Including Functionalities in BRAMS Model to Simulate the Volcanic Ash Transport: Description and Sensitivity Analysis Applied to the Eruptive Event of Puyehue in 2011

Abstract

This work has two main goals, the first is provide a description of how the atmospheric BRAMS model was structured in order to enable it to simulate the emission, dispersion and sedimentation of volcanic ash; the second is do a sensitivity analysis, with respect to several configurations of the model, in order to obtain an optimized configuration for predict the volcanic ash concentration after eruptive events. Comparing model results with observed data, mostly related with CALIPSO satellite, we concluded that the BRAMS model was able to simulate and forecast with relative accuracy the location, sedimentation and concentration of volcanic ash in the atmosphere.

Keywords:
numerical modeling; dispersion of pollutants; volcanoes; sensitivity analysis; numerical methods of advection; volcanic ash