AVO operations during lapse of federal government appropriations

ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT
Tuesday, October 1, 2013 11:37 AM AKDT (Tuesday, October 1, 2013 19:37 UTC)

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) will remain operational during the lapse of federal government appropriations. The AVO is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. The staffing levels of the USGS have been greatly reduced, but the functions of the University and State partners are unaffected by the lapse in appropriations. The minimal required level of routine checks of data will be continue, but the additional examination and analysis of data typically performed by the AVO staff will be reduced during the lapse in appropriations. Forecasts and regular updates of volcanic activity will continue to be issued. Instrument network maintenance will cease, meaning that our monitoring capability will degrade over time. The Alaska Volcano Observatory website (www.avo.alaska.edu) is operated by a partner agency and will remain functional.