Wildlife & Ecosystems

Exploring an Active Volcano in Nicaragua

How does an active volcano shape the world around it? Peer into the crater of the Masaya Volcano to find out.

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The facts

Why the research is important

Why the research is important

The volcano belches out harmful gases like sulfur dioxide and heavy metals like lead—it’s critical to know where they enter the food chain.

Join the first research study to systematically analyze how the Masaya Volcano affects its environment.

Working alongside the researchers, you’ll trace the path and ultimate fate of the gases emitted by the volcano, starting from the volcano’s magma and moving through the gas plume into the soil, water, and ultimately, plants and animals. Knowledge of how volcanic pollutants travel and where they end up can help local people live more harmoniously with the Masaya by cultivating more acid-tolerant crops, for example, and developing safer evacuation plans.

Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua

Masaya Volcano releases harmful gases—it’s critical to know where they enter the food chain.

The volcano can also give us insight into the global impact of persistently active volcanoes. To address human-induced climate change, we need a better understanding of natural processes like volcanic eruptions. Although eruptions increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect, the impact of volcanoes is much smaller than that of burning of fossil fuels by humans. Volcanic eruptions also have a cooling effect, because the sulfur-rich gases they propel into the atmosphere form clouds that reflect solar radiation back into space. Through this project, we hope to learn more about how volcanoes like the Masaya fit into this very complex picture.

About the research area

Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua, Central America & The Caribbean

Daily life in the field


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The Scientists



ABOUT Hazel Rymer



Accommodations and Food

Accommodations and Food


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