[H-DS10] Literacy for Disaster Risk Reduction

[HDS10-05] Challenges to improve volcanic disaster prevention literacy of climbers at Aso Volcano as revealed by the 2021 eruption

*Takahiro Ohkura¹ (1.Aso Volcanological Laboratory, Institute for Geothermal Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University)

Keywords:Aso Volcano, Phreatic eruption, Volcano Disaster mitigation, Climbers

At Aso volcano, Kyushu Japan, phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions have repeatedly caused volcanic disasters with fatalities near the crater. While it is important to research eruption forecasting to reduce the risk to tourists and climbers of this volcano, it is also important to improve disaster prevention literacy regarding volcanic eruptions. To improve disaster prevention literacy, it is important to elucidate the mechanisms of volcanic disasters based on case studies. In this study, we chronologically summarize the incident of the phreatic eruption that occurred in 2021 at Aso volcano. Although the Japan Meteorological Agency issued volcanic activity information sequentially as the volcanic activity increased, this information did not lead to the prompt and effective closure of mountain trails. There was also a problem with the collection of volcanic information by climbers. It became clear that information on volcanic activity was not used effectively by either those regulating the mountain trails or those using them. Efforts should be made to resolve these issues in the future. Especially, it is important to consider how to educate climbers about volcano information.

Acknowledgments
The present study was financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology of Japan under its Earthquake and Volcano Hazards Observation and Research Program.