The Health Hazards of Volcanoes: First Evidence of Neuroinflammation in the Hippocampus of Mice Exposed to Active Volcanic Surroundings

Neuroinflammation is a process related to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases; one of the hallmarks of this process is microglial reactivation and the secretion by these cells of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNFα. Numerous studies report the relationship between neuroinflammatory processes and exposure to anthropogenic air pollutants, but few refer to natural pollutants. Volcanoes are highly inhabited natural sources of environmental pollution that induce changes in the nervous system, such as reactive astrogliosis or the blood-brain barrier breakdown in exposed individuals; however, no neuroinflammatory event has been yet defined. To this purpose, we studied resting microglia, reactive microglia, and TNFα production in the brains of mice chronically exposed to an active volcanic environment on the island of São Miguel (Azores, Portugal). For the first time, we demonstrate a proliferation of microglial cells and an increase in reactive microglia, as well an increase in TNFα secretion, in the central nervous system of individuals exposed to volcanogenic pollutants.

Combining Distributed Acoustic Sensing and Beamforming in a Volcanic Environment on Mount Meager, British Columbia.

<p>We present one of the first applications of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) in a volcanic environment. The goals are twofold: First, we want to examine the feasibility of DAS in such a remote and extreme environment, and second, we search for active volcanic signals of Mount Meager in British Columbia (Canada). </p><p>The Mount Meager massif is an active volcanic complex that is estimated to have the largest geothermal potential in Canada and caused its largest recorded landslide in 2010. We installed a 3-km long fibre-optic cable at 2000 m elevation that crosses the ridge of Mount Meager and traverses the uppermost part of a glacier, yielding continuous measurements from 19 September to 17 October 2019.</p><p>We identify ~30 low-frequency (0.01-1 Hz) and 3000 high-frequency (5-45 Hz) events. The low-frequency events are not correlated with microseismic ocean or atmospheric noise sources and volcanic tremor remains a plausible origin. The frequency-power distribution of the high-frequency events indicates a natural origin, and beamforming on these events reveals distinct event clusters, predominantly in the direction of the main peaks of the volcanic complex. Numerical examples show that we can apply conventional beamforming to the data, and that the results are improved by taking the signal-to-noise ratio of individual channels into account.</p><p>The increased data quantity of DAS can outweigh the limitations due to the lower quality of individual channels in these hazardous and remote environments. We conclude that DAS is a promising tool in this setting that warrants further development.</p>

Augmented reality for volcanic and seismic risk communication

<p>Dealing with topics concerning natural risk management in a volcanic environment, can greatly benefit from innovative techniques. In particular, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are well known by Native Digital and can be used by lower-level and university students to promote their understanding of natural risks.</p><p><strong>3DTeLC </strong>is a three-year trans-European project funded by the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 programme: “Cooperation for Innovation and Exchange of Good Practices, a European scheme that fosters higher education partnerships” (https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/key-action-2).</p><p>The main goal of this project is to help young students to become highly-skilled professionals in the field of environment and geosciences, gaining knowledge in image and 3D-spatial analysis, data management and informatics, and strengthening their mathematical and numerical skills in Earth observation and data analysis.</p><p>In the framework of this project INGV team has developed a “Talking poster”, using a custom AR tool to propose a user friendly approach aimed at the reduction of volcanic and seismic risks.</p>