“Mount Mayon 2018 Eruption and Its Effect on Air

Quality in Guinobatan, Albay, Philippines”

Judith R. 1
Chavez , Jerome Earl A. 1
Amaranto ,
Alwin Joseph M. 1
Maceres , Maureen M.
1 1
Maceres , Andrian G. Sola and Mylene G. Cayetano2,3

1Bicol
University College of Agriculture and Forestry, 2University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science
and Meteorology, 3International Environmental Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

Introduction • The dark red area in Figure 4 indicates hazardously high level
Mount Mayon is an active volcano located approximately (480-μg/m3) of PM2.5, coinciding with the vicinity of Mt.
500 km South East of the Philippines’ National Capital Region. The Mayon
municipalities of Guinobatan and Camalig, and Ligao City are
among the nine municipalities/cities surrounding the 130-km NOAA HYSPLIT MODEL
circumference base of the volcano (Encyclopedia Britannica) in the Backward trajectories ending at 2200 UTC 28 Jan 18
GDAS Meteorological Data
province of Albay. On January 23, 2018, the Department of Science
and Technology – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) raised the alert level of Mt. Mayon 16

at multiple locations
to Level 4, meaning hazardous eruption is imminent, since its initial
eruption due to its unrest and for having spewed a 1,300 meter- 120 122 124 126 128
ash column. Above-mentioned municipalities and city were
moderately affected by ash fall of about one centimeter thick 14
brought by the prevailing winds.

Due to the minuteness of volcanic ash, it is perceived by

100 km

Source
many as less hazardous and less threatening compared with the 12
direct blasts, lava and lahar flows. Ash particulates can measure 200 km
smaller than 63 µm (geology.com). It can enter houses even with
shut doors and windows. Particles with diameters less than or 300 km
equal to 2.5 µm (PM2.5), when inhaled, can penetrate deep into the 10
lungs and may even reach the bloodstream that may potentially 400 km
cause health problems (who.int).

Meters AGL
1500

The study presented initially shows the data collected from 1000

January 27 to February 16, 2016. 500

0

Objective: To assess the impact of ash fall on air quality from the Job ID: 197602 Job Start: Sun Jun 10 13:19:53 UTC 2018
2018 Mt. Mayon eruption. Source 1 lat.: 13.134200 lon.: 123.530400 height: 72 m AMSL
Trajectory Direction: Backward Duration: 24 hrs
Vertical Motion Calculation Method: Model Vertical Velocity
Meteorology: 0000Z 22 Jan 2018 - GDAS1
Figure 5. Backward Trajectories with 10-Trajectories Ending at Guinobatan
Conceptual Framework Source: NOAA ARL

• Figure 5 further confirmed that PM2.5 measured in Guinobatan

on January 29 at 6:00 a.m. came from one point source, in the
direction of Mt. Mayon.

Figure 2. Indoor PM2.5 Level Box Plot

• Figure 2 shows PM2.5 mean level is generally within the the Summary
threshold levels established by both WHO and DENR with
the exception of February 8-10, 2018, which has gone • Recent eruptions of the Mt. Mayon resulted to the dispersion of
beyond both thresholds. volcanic ash, a natural pollutant.
• Consistent air mass heading towards the 55° direction
contributed to the dispersion of volcanic ash in the neighboring
localities of Guinobatan, Camalig, and Ligao as shown in the
NOAA HYSPLIT Model.
• Inhalable portions of the ashfall penetrated shut edifices &
compromised the indoor air quality in Guinobatan, Albay as
seen from the recorded PM2.5 levels,
• Ground measurements from January 27 to Februay 16 has
shown that the 24-hr PM2.5 is mostly within WHO guideline
value (17 days), and some exceeded (4 days) the WHO
guideline value; 18 days recorded to comply, while 3 days
exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Guideline Value for
Highlights PM2.5.
• Further studies will be conducted on the impact of the ashfall
Figure 3. January 29, 2018 PM2.5 Indoor Trend at 1-minute Interval on the exposure to acute air pollution on the 1,111 households in
• In Figure 2, PM2.5 mean for January 29 is 21 µg/m3 (below Guinobatan, Albay.
WHO threshold), but a closer look at the data shown in
Figure 3, household members have been exposed to high Acknowledgements
levels of PM2.5 at a median rate of 45 µg/m3 per minute for 3
hours and 28 minutes. This study is supported by research grants from the
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea for the
Climate Technology Development and Application research
project #K07741 in 2017-2018.

The researchers would like to thank Hon. Mayor Ann

Figure 1. Indoor PM2.5 Level at 1-minute intervals
• Particulate matter can penetrate households with shut
windows and doors.
• Peak in daily trend succeeds an event of pyroclastic flow from
Mt. Mayon.
• Household members had chronic exposure to PM2.5 levels
that are near and beyond the 25 µg/m3 and 50 µg/m3
threshold (24-hour mean) ambient levels as established by
WHO and DENR, respectively.
“Gemma” Y. Ongjoco and MDRRMC Team of Guinobatan for
providing support and logistics to gather data from Mt. Mayon; BU
College of Agriculture Dean, Dr. Gerardo O. Ocfemia for
supporting this research; Dr. Rocefe B. Dy for allowing the staging
of indoor air sampler in her home; Smart Air Philippines and UP-
IESM for lending their indoor air sampler; Glenrose B. Belen, Maria
Teresa Sarza and Rai Failaman Lapresca for assisting in data
collection; Cameron Beccario for the visualization of global
weather conditions; and NOAA Air Resource Laboratory (ARL) for
Figure 4. January 29, 2018, 4:00 a.m. (Local), Wind at Surface + PM2.5
HYSPLIT transport and dispersion model and READY website.
Source: CAMS / Copernicus / EC + ECMWF
• Figure 4 shows a 408-μg/m3 mass of PM2.5 above Guinobatan
(marked in green circle) is remotely sensed, carried by the
wind from N 55º E moving at 7 km/h.