Kilauea has been in a lull for about 3 weeks. Actually have not been following that, to know whether residents are still being kept out.
Back to Atlantic side, one could check here: WPC 5- and 7-Day Total Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts Over next few days to see how juicy this might turn out to be.
Lava flows have not expanded since August 9, USGS status-map page not updated since August 15: USGS: Volcano Hazards Program HVO Kilauea
All that new, surficial lava rock could eat a lot of CO2, if it just had a bazillion times more surface area. Because it's mafic. Would like to show mafic in some big twinkly font. Make it a 'word for today'.
That fresh lava should be quite porous, with plenty of cracks too after it cools, so its effective surface area should be quite high compared to its actual land coverage area. More so now than after erosion and compost start filling in after a few decades. Though if we could pulverize it and spread it around atop the soil in other areas ...
A small spoonful of clay (~1 micron particle size) has more surface area than a typical lecture hall. Such as where I typically bore students with such information.
"if we could pulverize it: Easiest thing in the world. But to do it fast takes energy, and if that sourced CO2, net gain goes away. If you're in no hurry, just get some plant roots*. Breaking rocks for >350 million years and darn good at it. *and fungi of course. Fungi make everything better. Except when they don't .
Nobody asked of course, but when clays form the slow natural way, they are not 1-micron balls They are like 1-micron books with pages a bit open. Real surface area is absurdly high.
I just saw, earlier today, that fungi are the world's largest hardrock miners. And now, some folks are even wondering if they are tunneling into comparatively hard garnets: What Bored These Tunnels inside Thai Garnets? - Scientific American Blog Network The World's Largest Mining Operation Is Run by Fungi - Scientific American Blog Network
Like, totally, dude. Link even compares to "hardened steel" which is...sort of a joke. Microbes eat that stuff for breakfast. SciAm blogs are so good that somebody ought to distill them for PriusChat viewing somebody
In about an hour 'those who do' will turn the crank again on mesoscale models for H. Florence and promulgate graphics. This one is really looking like a popcorn-ready show. But I am drawn to labor elsewhere and may miss posting on a turn or two of the crank. So, if you are Atlantic near-coastal and at some risk of flooding ... see to it.
Florence surely will damage with storm-water surge on mid-Atlantic coast and cause big rain there and inland. We only wonder whether big winds will 'do' North Carolina coast (and die inland), or scoot north along coast and visit many more customers. This is not addressed at HURRICANE FLORENCE but somewhat at Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Track Forecasts Both URLs need refreshing 12 hourly. It will become 6 hourly later.
See all 3 here: http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/atlantic/images/irng8.GIF First up is Florence. Now well locked on N Carolina but adventure not limited to there. Newsworthy strengthening in 12 hrs. Then Isaac. Straight west through "Windward Islands", then ??? Notably not getting stronger. Helene turns north (into non notability) after Cape Verde. Of these, Florence is the one to watch. Except in Hawaii, where Olivia is about 2 days out.
Get your total rainfall predictions here HURRICANE FLORENCE or here WPC 5- and 7-Day Total Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts Same data, different crayons.