CATEGORY:DISASTER PREPAREDNESS ------------------------------------ INSIDE GRENADA SATURDAY May 12,2007 News release _ University of the West Indies (UWI) A team of scientists will spend the next few days installing a new underwater earthquake monitoring system on the Kick ‘em Jenny submarine volcano off the north coast of Grenada. The installation is part of a project to develop new technology for earthquake monitoring of coastal areas and, if successful, should significantly improve how the volcano is monitored. The project uses an ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) to collect high quality data from Kick ‘em Jenny and a special mooring system to send the seismic data to the volcano observatory in Sauteurs. The data that is collected from the volcano will reach the shore within seconds of being generated, which will allow researchers to monitor coastal geologic hazards in real-time, a basic requirement for reducing hazards posed by earthquakes and tsunamis. This is the first time that such a system is being tested and used anywhere in the world, and it is hoped that it will provide invaluable data regarding earthquake activity on the Kick 'em Jenny volcano. The scientific team will be hosted by Grenada’s National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and includes researchers from the US-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Seismic Research Unit of the University of the West Indies. During their visit to Grenada, the scientists plan to meet with dive operators, fishermen and residents of Sauteurs to discuss the project. A press conference is schedule for Tuesday, May 8th at NADMA’s headquarters in St. George’s at a time to be advised. Kick 'em Jenny provides scientists with a unique natural laboratory to study the activity at a shallow submarine volcano that will one day emerge to form a new volcanic island. It is the only 'live' submarine volcano in the West Indies known to scientists and it has erupted at least 12 times since 1939, with the last major eruption occurring in 2001. Major funding for this project came from the National Science Foundation. Additional funds were provided by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the US Geological Survey. For updates on these and other geologic events in the Eastern Caribbean, visit www.uwiseismic.com.