Prototyping of a Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Aviation and Development of NRT Alert Products within the EUNADICS-AV and OPAS Projects

The eruption of the Eyjafjöll volcano in 2010 has shown that aviation can be very vulnerable to natural disasters. Although such events are rare, the consequences for aviation can be enormous, on both the economic and human scale. Nowadays many techniques are available to measure hazards to aviation, yet there is still no Europe wide warning system for this kind of disasters. The EUNADICS-AV project aimed at filling this gap, by providing fast information to the aviation community. In addition, the ongoing Engage-KTN OPAS projects involves the development of an algorithm for the retrieval of the height of sulfur dioxide (SO
₂
) plumes, a proxy for the presence of volcanic ash. This paper reports on the major contributions to these two projects: the development of an early warning system, the SO
₂
layer height developments, and the creation of standardized alert products.