Dr Emma Liu, University College London will give this talk. Some background (taken directly from https://festivalofgeology.org.uk/): “Volcanology is undergoing an aerial revolution. Drone technology is changing the way we collect data across the geosciences, especially in fields that require measurements over large spatial areas or in potentially hazardous locations; not only can we see the Earth from a new perspective, but we can also collect measurements and samples from places that would be otherwise inaccessible. As global populations now live closer to active volcanoes than ever before, volcano monitoring – through measuring gas emissions or topographic changes, for example – is becoming increasingly important in today’s world. In this talk, I will introduce how aerial strategies are improving our ability to both monitor and respond to volcanic hazards, and how these approaches are being integrated into operational monitoring at volcano observatories around the world. Drawing on my own active research from volcanoes in Papua New Guinea, Hawai’i and the South Sandwich Islands, I will highlight how we are now pushing the frontiers of drone design and deployment to fly higher and further than ever before; targeting beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights at high-altitude active volcanoes.”