The
Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is a joint program of the
United States Geological Survey, the
Geophysical Institute of the
University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the
State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). AVO was formed in 1988, and uses
federal, state, and university resources to monitor and study
Alaska's
volcanology, hazardous
volcanoes, to predict and record eruptive activity, and to mitigate volcanic hazards to life and property. The Observatory website allows users to monitor active volcanoes, with
seismographs and
webcameras that update regularly. AVO now monitors more than 20 volcanoes in
Cook Inlet, which is close to Alaskan population centers, and the
Aleutian Arc due to the hazard that plumes of ash pose to aviation.