British Royal Award for volcanology research of University of Bristol
Wenchi crater, Ethiopia (source: flickr/ MESSAY5, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
19 Nov 2015
Volcanology research of the University of Bristol has received a British Royal Award. The research on monitoring volcanoes from space is interesting for geothermal as it could help production and development.
The University of Bristol has been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education – the highest accolade for any academic institution – in recognition of its world-leading research in volcanology.
The work of Bristol’s Volcanology Research Group has been applied across the globe to reduce a variety of risks posed by active volcanism.
While mostly focused on research on the risk of volcanoes, there are also parts of the research that apply to geothermal
Monitoring the world’s forgotten volcanoes from space is part of the research that is interesting for geothermal. Only a small number of the world’s known volcanoes are monitored from the ground so the team are developing satellite monitoring tools to identify signs of volcanic unrest. This work has been piloted using volcanoes in Ethiopia which are not monitored locally and have no risk assessment but are showing signs of activity. Data generated are also being used to help inform the geothermal energy sector, improve geothermal production and reduce the uncertainty and risk associated with geothermal energy development.
Source: University of Bristol/ UK
