The UWI Seismic Research Centre to continue managing Montserrat Volcano Observatory
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Scientists from the leading Eastern Caribbean agency for volcano monitoring will continue to operate the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) after an interim two-year contract for management of the observatory has been agreed to between the Government of Montserrat and The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC).
The management contract is set to run until September 2023.This interim contract represents the continuation of a longstanding relationship with the government and people of Montserrat. The UWI-SRC monitored the Soufrière Hills Volcano (SHV) prior to the start of the eruption in 1995. The agency also provided scientific support during the early stages of the eruption, before oversight of the management of the observatory transitioned to the British Geological Survey up until 2008. Since then, the MVO has been continuously managed by the UWI-SRC, including during its last major activity in 2010. Montserrat is also one of the UWI-SRC’s nine contributing territories.
Governor – and Joint Chair of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory Board – Andy Pearce was pleased at the news saying: “I, and the rest of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory Board, are pleased to have this contract in place ensuring continuity in the vital function of monitoring our still active volcano. The dedicated, professional experts at the MVO are critical to the disaster preparedness of our island, as the recent eruptions in Saint Vincent and La Palma have shown. The MVO operation is at the leading edge of this area of science and has supported our neighbours in Saint Vincent during that eruption. We look forward to continuing to work with the MVO and the UK-government funded Scientific Advisory Council in the coming two years.”
The opportunity to serve the people of Montserrat and conduct scientific research on the “Emerald Isle” is a privilege not lost on UWI-SRC/MVO scientists and technicians. Dr. Erouscilla Joseph, Director at the UWI-SRC noted that “We are pleased to be given the opportunity to continue to build on the progress made at the MVO since 2008. The valuable contribution to the region made by the MVO was evidenced during the recent eruption of La Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent, where MVO scientists made a significant contribution to management of the crisis.”
Under the contract, six UWI-SRC scientists are based full-time in Montserrat with UWI-SRC Volcanologist Dr. Graham Ryan, at the helm as MVO Director in charge of the day to day running of the observatory. He hopes that the partnerships formed with local and international colleagues will continue to bear fruit.
This latest vote of confidence in the UWI-SRC’s capacity to operate this regional centre for geo-science research is well appreciated. The UWI-SRC remains committed to providing quality service to those impacted by the Soufrière Hills Volcano.
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Notes to the Editor
Group photo of Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) staff and visitors taken on the helipad outside the MVO in 2019 with the Soufriere Hills Volcano in the background. Credit: MVO Photo Archive.
About The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC)
The Seismic Research Centre was set up in 1953 and became part of The UWI in 1962. From its headquarters in Trinidad, it operates a volcano and earthquake monitoring network throughout the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean islands extending from St. Kitts & Nevis to Trinidad &Tobago. The UWI-SRC is responsible for monitoring earthquake and volcanic activity in these islands. The region in which these countries are located is seismically active and historically has been the site of earthquakes of magnitude greater than 8.0. There are at least 19 live volcanoes in the region, which have been the sites of numerous eruptions, most recently in Montserrat (1995-present), Dominica (1997, phreatic) and St. Vincent & the Grenadines (2020-2021). The UWI-SRC currently manages the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), which is responsible for monitoring the on-going eruption of the Soufrière Hills Volcano. For more info visit www.uwiseismic.com or @uwiseismic (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
About The UWI
For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); The UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies; the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ); The UWI-University of Havana Centre for Sustainable Development; The UWI-Coventry Institute for Industry-Academic Partnership with the University of Coventry and the Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research with the University of Glasgow.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport.
As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019 and 2020, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2018 and 2019, then top 20 in 2020. The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. For more, visit www.uwi.edu.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
