Nicaragua volcano
A continuous cloud of smelly fumes rose from the lake of liquid magma below as we watched from the rim of the crater in Volcan Masaya National Park, just a short distance from Managua, Nicaragua. This was our introduction to volunteering aboard to help research the Nicaragua volcano.
This scenic park is in a large ancient caldera with a freshwater lake, lava flows, fissures, a lava tube cave with resident bats and several inactive craters in addition to the actively degassing Santiago Crater. The park has a nice visitor center, nature trails and a parking/viewing area at the rim.
We could hear the bubbling lava but the cloud is so dense you get only brief glimpses of the magma lake. The gas includes steam, CO2, SO2 and some heavy metals so the twelve Earthwatch Institute volunteers from Great Britain, Japan and the U.S. quickly learned how to don gas masks in case the wind shifted suddenly! In our volunteering work abroad, we were there to assist the scientists, Hazel Rymar and Glyn Williams-Jones and graduate students Guillermo, Jeff and Melanie with research on the volcano’s activity and the environmental effect of the toxic gases on plants and people downwind of the plume.
We rendezvoused the day before in Managua. Some arrived that morning and the rest overnighted at the very nice and reasonable Best Western Las Mercedes just across from the airport. Then a short van ride to the town of Masaya and the simple but comfortable Hotel Regis, our home during the project. The owner, Carlos, and his family welcomed us, made great breakfasts and dinners and took very good care of us during our stay. Three evenings we had excellent dinners at local restaurants.
After our introduction to the Nicaragua volcano we learned how to work with the micro-gravity, magnetic, VLF and other special equipment – taking readings on and around the crater. The next day we split into teams to assist with the work. I was with Melanie who was studying the effects of the gas on plants and people in the area that lies in the path of the plume. We put out specially treated SO2 collecting plates at small farms, work places, schools and along trails. In the populated areas our driver, Sergio, would help by climbing trees to put them out of reach! One school we visited had badly eroded jagged edges on it’s metal roof and a metal fence with large holes in it – both caused by acid rain! We also took spectrometer readings by attaching the meter to the car roof and driving back and forth through the plume area to measure average gas levels.
On other days I joined Melanie and other volunteers for two long, hot trail hikes studying trees in different areas around the crater to determine how they are affected by the gases, and to put out more collecting plates. We took nice picnic lunches for the full day hikes and had an enjoyable time working with the plants, seeing interesting birds, and even running into a troop of white-faced monkeys!
Back at the hotel there was plenty of cold beer or soft drinks while we entered data, discussed the activities of the day, took our cold showers and rested before dinner. One volunteer, Tracy, a teacher sponsored by her school and Earthwatch, wrote a blog each evening for her students. They would then call the next morning on the internet with questions and comments. They seemed very enthusiastic and this appears to be an effective method of involving students with real science!
In spite of the heat, hard work and long hikes, the project volunteering abroad was fun and satisfying! The time working with the dedicated and very accommodating staff and the great group of volunteers went by far too quickly! I was really sorry when the time came to leave the Nicaragua volcano.
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