Simulation Of The Volcanic Ash Dispersion During The June 2019 Sinabung Eruption

Abstract

The eruption of Sinabung on June 9, 2019, was categorized as a red code in the warning report for flights. Volcanic ash from volcanic eruptions is a serious threat in the world of aviation with the most dangerous ash particles are 6-10 μm and 37 μm in diameter. To enrich our understanding and modeling performances of the volcanic ash dispersion for the Sinabung eruption case, it is necessary to simulate the dispersion of volcanic ash in those particular sizes to see its distribution which can impact flight routes. The method used was the analysis of the direction and dispersion of the particular volcanic ash using Weather Research Forecast-Chemistry (WRF-Chem) and compared it with the volcanic ash warning information on flight routes issued by Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC)-Darwin. In general, WRF-Chem can simulate the distribution of volcanic ash from the eruption of Sinabung at the two-particle sizes at different heights, and found the difference in the distribution direction of the two groups of the particle sizes. Comparison results with warning information from VAAC-Darwin and previous study, WRF-Chem simulation shows a good concordance in the dispersion direction.