Dense layers of volcanic pumice from an ongoing underwater volcanic blast in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Sea have created floating barriers that are preventing boats from operating, destroying fishing areas and raising concerns about potential food shortages, according to leaders from isolated coastal communities on Manus Island.
The underwater volcanic activity, which remains active, started on May 8 approximately 125 kilometers southeast of the island, according to NASA satellite data, creating floating pumice debris and discolored ocean water spreading outward from the eruption site.
Coastal villages have experienced severe impacts, according to local government official Jayso James So-on, who is requesting disaster relief assistance from the provincial government.
“Our livelihoods are based on saltwater, and with the influx of the pumice now, it’s really affecting daily activities,” he stated, noting that coral reefs have been buried and ocean transportation to Lorengau, the provincial capital, has been interrupted.
Government officials have not yet responded to requests for comment. News reports indicate that Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has directed agencies to evaluate the underwater volcanic activity.
Photographs reveal brown volcanic rock debris lining the island’s shoreline, reaching depths of two to three meters in some locations according to local residents, creating walkable surfaces where water once existed.
These floating pumice formations, as scientists call them, develop only under specific circumstances, such as when gas-filled magma erupts at the proper depth to create foam that remains buoyant, explained volcanologist Mike Rosenberg of Earth Sciences New Zealand.
“The pumice itself is not dangerous,” Rosenberg noted. “The main issue is that it’s just massive and you can’t move through it easily.”
These floating debris fields may require months or years to sink after becoming saturated by ocean currents and tidal action, he explained.
Local residents report difficulties with essential daily activities including fishing for food and traveling to Lorengau for supplies and services.
“Food will run out first and then water,” said head teacher Michael Kuam from Timoenai, a community of approximately 800 people, where boat motors cannot operate because pumice has accumulated two to three meters deep in certain areas.
“People can’t afford food too because they sell fish to get money,” Kuam added, who has coordinated students and community members to spend mornings attempting to remove the pumice to prevent long-term damage to fishing areas.
Collected pumice bags are being utilized to fill marshy areas around the school and create a level surface for the sports field, he reported.
The underwater volcanic eruption remains ongoing, according to the latest report from the Smithsonian Institute’s Global Volcanism Program.
