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| Volcanic ash clouds emitted by active volcanoes contain extremely hazardous materials that could cause serious problems in airplane engines. To avoid airplane-related disasters caused by such clouds, it is essential to provide information on them to airline companies, civil aviation authorities and related organizations. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), therefore established a framework for the International Airways Volcano Watch in 1993. In this system, Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAACs) monitor volcanic eruptions and provide information on the locations and movement of volcanic ash clouds as well as an outlook for their regions of responsibility. Under this framework, nine VAACs in Anchorage, Buenos Aires, Darwin, London, Montreal, Tokyo, Toulouse, Washington and Wellington were designated. The Tokyo VAAC is responsible for the East Asia and Northwest Pacific regions. | |
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Miyakejima eruption on 18 Aug. 2000 |
Area of responsibility of each VAAC |
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| Operation of Tokyo VAAC | |||
 Monitoring Volcanic Ash CloudsEarly detection of volcanic eruptions is crucial for VAAC operations. Volcanic activities in Japan are monitored by four JMA Volcanic Observations and Information Centers located in Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo and Fukuoka. The Tokyo VAAC receives volcanic activity reports from these centers when eruptions or explosions occur in domestically volcanoes. It also receives information on volcanic activities outside Japan from the Meteorological Watch Offices (MWOs) within its area of responsibility and relevant organizations such as the Kamchatkhan Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), and adjacent VAACs (Washington, Anchorage and Darwin). Volcanic eruption reports from pilots from cruising airplanes as well as satellite imagery from the geostationary meteorological satellite (MTSAT-1R) and the polar-orbiting satellite (NOAA) are also important sources of information. |
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| Issuance of the Volcanic Ash Advisory (VAA) VAACs issue Volcanic Ash Advisories (VAAs), which describe the latest extent and forecast trajectories of volcanic ash clouds in both text and graphical formats (as defined in ICAO Annex 3), to assist MWOs in preparing SIGMETs on volcanic ash clouds. VAAs are normally updated every 6 hours (00, 06, 12, and 18 UTC) for as long as ash clouds are identified by satellite imagery. If remarkable changes occur in the ash clouds, the VAA is updated as often as needed. In the event that ash cloud extension is identified on satellite imagery, volcanic ash graphic information and the dispersion forecast charts are also issued. VAAs are disseminated to twenty-eight MWOs and eight VAACs, and are also provided to the offices of the Civil Aviation Bureau and airline companies both in Japan and overseas through the airport branches of JMA and aviation authorities. |
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| Tokyo VAAC area of responsibility | |||
 Sakurajima, Japan |
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 Kliuchevskoi, Kamchatka |
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 Mayon, Philippine |
 Sheveluch, Kamchatka |
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| *Red triangles represent active volcanoes in the area | |||
| Data Flow of VAA | |||
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