Anatahan ash reaches Saipan, Tinian

Ash from the erupting volcano on Anatahan reached Saipan and Tinian yesterday, producing a haze that resulted in the cancellation of at least one local commercial flight.

The ash plume also reached as far west as the Philippines, leading to poor visibility in northern areas of that country.

The Emergency Management Office yesterday released a volcanic ash advisory for Saipan and Tinian residents and urged those with lung illnesses to minimize outdoor activities.

The EMO said a large cloud of dust and gas reached Saipan and Tinian in the afternoon, based on satellite monitoring by the National Weather Service.

In the morning, Continental Airlines cancelled a Cape Air flight bound to Rota. Stranded passengers took another flight two hours later, which detoured to Rota before going to its original destination, Guam.

“With a slow southward drift, the dust and gas cloud is expected to linger over Saipan and Tinian through at least Friday. The volcanic dust and gases may reduce visibility at times and may cause breathing difficulties,” the EMO said.

Yesterday morning, the EMO and the U.S. Geological Survey reported of an extensive ash and steam plume rising to 15,000 feet in the air and extending in different directions.

“Ash extends from 415 nautical miles north, 180 nm east, 70 nautical miles south to northern Saipan, and 60 nautical miles to the west. Volcanic smog extends in a broad swath from 1,700 nautical miles west, over the Philippine Islands, to 560 nautical miles north of Anatahan,” the agencies said.

“Four reports of haze and poor visibility to less than 3 nautical miles were filed, three of those from just north of Luzon, Philippines,” they added.

Huge ash emissions occurred despite the lower seismicity on Anatahan after intense eruptions last weekend. But the agencies said that small explosions could be occurring occasionally. Earlier this week, ash plume rose up to 22,000 feet in the air.

Representatives of various federal agencies are arriving in the Northern Marianas this month to help the Commonwealth government draft a volcanic ash response plan.

EMO director Rudolfo Pua said the effort would be the first time that federal agencies would pool efforts for a volcanic ash response plan for the CNMI. Those agencies include the USGS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Air Force Weather Agency, National Weather Service, and the Naval Forces Marianas.

A separate team from the USGS will also arrive on-island this month to conduct volcanic mapping on Pagan, as part of volcano hazards assessment for the CNMI.

With some 25,000 flights flying over CNMI airspace in a year, the USGS said the islands’ volcanoes pose great risk to air traffic, where more than one million commercial aircraft pass through yearly.

Volcanic ash threatens jets and aircraft in the air, as it forms deposit in engines, restricts airflow, and clogs fuel nozzles. Minute particles of volcanic ash also contaminate aircraft’s ventilation, lubrication, hydraulic and electronic systems. They cause erosion and pitting of leading edges of windshields and landing lights, as well as erosion of compressor blades.