The centenary of IAVCEI 1919–2019 and beyond: The people, places, and things of volcano geodesy

Over the frst century of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI), volcano geodesy grew from roots as an accidental and incidental system of measurements to an important method for monitoring volcanic activity and forecasting eruptions. The frst practitioners in volcano geodesy were experts in other disciplines, and it was not until the latter half of the twentieth century that specialists in the feld emerged—scientists who developed new methods, measured geodetic change at volcanoes, and quantitatively interpreted the results in terms of magmatic processes. Much of the early work in the feld was restricted to a few volcanoes and involved techniques that had been adapted from other applications; relatively few methods were developed specifcally for use on volcanoes. These volcanoes, however, provided the natural laboratories needed to advance the feld. By the start of the twenty-frst century, geodetic studies, especially using space-based techniques, contributed to the recognition of deformation and gravity change at hundreds of volcanoes on Earth. In coming years, IAVCEI researchers will focus on comprehensive exploitation of the growing volumes of geodetic data to better model, forecast, and track activity at volcanoes worldwide. Meanwhile, the feld needs to become more diverse, better representing people who live in the shadows of volcanoes around the globe.