Voronoi-based analysis of clustering dynamics in experimental volcanic ash clouds.

ABSTRACT: Explosive volcanic eruptions inject large amounts of ash into the atmosphere, where it disperses regionally and globally, posing risks to aviation, infrastructure, and public health. Accurate ash dispersal forecasting is crucial for hazard mitigation, yet current models primarily rely on eruption source parameters, such as particle size distribution, while largely neglecting evolving atmospheric ash distributions. Turbulence-driven particle interactions generate dense clusters that travel faster than isolated particles, shortening the residence time of fine ash and potentially boosting collision and aggregation rates. These processes remain poorly constrained. Here, we present an experimental framework to quantify clustering in controlled ash columns over particle volume fractions φ

SUBMITTER: Capponi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12823729 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature