential flood disasters resulting from tropical volcanic eruption.