Following the disaster caused by the January 2002 eruption of Nyiragongo, several initiatives has been developed to improve the monitoring capabilities of the Goma Volcano Obervatory (GVO). Successive scientific projects allowed the development of several ground-based monitoring instruments that currently include seismometers, tiltmeters, GNSS stations (GPS), mini-DOAS (SO2), CO2 and CO2/Rn stations, infrasound sensors and thermistors (Fig. 1).
All the current ground-based monitoring techniques were mostly developed by the GORISK Scientific Network and their partners, in collaboration with the GVO (Fig. 2).
Fig. 1: Ground-based monitoring networks managed by the Goma Volcano Observatory. In addition to these instruments, several weather stations are installed around the volcanoes, and thermistors and CO2 sensors are used for monitoring the 2002 eruptive fissures of Nyiragongo or for specific surveys.
Fig. 2: Origin of the current ground-based monitoring networks of the Goma Volcano Observatory.
In addition, several monitoring techniques using remote sensing were developed by different teams. These techniques include:
- radar interferometry for ground deformation monitoring (GORISK Network)
- SO2 detection using UV imagery (ViSOR Project, EVOSS Project)
- Thermal monitoring using MODIS imagery (MODVOLC)
Local trainings are regularly provided to the GVO staff by the scientists of the GORISK network, in order to develop, maintain and improve their capacity to manage and exploit these monitoring techniques.
