CNN Reports on UH Hilo Field Team Tracking Lava Flow from the Night Sky
Manager Climate Corps collaborators Rose Hart (MCC Graduate Student), Jon Price (UH Hilo Geography faculty), Ryan Perroy (UH Hilo Geography faculty), and their field team use drones to map in detail the rate and extent of lava flow during the East Rift Zone eruption on Hawaiʻi Island over the past month. Rose’s team recently completed a 2-year research effort utilizing her drone pilot training and expertise in remote sensing analysis to study coastal erosion on Hawaiʻi Island. Upon completion of this research campaign, an unexpected field need developed within the growing partnerships between the UH Hilo research team and Hawaiʻi County.
Shifting gears, the research team is now working vigilantly to inform hourly decisions made by Hawaiʻi County’s Civil Defense networks in support of public safety in the Puna District through the ongoing eruption. Watch CNN’s two minute video covering the field team’s nightly drone flights and imagery analyses. Also watch a related UH Hilo News video released in October of 2018 on this team’s lava flow research.