Trajectories of the Mount St. Helens eruption plume

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.211.4484.819· OSTI ID:6543829

Danielsen, E F

The plume of the major eruption of Mount St. Helens on 18 May 1980 penetrated 10 to 11 kilometers into the stratosphere, attaining heights of 22 to 23 kilometers. Wind shears rapidly converted the plume from expanding vertical cone to a thin, slightly inclined lamina. The lamina was extruded zonally in the stratosphere as the lower part moved eastward at jet stream velocities, while the upper part slowly moved westward in the region of nonsteady transition from the westerlies to the summer stratospheric easterlies. Trajectories computed to position the NASA U-2 aircraft for sampling in the plume are described. Plume volume after 8 hours of strong volcanic emission is estimated at 2 x 10/sup +6/ cubic kilometers. Only about 1 percent of this volume is attributed to the volcano; the rest was entrained from the environment.

• OSTI ID: 6543829
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 211; ISSN SCIEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
CASCADE MOUNTAINS
CHALCOGENIDES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FEDERAL REGION X
MASS TRANSFER
MOUNTAINS
MT ST HELENS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUMES
POLLUTION
STRATOSPHERE
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
USA
WASHINGTON
WIND