UH Hilo scientists featured in NOVA documentary about 2018 Kīlauea eruption

Jan. 23 airing of PBS NOVA science series features UH Hilo scientists Cheryl Gansecki and Ryan Perroy and their research of the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.

Video screenshot of lava flow.
Click on screenshot to see hour-long show on NOVA website.

The Jan. 23 airing of PBS’s NOVA, about the 2018 Kīlauea eruption, prominently features UH Hilo scientists Cheryl Gansecki and Ryan Perroy and their work on chemistry analysis and aerial monitoring of the flow respectively.

Kīlauea: Hawaiʻi on Fire

Scientists journey to Kīlauea volcano to investigate the eruptions that shook Hawaiʻi in 2018.

In May 2018, Kīlauea volcano erupted, obliterating neighborhoods with devastating force and uprooting thousands of local residents. It is Hawaiʻi’s most destructive volcanic eruption in generations. How can one of the most beautiful places on Earth suddenly transform into a roaring inferno, sputtering molten lava and bombs of volcanic rock the size of refrigerators? On the ground in the early days of the eruption, NOVA joins scientists and residents alike on a breathtaking journey to investigate Kīlauea’s recent spike in activity. Along the way, some of Hawaiʻi’s biggest secrets are revealed: Why did these geologically distinctive volcanoes form in the middle of the Pacific? How did life establish itself on the remote islands? What does this tell us about the future of Hawaiʻi? And what dangers yet lurk for the inhabitants of the island paradise? (Premiered January 23, 2019)

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