Volcanic Ash Advisory Center

A Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) is a group of experts responsible for coordinating and disseminating information on atmospheric volcanic ash clouds that may endanger aviation. As at 2010, there are nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers located around the world, each one focusing on a particular geographical region. Their analyses are made public in the form of Volcanic Ash Advisories (VAA) and often incorporate the results of computer simulation models called Volcanic Ash Transport and Dispersion (VATD).

The worldwide network of Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers was set up by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, as part of the International Airways Volcano Watch (IAVW), an international monitoring system managed by the International Airways Volcano Watch Operations Group (IAVWOPSG) which replaced the Volcanic Ash Warnings Study Group (VAWSG). The individual VAACs are run as part of national weather forecasting organisations of the country where they are based, e.g. the US NOAA or the British Met Office.

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