Jim Begét
- Memberships
- American Geophysical Union
- American Quaternary Association
- Geological Society of America
- Alaska Geological Society
- International Association for the Study of Volcanology and the Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
- Alaska Quaternary Center (elected to board of directors, 1986-1990)
- International Quaternary Association (elected to Vice Presidency of the INQUA Commission on Tephrochronology and Volcanology, 1991-1995, and Presidency 19951999)
- U.S. National Committee, International Quaternary Association (National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences 2000-Present)
- Awards
- National Performance Review Award, Staff of Alaska Volcano Observatory, by Vice President Albert Gore (1997) --Recognized as one of the top 2000 active scientists worldwide at the end of the 20th century, International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England (1998)
- Named a Fellow of the Geological Society of America (1999)
- Chapter author in book, "Encyclopedia of Volcanoes, ed. Sigurdsson, Houghton, McNutt, Rymer, Stix , which received an award for Excellence in Professional/Scholarly Publishing for 1999 by the Association of American Publishers, Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division in the Geography and Earth Science category
- Received the Andre Dumont Medal for excellence in the Geological Sciences, awarded by the Geological Society of Belgium (2001)
- (6/96 – Present) Professor of Geology and Director of the Alaska Center for Tephrochronology, University of Alaska and Research Scientist, Alaska Volcano Observatory, and President, Commission on Tephrochronology and Volcanology of the International Quaternary Association (INQUA-COTAV 1995-1999), member U.S. National Quaternary Committee, U.S. National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences 2000-present.
- (6/91 – 5/96) Associate Professor of Geology and Director of the Alaska Center for Tephrochronology, University of Alaska and Research Scientist, Alaska Volcano Observatory, and President, Commission on Tephrochronology and Volcanology of the International Quaternary Association (INQUA-COTAV).
- (9/84 – 5/91) Assistant Professor of Geology and Director of the Alaska Center for Tephrochronology, University of Alaska and Vice-President, Commission on Tephrochronology of the International Quaternary Association
- (10/80 – 9/84) Exploration Geologist, Chevron Geothermal Company, San Francisco, California
- (5/78 – 5/80) Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Engineering Branch, Volcanic Hazards Project
- (1/75 – 8/77) Research Assistant, Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle
- Tephrochronology
- Volcanology
- Quaternary Geology
- Surficial Processes
- Paleoclimatology
- Neotectonics
- Natural Hazards
Jeffrey Freymueller
I have been at the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks since May 1995. I received a Bachelor of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1985, and MS and PhD degrees from the University of South Carolina in 1988 and 1991 respectively. Following my PhD, I worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Stanford University for three and a half years. Working in Alaska has been a tremendous opportunity, because so much happens right here; it is a signal-rich environment.
- Professional Societies and Fellowships
- American Geophysical Union, 1986-present
- Geological Society of America, 1987-present
- Seismological Society of America, 1994-present
- Associate of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), 1993-present
- Individual Member, International Association of Geodesy (IAG), 2003-present
- Individual Member, International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI), 2003-present
- Awards
- NASA Group Achievement Award, Development of OASIS/GIPSY Global Positioning System Analysis Software, 1992
- Terris and Katrina Moore Prize for best research paper or accomplishment, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2000
- College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Mentoring and Advising, 2005
- (2004 – Present) Professor of Geophysics, Geophysical Institute and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- (1999 – 2004) Associate Professor of Geophysics, Geophysical Institute and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- (1995 – 1999) Assistant Research Professor of Geophysics, Geophysical Institute
- (1991 – 1995) Postdoctoral Research Associate, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- (1987 – 1991) Graduate Student, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
- (1986 – 1991) Member of the Technical Staff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
- (1985 – 1986) Graduate Student, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
- Understanding Active Earth Processes
- Understanding and Improving the tools we use to measure Active Earth Processes
- Active Crustal Deformation Processes
- Kinetics and Dynamics of Active Processes that shape the Earth
- Sato, T., S. Miura, W. Sun, T. Sugano, J. T. Freymueller, C. F. Larsen, Y. Ohta, H. Fujimoto, D. Inazu, and R. J. Motyka (2012), Gravity and uplift rates observed in southeast Alaska and their comparison with GIA model predictions, J. Geophys. Res., 117, B01401, doi:10.1029/2011JB008485. 2012.
- Sato, T., C. F. Larsen, S. Miura, Y. Ohta, H. Fujimoto, W. Sun, R. J. Motyka, J. T. Freymueller (2011), Reevaluation of the viscosity of upper mantle beneath Southeast Alaska, Tectonophysics, 511, 79-88, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2010.05.009.
- Grapenthin, R., and J. T. Freymueller (2011), The dynamics of a seismic wave field: Animation and analysis of kinematic GPS data recorded during the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake, Japan, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L18308, doi:10.1029/2011GL048405.
- Freymueller, J. T., GPS – Tectonic Geodesy, in Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics, H. Gupta, ed., Springer-Verlag, 2011.
- Wang, Q., X. Qiao Xuejun, Q. Lan, J. T. Freymueller, S. Yang, C. Xu, Y. Yang, X. You, K. Tan, and Q. Shen, The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake: Rupture of deep faults in the 2008 Wenquan earthquake and uplift of the Longmen Shan, Nature Geoscience, doi: 10.1038/ngeo1210, 2011.
- Kogan, M. G., N. F. Vasilenko, D. I. Frolov, J. T. Freymueller, G. M. Steblov, B. W. Levin, and A. S. Prytkov (2011), The mechanism of postseismic deformation triggered by the 2006–2007 great Kuril earthquakes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L06304, doi:10.1029/2011GL046855.
- Freymueller, J. T., A new mechanical model for Tibet, Nature, 472, 48-49, 2011. (News and Views piece). 2011.
- Freymueller, J. T., Active Tectonics of Plate Boundary Zones, and the Continuity of Plate Boundary Deformation from Asia to North America, Current Science, 99, 1719-1732, 2010.
- Freymueller, J. T., and A. M. Kaufman, Changes in the Magma System During the 2008 Eruption of Okmok Volcano, Alaska, Based on GPS Measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 115, B12415, doi:10.129/2010JB007716, 2010.
- Cervelli, P., T. J. Fournier, J. T. Freymueller, J. A. Power, M. Lisowski, and B. A. Pauk, Geodetic Constraints on Magma Movement and Withdrawal During the 2006 Eruption of Augustine Volcano, in The 2006 Eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska, Power, J.A., Coombs, M.L., and Freymueller, J.T., editors, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1769, 2010.
- Sun, W., S. Miura, T. Sato, T. Sugano, J. T. Freymueller, M. Kaufman, C. Larsen, R. Cross , and D. Inazu, Gravity measurements in southeastern Alaska reveal negative gravity rate of change caused by Glacial Isostatic Adjustment, J. Geophys. Res., 115, B12406, doi:10.1029/2009JB007194, 2010.
Peter Webley
Dr Webley joined the Geophysical Institute in February 2009 after arriving in Alaska in Fall 2005 and spending several years as a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center. His research interests lie in volcanic ash cloud and plume detection through thermal and visible remote sensing as well as volcanic ash cloud modeling using Lagrangian transport and dispersion models.
- WOVO Representative, 2008 - Present
- IAVCEI Member, 2005 - Present
- AGU Member, 2005 - Present
- (2009 – Present) Assistant Research Professor, Geophysical Institute, UAF
- (2005 – 2009) Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Faculty), University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)
- (2003 – 2005) Postdoctoral Research Associate at Kings College London
- Operational Monitoring of Volcanoes
- Puff Dispersion Model
- Eruption Source Parameters
- Google Earth Applications
- Webley, P. W., Dean, K., Peterson, R., Steffke, A., Harrild, M., and Groves, J., (2011). Dispersion Modelling of Volcanic Ash Clouds: North Pacific Eruptions, the past 40 years: 1970 – 2010. Natural Hazards.
- De Angelis, S., McNutt, S. R., and Webley, P. W., (2011) Evidence of atmospheric gravity waves during the 2008 eruption of Okmok volcano from seismic and remote sensing observations , Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L10303, doi:10.1029/2011GL047144, 2011.
- Rybin, A., Chibisova, M., Webley, P. W., Steensen, T., Izbekov, P., Neal, C., and Realmuto, V., (2011). The June 2009 eruption of Sarychev Peak volcano, Matua Island, Central Kuriles. Bulletin of Volcanology, 73 (9), 1377 - 1392. DOI: 10.1007/s00445-011-0481-0.
- Gong, W., Meyer, F., Webley, P. W., and Lu, Z., (2011). Method of InSAR Atmosphere correction for volcano activity monitoring. IGARSS 2011.
- Liu, S., Mika, A., Gong, W., Hanssen, R., Meyer, F., Morton, D., and Webley, P. W., (2011). The role of weather models in mitigation of tropospheric delay for SAR interferometry. IGARRS 2011.
- Webley, P.W. (2011). Four Dimensional Volcanic Ash Cloud Predictions in Google Earth, with a special case of an ash-aviation encounter. Computer and Geosciences Special Issue: Virtual Globes, 37 (1), 25 – 37. doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2010.02.005.
- Webley, P.W., Dean, K.G., Dehn, J., Bailey, J.E., and Peterson, R., (2010), Volcanic-ash dispersion modeling of the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano Using the Puff Model, chapter 21 of Power, J.A., Coombs, M.L., and Freymueller, J.T., eds., The 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska: U.S.G.S. Prof. Paper 1769, 482–501 [http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1769/chapters/p1769_chapter21.pdf].
- Bailey, J.E., Dean, K.G., Dehn, J., and Webley, P.W., (2010), Integrated satellite observations of the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, chapter 20ofPower, J.A., Coombs, M.L., and Freymueller, J.T., eds., The 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska: U.S.G.S. Professional Paper 1769, 481–506 [http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1769/chapters/p1769_chapter20.pdf].
- Cahill, C.F., Rinkleff, P.G., Dehn, J., Webley, P.W., Cahill, T.A. and Barnes, D. E., (2010). Aerosol Measurements from a Recent Volcanic Eruption: Implications for Volcanic Ash Transport Predictions. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 198, (1-2), 76-80. doi: 10.016/j.volgeores.2010.08.012.
- Vaughan, G., and Webley, P. W., (2010). Satellite Observations of the March 2009 Hunga Ha’apai Volcanic Eruption, Tonga. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 198, (1- 2), 177-186. doi: 10.016/j.volgeores.2010.08.017.
Pavel Izbekov
Pavel is the Research Associate with the Geophysical Institute, who investigates magma processes in volcanic arcs through petrologic and experimental studies of igneous rocks. He has expertise in igneous petrology, experimental petrology, analytical techniques, and remote sensing. He involves students in extensive hard-core field works through International Volcanological School and various research projects in Alaska and Kamchatka.
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
- Post Doctoral Fellow (2003 - 2006), Alaska Volcano Observatory, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska
- Research Assistant (1997 - 2003), Alaska Volcano Observatory, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska
- Researcher (1996 - 1997), junior researcher (1993 – 1996), technician (1992 - 1993), Institute of Geosciences of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (IG SB RAS), Yakutsk
- Research assistant (1990 - 1992), Institute of Mineralogy and Petrology SB RAS, Novosibirsk
- Field trip assistant (Summers of 1979 - 1987), Institute of Geosciences of SB RAS, Yakutsk
- Investigating magma processes in volcanic arcs through petrologic experimental studies of igneous rocks.
- Vasily D. Shcherbakov, Pavel Yu. Plechov, Pavel E. Izbekov, and Jill S. Shipman (2011) Plagioclase zoning as an indicator of magma processes at Bezymianny Volcano, Kamchatka, Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 162 (83-99).
- Neill, O.K., Hammer, J.E., Izbekov, P.E.,Belousova, M.G., Belousov, A.B., Clarke, A.B. and Voight, B. (2010) Influence of pre-eruptive degassing and crystallization on the juvenile products of laterally directed volcanic explosions. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 198(1-2), 264-274.
- Browne, B.L., P. Izbekov, J. Eichelberger, T. Churikova (2010) Constraints on the Pre-Eruptive Storage Conditions of the Holocene-Aged KZI Dacite Magma Erupted from Kizimen Volcano, Kamchatka. International Geology Review 52, issue 12, p. 95-110.
- Waythomas, C. F., Scott, W. E., Prejean, S. G., Schneider, D. J., Izbekov, P., and Nye, C. J. (2010) The 7-8 August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Volcano, central Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research 115, B00B06.
- Larsen, J.F., Nye, C.J., Coombs, M.L., Tilman, M., Izbekov, P., and Cameron, C. (2010) Petrology and geochemistry of the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, in Power, J.A., Coombs, M.L., and Freymueller, J.T., eds., The 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1769.
- Bindeman, I.N., V.L. Leonov, P.E. Izbekov, V.V. Ponomareva, K.E. Watts, A.B. Perepelov, L.I. Bazanova, B.S. Singer, B. Jicha, A.K. Schmitt, C.H. Chen (2010) Large-volume silicic volcanism in Kamchatka: Ar-Ar, U-Pb ages and geochemical characteristics of major pre-Holocene caldera-forming eruptions. Journal of Volcanological and Geothermal Research, Vol. 189, No 1-2, pages 57-80.
- Neal, C., O. Girina, S. Senyukov, A. Rybin, J. Osiensky, P. Izbekov, G. Ferguson (2009) Russian eruption warning systems for aviation. Natural Hazards, Vol. 51, No 2, p. 245-262.
- John Eichelberger, Evgenii Gordeev, Minoru Kasahara, Pavel Izbekov, Jonathan Lees, Editors (2007) Volcanism and Subduction: The Kamchatka Region. Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 172, 350 pages, ISBN: 978-0-87590-436-8.
- Neal, C., O. Girina, S. Senyukov, A. Rybin, J. Osiensky, T. Hall, K. Nelson, and P. Izbekov (2007) Eruption warning systems for aviation in Russia: a 2007 status report. Fourth International Workshop on Volcanic Ash, World Meterological Organization (WMO) in close collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organziation (ICAO) and the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, Rotorua, New Zealand, 26-20 March, 2007, 8 pages.
Jon Dehn
Dr. Dehn studies volcanology through remote sensing techniques at the Alaska Volcano Observatory. He organized the first Internal Workshop on Kamchatkan-Aleutian Subduction Processes in Petropavlosk, Russia, and has started new collaborations with colleagues throughout the North Pacific Region. Before coming to the Geopyhsical Institute, Dehn held positions at Kiel University's GEOMAR marine research center in Germany, and at the Geological Survey of Japan's Hokkaido Branch in Sapporo.
Cleveland Volcano spews ash
According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a single explosive event sent an ash cloud up to 15,000 feet from Cleveland Volcano. Satellite images from December 29 reveal the ash cloud has detached and is drifting east/southeast from the volcano.
Based on the presence of an ash cloud, AVO has raised the aviation color code at Cleveland Volcano to ORANGE and alert level WATCH.
Buzzing with activity while the sun shines

Derek Sikes, curator of insects at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, on a summer 2011 trip to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
Photo by Matt Bowser.

As Alaska cools and hardens, many scientists are reacquainting themselves with their offices.
Such is the case for Derek Sikes, the curator of insects at the University of
Alaska Museum of the North. This summer, he traveled across Alaska, from Sagwon
Bluffs to Sitka and many places between, including a trip to the Aleutians for
good lateral coverage.

