The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island: Mar 19, 2022

New View of an Old Event

A photograph, taken during a helicopter overflight on the morning of March 17, shows an overview of Kīlauea Iki and Pu‘u Pua‘i. Pu‘u Pua‘i is a large cinder cone that formed as a result of the towering 1,900 foot (580 meters) lava fountains during the eruption of Kīlauea Iki. The Kīlauea Iki eruption began on November 19, 1959, and lasted for five weeks, with fountains of lava erupting from the vent in 17 separate episodes. See Volcano Watch below with a description of a new cutting edge instrument used by scientists. USGS image by L. Gallant.

TESTIMONY TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM WAGE IS CALLED FOR by the Democratic Party of Hawai'i, which recently held its Big Island convention. The chapter urges those who support a minimum wage increase to submit testimony before Monday, March 23, calling for a $15 minimum wage to start

In several states and countries, providing a living wage is
used to positively brand a company.

Jan. 1 of next year and increasing it by $1 an hour annually until it reaches $18 an hour. The Democrats recommend testimony that urges amending House Bill 2510 HD to hike the minimum wage in 2023, instead of 2025, as written.

The measure has already passed the state Senate. The link to submit testimony to the House of Representatives is https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/. The Hawai'i Democratic Party's own message to the legislature says: "This significant increase is urgently needed and long overdue. Many Hawai'i residents statewide and here on Hawai'i Island are struggling with the extremely high and rising cost of living for housing, gas, electricity, food and medical care. Please do not defer this needed increase."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

SEVERAL BILLS ADDRESSING ABANDONED VEHICLES are moving through the Hawai'i Legislature. Supportive testimony came from local governments around the state, including the Council of Mayors, this county's Department of Environmental Management and Hawai'i County Council.

HB 1414 would make "a person who is the registered owner of a vehicle that was deemed abandoned or derelict subject to a tiered fine system."

An abandoned vehicle, tagged by the county, near Pahala
Transfer Station. Photo by Julia Neal

HB1413 would allow "the director of finance of a county to require payment of outstanding charges and fines owed to the county relating to the disposition of an abandoned vehicle within the county by the registered owner of the abandoned vehicle before issuing a certificate of registration or completing a transfer of ownership."

HB 1412 "would require the counties to provide a minimum distance a vehicle must be moved within a specified timeframe after a vehicle is initially inspected for abandonment to avoid an official classification of abandonment. Requires that, before a vehicle can be classified as being abandoned, notice be provided that the vehicle must be moved the specified distance within the specified timeframe or be subject to removal."

HB 1411 would require that "the transferee's and transferor's address be provided on the certificate of ownership when the title to a motor vehicle is transferred. Clarifies that the signature of the transferee and signature of the transferor each serve as an attestation by that respective party as to the validity of the information on the certificate of ownership. Imposes a fine on a party who provides false or fraudulent information."

Look up bills and submit testimony at https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/.

HAWAIʻI ORGANIC SEED SUMMIT will be a two-day virtual gathering to be held on Friday and Saturday Mar. 25 and 26 from 2 - 5 p.m. The summit is presented by Organic Seed Alliance, GoFarm Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Seed Growers Network, and University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu's Sustainable Community Food Systems Program. Join to learn about local seed projects happening in Hawaiʻi and pathways for becoming a knowledgeable seed grower. There is no cost to attend and registration is required in advance. To learn more and register, visit https://seedalliance.org/events/hawaii-organic-seed-summit/.

A NEW STATE OF THE ART INSTRUMENT HELPS DETECT UNDERGROUND VOLCANIC PROCESSES. The Absolute Quantum Gravimeter can measure very small mass changes beneath the ground surface. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists say they are excited to help the public understand the innovation in this week's Volcano Watch:

All objects have a mass and therefore a gravity field. Earth’s gravitational pull is slightly stronger in areas with more mass and slightly weaker in areas with less mass. Gravimeters measure gravitational attraction.

In volcano studies, gravimeters help scientists detect subtle changes in gravity caused by magma movements. When measuring gravity in volcanically active areas, a measurement of stronger gravity can indicate more magma below the ground surface.
There are two main types of gravimeters: relative and absolute.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s Absolute Quantum

Gravimeter is undergoing set-up, testing, and calibration before

installation at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS image by A. Ellis

Relative gravimeters are the most common. They contain a weight attached to a sensitive vertical spring. Gravity stretches the spring, and the amount of stretch is proportional to the measurement of local gravity. The relative gravimeter measures the difference of gravity between various locations. Unfortunately, these instruments suffer from “drift,” which adds noise to measurements conducted over more than a few weeks-to-months, and their accuracy gradually decreases. The drift can be characterized and removed by measurements repeated frequently.
Absolute gravimeters directly measure the acceleration of gravity. Free-fall absolute gravimeters, the most common type, use lasers to measure the free-fall acceleration of a small reflecting prism (a test mass) in a vacuum. Unlike relative gravimeters, absolute gravimeters do not drift nor degrade in accuracy over time. However, they are large in size, have delicate mechanical parts, require an ample power supply, and are not designed for use in harsh field conditions such as volcanoes. Those that are field portable are not capable of long-term continuous measurements or sensitive enough to detect the small changes needed for volcano monitoring.
Similar to the free-fall absolute gravimeters, HVO’s new AQG measures the acceleration of a small test mass in a vacuum. However, the AQG overcomes the limitations of classical free-fall absolute gravimeters by dropping clouds of laser-cooled rubidium atoms instead of small prisms. This allows for accurate and long-term continuous measurements. The AQG is also compact in size and can be deployed in the field at active volcanoes and run continuously without "drift."
The same model of AQG has been installed on the north flank of Mount Etna volcano in Italy, which frequently erupts. The instrument has successfully recorded many months of high-quality data despite high vibration noise levels. It continues to help improve volcano hazard reporting and crisis management planning in Italy.

Telephoto view looking east of the active lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea on March 11. The craggy remains of the west vent cone, which has broken down over the past few weeks, are visible through the volcanic gas plume in the lower right. Lava supplies the lake through a small embayment and spillway (bottom center) just north of the west vent cone area. From the main active lava lake, some lava spills over a narrow divide into a second smaller lake to the southeast (upper right). USGS image by N. Deligne

Currently, HVO’s AQG is undergoing experimental testing and calibration. Eventually, its long-term home will be co-located with other instruments at Kīlauea’s summit, where it will take continuous measurements except when conducting occasional field deployments.
Although the AQG is new to HVO, gravity monitoring has a long history in Hawai‘i. First measurements in the 1800s and 1900s were difficult and often unsuccessful until portable relative gravimeters were developed. Since the 1970s, relative gravimeters have been successfully used for measurements at over 65 benchmarks on the Island of Hawai‘i. These benchmarks are measured every couple of years to detect magma accumulation or shallowing within Mauna Loa and Kīlauea volcanoes over long time scales.

Gravimeters at Kilauea in 2020. USGS photo by I. Johanson

Additionally, starting around 2010, there were a handful of continuous relative gravimeters at Kīlauea summit and Puʻuʻōʻō. They played a critical role in monitoring the 2018 Kīlauea eruption, allowing scientists to estimate the rate and volume of magma accumulation and withdrawal in the East Rift Zone and summit. Unfortunately, these instruments were either lost during summit collapses associated with the eruption or have since stopped functioning, leaving HVO with no operational continuous gravimeters for several years.
Following the 2018 Kīlauea events, HVO received funding from the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 [H.R. 2157]. As a start to rebuilding the continuous gravity network for Kīlauea, one gravimeter was reinstalled on Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor in June 2021. In April 2022, there are plans to install two additional continuous relative gravimeters at other locations on Kīlauea.
The combination of the new Absolute Quantum Gravimeter, new continuous gravimeters, and ongoing campaign measurements makes the future of using gravity measurements to monitor, investigate, and assess hazards of Hawaiian volcanoes exciting and promising.

SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at

The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Saturday, March 19, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, March 19, 2022