Dr. Jose M. Marrero

Volcanologist

CONTACT

Email:

jose@mvo.ms

Telephone:

1-664-491-5647

 

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS

BSc in Geography and History (La Laguna University Canary Island, Spain)

MSc in Live and Environmental Sciences (La Laguna University Canary Island, Spain)

PhD in Geography (La Laguna University Canary Island, Spain)

BIO

Dr. Marrero is experienced in the field of risk and hazard assessment in volcanic active areas and has to participated in several emergencies in Spain and Ecuador due to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, where he focused his attention on finding solutions for problems that could arise between scientist, decision makers and the population, as well as generating tools to mitigate those problems.

He has developed the volcanic hazard maps of La Palma (Canary Island, Spain), in which various geographical methodologies were introduced to improve hazard map management and has also participated in the development of the volcanic early warning systems of El Hierro (Spain) to facilitate the communication of scientific information to Civil Defence and local authorities. In the same realm, he developed a tool (“Topohazard”) that allowed the improvement of the hazard maps of the Cotpaxi volcano (Ecuador) by calculating security areas and better definitions of the hazard limits to turn hazard maps into emergency maps. He also formed part of a research team dedicated to assessing the physical vulnerability of construction to ultimately calculate and map the impact generated by an earthquake in Portoviejo (Ecuador) at detailed scale (building level).

Dr. Marrero worked as a mayor’s advisor in the Quito Metropolitan District, (DMQ, Ecuador) managing a significant amount of municipality data (a 3 million people city), by implementing two different methodologies in order to understand the territory and risk. The first, the Exploratory System of Spatial Analysis (SEAE-DMQ) focuses on computationally faster analysis of millions of data to characterize spatial units at different scales for decision making. The second is the Multipurpose and Multi-hazard High Resolution Exposure Model of Quito.

Dr. Marrero joined the MVO in 2022.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Lead the volcanic hazard and risk program, including:
  • Carry out research on hazard and hazard and risk assessment methodologies and apply them to Montserrat and the region
  • Conduct quantitative risk assessments
  • Undertake research on modelling volcanic hazards and risk

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Disaster Risk Reduction:
    • Improve hazard maps and risk assessment for emergency management and territorial planing;
    • Understand and develop scientific communication methods to manage natural hazards and crisis situations.
    • Study exposed areas at high detailed scale using municipality spatial data.
    • Develop strong and sustainable spatial data management strategies for multirisk assessment and decision-making.
  • Programming and geodata analysis:
    • Develop algorithms for spatial data analysis and data cleaning.
    • Improve data infrastructure and develop data organization systems.
    • Automatize spatial data analysis.

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

J.M. Marrero, H.A Yepes, P. Salazar and Lara, S. 2022. Urbicide or suicide? Shaping environmental risk in an urban growth context: the example of Quito city (Ecuador). In F. Carrión and P. Cepeda Eds. URBICIDE: The death of the City. Springer (Accepted to be published)

J.M. Marrero, A. García, M. Berrocoso, A. Llinares, A. Rodríguez-Losada, R. Ortiz, 2019. Strategies for the development of volcanic hazard maps in basaltic volcanic fields: the example of La Palma (Canary Islands). Journal of Applied Volcanology, 8-6, doi: 10.1186/s13617-019-0085-5.

J.M. Marrero, H. Yepes, J. Pastor, P.B. Palacios, C. Erazo, P. Ramón, C. Estrella. 2019. Integrating and geolocating post earthquake building damage surveys: The 7.8 Mw Jama-Pedernales earthquake, Ecuador. Spatial Information Research, 27: 317-328 doi: 10.1007/s41324-018-0230-y.

R. Ortiz, A. García, J.M. Marrero, S. De la Cruz-Reyna, R. Carniel and J. Vila. 2019. Volcanic and volcano-tectonic activity forecasting: Scientific advances and applications to different active volcanoes. Annals of Geophysics, 62-1. doi: 10.4401/ag-7655

R. Ortiz, J.M. Marrero, A. García, A. Llinares and V. Melo 2019. Risk management issues in tourist regions with explosive volcanism: The Teide’s 2004 unrest, Canary Islands. Annals of Geophysics, 62-1. doi: 10.4401/ag-7698

J.M. Marrero, F. Vasconez, P. Espín, R. Ortiz, H. Yepes, A. García, P. Mothes, C. Estrella. 2018. MDTanaliza: understanding Digital Elevation Models when facing gravity-driven flows in a hazard assessment context. Earth Science Informatics, 12:257–274. doi: 10.1007/s12145-018-0372-4

García, A.; De la Cruz-Reyna, S.; Marrero, J.M. and Ortiz, R. 2016. Short-term volcano- tectonic earthquake forecasts based on a Mean Recurrence Time algorithm: the El Hierro seismo-volcanic crisis experience. Natural Hazard and Earth System Science. 16: 1135-1144. doi: 10.5194/nhess-16-1135-2016

Marrero, J.M.; García, A.; Berrocoso, M.; Llinares, A.; Ortiz, R. 2015. Legal framework and scientific responsibilities during volcanic crises: the case of the El Hierro eruption (2011-2014). Journal of Applied Volcanology. 4-13. doi: 10.1186/s13617-015-0028-8

García, A.; Berrocoso, M.; Marrero, J.M.; Fernández-Ros, A.; Prates, G.; De la Cruz-Reyna, S.; Ortiz, R. 2014. Volcanic Alert System (VAS) developed during the (2011-2013) El Hierro (Canary Islands) volcanic process. Bulletin of Volcanology, 76-825. Doi: 10.1007/s00445-014-0825-7.

Peci, Luis M.; Berrocoso, Manuel; Fernández-Ros, Alberto; García, Alicia; Marrero, J.M.; Ortiz, Ramón. 2014. Embedded ARM system for volcano monitoring in remote areas: application to active volcano on Deception Island (Antarctica). Sensor. 14: 672-690. doi: 10.3390/s140100672.

García, A.; Fernández-Ros, A.; Berrocoso, M.; Marrero, J.M.; Prates, G.; De la Cruz-Reyna, S.; Ortiz, R. 2014. Magma displacements under insular volcanic fields, applications to eruption forecasting: El Hierro, Canary Islands, 2011-2013. Geophysical Journal International, 197-1:322-334. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt505.

Prates, G.; García, A.; Fernández-Ros, A.; Marrero, J.M.; Ortiz, R.; Berrocoso, M. 2013. Enhancement of sub-daily positioning solutions for surface deformation surveillance at El Hierro volcano (Canary Islands-Spain). Bulletin of Volcanology. 75-724. doi: 10.1007/s00445-013-0724-3.

Marrero, J.M.; García, A.; Llinares, A.; De la Cruz-Reyna, S.; Ramos, S.; Ortiz, R. 2013. Virtual Tools for volcanic crisis management, and evacuation decision support: Applications to El Chichón volcano (Chiapas, Mexico). Natural Hazard. April: 1-26. doi: 10.1007/s11069-013-0672-4.

Marrero, J.M.; García, A.; Llinares, A.; Rodríguez-Losada, J.A.; R. Ortiz. 2012. A direct approach to estimating the number of potential fatalities from an eruption: Application to the Central Volcanic Complex of Tenerife Island. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 219-220:33-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2012.01.008.

Marrero, J.M., García, A., Llinares, A., Rodríguez-Losada, J.A.; Ortiz, R. 2010. The Variable Scale Evacuation Model (VSEM): A new tool for simulating massive evacuation processes during volcanic crises. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 10:747-760. doi: 10.5194/nhess-10-747-2010

Tárraga, M.; Carniel, R.; Ortiz, R.; Marrero, J.M.; García, A. 2006. On the predictability of volcano-tectonic events by low frequency seismic noise analysis at Teide-Pico Viejo volcanic complex, Canary Islands. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 6:365-376. doi: 10.5194/nhess-6-365-2006

García, A.; Vila, J.; Ortiz, R.; Macía, R.; Sleeman, R.; Marrero, J.M.; Sánchez, N.; Tárraga, M.; Correig, A.M. 2006. Monitoring the Reawakening of Canary Island’s Teide Volcano. EOS, 87-6:61-65. doi: 10.1029/2006EO060001 (Q1, SJR 1.123)