The East African Institute for Fundamental Research (EAIFR)  wishes to inform those who may be interested of a one-day training on the technique’s researchers use to study subaqueous volcanic activity, with a particular focus on magmatic degassing and its hazards.

Speaker: Dr. Ben Roche, University Libre de Bruxelles

When: December 15, 2025. The training will start at 10 am. 

Where: Conference room of the East African Institute for Fundamental Research, Einstein Building, Floor 5.

Registration (free): Send an email to admin-assist@eaifr.org using the subject line: Registration for subaqueous volcanic activity. 

Sponsors: FEF-R KIGASA;  IGCP 767.

Abstract: 

This workshop provides an integrated introduction to the technique’s researchers use to study subaqueous volcanic activity, with a particular focus on magmatic degassing and its hazards. It is structured in three parts:

1. The Sound of Water 
An overview of the principal marine geophysical survey techniques; bathymetry, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiling, seismic methods, and magnetic and gravity surveys, highlighting their complementary roles in detecting, imaging, and mapping volcanic activity beneath lakes and oceans.

2. Secrets in the Bubbles
A deep dive into the dynamics of degassing in volcanic lakes, exploring the physical, chemical, and geological processes that govern gas accumulation and release in these high-risk environments, and how these processes can illuminate ongoing or impending volcanic activity.

3. Pop Goes the Lake
A presentation of new research demonstrating how passive hydroacoustics can be used to monitor volcanic activity and subaqueous gas fluxes, with a close look at recent findings from Lake Kivu. These results point toward a promising method for early detection of conditions that may precede limnic eruptions, offering a potential breakthrough in forecasting one of the world’s most lethal yet least understood natural hazards.

Magmatic degassing in the Mediterranean (Panarea)