The Commission on Volcanic Lakes (CVL) of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) met in Yaoundè, Cameroon, for the ninth edition of its triennial Workshop. An appointment of scientific and commemorative value that the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology certainly could not miss.On the night of August 21, 1986, near Lake Nyos in north-western Cameroon, a huge cloud of carbon dioxide (CO2) caused the death by suffocation of 1746 people and over 3000 head of livestock. At first the cause of the disaster was erroneously attributed to a cloud of sulfuric acid (H2S) given off by an underground volcanic eruption. After the natural recharge of CO2 in the deep layers of the lake, following the lethal event, the cause of the phenomenon was attributed to a limnic overturning followed by a rapid release of CO2, trapped in the deep waters of the lake, due to the compositional stratification of the gas. Today, after years of artificial degassing of deep layers, Lake Nyos is considered relatively safe.
Since that tragic event, scientific studies on volcanic lakes have intensified, so much so that in 1987 in Yaoundé, capital of Cameroon, during the International Conference on the Lake Nyos Gas Disaster, the International Working Group on Crater Lakes (IWGCL) was founded , later renamed the Commission on Volcanic Lakes (CVL).
During the ninth Workshop, organized by the Institute of Geological and Mining Research (IRGM, Cameroon), the international commitment of research activities in Cameroon was reaffirmed, mainly supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The works were attended by representatives of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) Dmitri Rouwet, INGV researcher of the Bologna section and Leader of the CVL from 2010 to 2019, Giovannella Pecoraino, INGV researcher of the Palermo section and Antonio Costa, INGV researcher of the Bologna section. Ample space has also been given to studies on Italian volcanic lakes such as Lake Albano (Colli Albani, Lazio), Monticchio Lakes (Vulture, Basilicata) and Lake Averno (Campi Flegrei, Campania). The exchange of ideas and experiences in the scientific community represents an opportunity for INGV to outline future research strategies, in Italy, in Cameroon and elsewhere.
Subsequently, the Italian team formed by INGV and the University of Florence led a multi-disciplinary sampling and measurement campaign at Lake Nyos and a study was started on Barombi Mbo Maar, the largest volcanic lake in Cameroon.
At the end of the work, the CVL Steering Committee awarded Minoru Kusakabe for his role as "founding father of the CVL" and for his dedication throughout his career to Lake Nyos.
Abstract:
The Commission on Volcanic Lakes (CVL) of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) reunited in Cameroon's capital Yaoundé for the 9th edition of its trianual Workshop. During the night of 21 August 1986, in the surroundings of Lake Nyos, in northwest Cameroon, the release of an enormous CO2 cloud suffocated 1746 people and over 3000 livestock. This particalur event triggered research on volcanic lakes internationally, leading to the foundation of CVL. This commemorative rendezvous of high scientific impact could not pass without the contributions of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. For INGV Dmitri Rouwet (Leader of IAVCEI-CVL since 2010, and researcher of INGV-Bologna), Giovannella Pecoraino (reseracher of INGV-Palermo) and Antonio Costa (researcher of INGV-Bologna) presented their research. The exchange of ideas and experience within the scientific community offered an opportunity for INGV to take a leading role in lining-out strategies for future research in Italy, Cameroon, as well as elsewhere