Volcano breath: a rare 'vog' event in the eastern Bay of Plenty, Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Whakaari/White Island, located 50 km offshore and north of Whakatāne in the eastern Bay of Plenty, Aotearoa New Zealand is the country’s most active volcano. For more than a century, it has been in a state of constant unrest punctuated by small but hazardous eruptions. Often, the volcano emits a plume of water vapour and gases that are visible from the mainland. Residents of Whakatāne were reminded of Whakaari’s ‘volcano breath’ when a rare ‘vog’ episode occurred on 9 November 2021.