Highlights
- The University of Arizona received a $654,000 NSF grant for lava flow research running July 2026 through June 2029.
- PI Brett Carr will analyze Iceland's 2021-2023 Fagradalsfjall eruptions, described in the award as among the most densely observed volcanic events in history.
- The project will build and adapt lava flow models to account for how terrain changes during an eruption can suddenly reroute flows into new areas.
- Findings are intended to improve eruption hazard assessments at volcanoes worldwide, not only in Iceland.
The University of Arizona in Tucson landed a $654,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study how lava reshapes the ground beneath it and, in doing so, redirects itself into new hazard zones, according to NSF Award 2533395 posted to the agency's public database.
Principal investigator Brett Carr will lead the three-year project, which runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. The award falls under NSF's CESEV-Chem Evo of Earth & Volc program.
The research centers on the 2021-2023 eruptions at Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland, which the NSF abstract describes as "among the most densely observed volcanic events in history." That documentation record gives Carr's team what the award calls "the first time a detailed investigation of the effects of evolving topography using high spatial and temporal resolution topographic data derived from airborne surveys."
The core problem the grant addresses: as lava piles up, it builds new landforms that alter where subsequent flows travel. That process can cause stored lava to release suddenly, inundating areas that were not previously in a hazard zone. The project will use structure-from-motion photogrammetry to produce digital elevation models and orthomosaic basemaps from airborne images, then feed those into adapted lava flow models. The NSF abstract notes the eruptions occurred "near a large population center," giving the hazard modeling direct public-safety relevance.
The award does not identify industry partners or co-investigators beyond Carr. NSF's public record lists no prior awards under this specific grant number.
The agency's award page is expected to update with additional project details as the start date of July 1, 2026, approaches.
Sources
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- nsf.gov retrieved 12/07/2026 01:22
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 12/07/2026 01:22. Every claim traces to a source.
