March 28, 2024

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Friends who have gone from sharing notes to directing volcano monitoring |  Science

Friends who have gone from sharing notes to directing volcano monitoring | Science

A little over three decades ago, two young women in opposition, geophysicists by training, shared notes and agendas for a place at the National Geographic Institute (IGN). They were Carmen Lopez and Maria Jose Blanco, responsible for monitoring La Palma volcano. Neither of them agreed; This call was declared abandoned and they ended up entering the geographical office in 1990. “We showed up twice, because the first time they hung us all,” laughs Blanco, who now heads the IGN delegation in the Canary Islands. His face was one of the most popular on television for three months, as it was his role to report, almost daily, on the part The world of the palm tree eruption. When White isn’t talking, he always wears his red jacket, interfering Lopez, President, Director of the Geophysical Observatory, based in Madrid.

It’s a meticulously functioning tandem since it was first launched in 2011 during the El Hierro underwater eruption. Blanco, Lopez, Lopez and Blanco coordinate shoulder to shoulder volcanic monitoring of volcanic eruptions in the Canary Islands. “They are phenomena that stretch a lot over time; we take turns Because of physical and emotional wear To carry out these operations,” explains Lopez, who was born in Madrid 57 years ago, because “sometimes fatigue can strike you.” That is why it is so rare that they meet together at IGN’s headquarters in La Palma, under the Taguilla Church, where times are shared on Earth, where he takes over as fighters in the ring.

Carmen Lopez Moreno, Director of the National Geophysical Observatory.Arturo Rodriguez

The two think they have the best partner for this dance; If you trust someone for opposition feedback, you can trust yourself to fight a volcano. “You need to rely on someone else all the time, and you need someone to tell you that you’re making a mistake, it all depends on trust,” Lopez says. Blanco (Madrid, 59 years old) confirms this: they not only support each other, but “mutually put their feet on the ground.” He adds, “We give ourselves peace of mind, because they are situations in which tension is great, and it is also maintained over time, and that we are two people of mild character that give us a hardness that none of us can have individually.”

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These two volcanic tamers had very similar paths, even in the beginning of their passion for science. In the case of Blanco, because of his alchemist parents, who gave birth to many professions in the scientific branch of his family. In the case of Lopez, the daughter of realist painters Maria Moreno s Antonio LopezThere was also an early interest in science, although her logical path differed: from the art of her parents. “Science has a very powerful creative role, and it also fascinates with reality. I am fascinated by reality, what happens is that I don’t paint it, but I try to understand it. It’s not much different.”

“You need to rely on someone else all the time, someone telling you you’re wrong”

Carmen Lopez, director of the Geophysical Observatory

The two chose geophysics. Lopez loved the language of mathematics, and is so attractive for its ability to explain the world, that a professor in class explained that the Earth he’s alive: “Although it’s a very silly concept, the idea sounded pretty cool to me.” So he decided that branch that studies the phenomena that affect that life on our planet.

Phenomena such as the earthquakes that caused great concern in Tenerife in 2004 that forced the creation of a volcanic monitoring team from scratch at IGN, an institution that relies on Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda. “Carmen and I are the ones towing the car at that moment. We went to Naples and Rome, to the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), to see what they were doing and try to benefit from the experience of an institution with this great tradition, with the idea of ​​copying from those who knew more than us “admits White.

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Maria José Blanco, Head of the Geophysical Center in the Canary Islands of the National Geographic Institute.
Maria José Blanco, Head of the Geophysical Center in the Canary Islands of the National Geographic Institute.Arturo Rodriguez

And only seven years later, it broke out El Hierro . crisis, which ended with the eruption of an underwater volcano for several months. They encountered it without much experience, Lopez explains, and are willing to learn from their colleagues in other institutions. “We are not at all afraid. You must be humble, learn only if you realize that you do not know, and more so in this science,” he warns. I admit it In El Hierro he made mistakes That they did not abide now: “We know very well what to do; then it was not clear, we lived in a state of absolute uncertainty.” He summarizes: “We began to need advice and ended up being the true experts, which allowed us to be prepared to deal with this new volcanic ring in La Palma.”

“There are so many years and so many strong experiences we had together, I feel like a friend of Carmen”

Maria José Lopez, IGN delegate manager for the Canary Islands

Now, the pressure is more serious and the responsibility much greater, as Blanco admits: “An urban volcano eruption has a very heavy side.” Although Lopez is responsible for volcanic monitoring in Spain, she justifies the role of her partner: “Maria José is no less important to me because I am the director of the office for the Canary Islands, she is the one who represents the seal of the Canary, which is what we have always wanted to make clear.” the Active volcanoes in the archipelago And this is where IGN has an office with 15 people dedicated to it, headed by Maria Jose Blanco, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where he arrived after taking office three decades ago. Meanwhile, Carmen Lopez remained in Madrid, where she now runs the Geophysical Observatory, after agreeing to this opposition together. “And since then, we’ve been great co-workers and friends,” Lopez explains.

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Transportation Minister, Raquel Sanchez, greets Carmen Lopez in front of Maria Jose Blanco, at one of the occasions they met on the island, on November 8.
Transportation Minister, Raquel Sanchez, greets Carmen Lopez in front of Maria Jose Blanco, at one of the occasions they met on the island, on November 8.Elvira Urquijo A. (EFE)

For her, part of her success is that she’s two women: “Sometimes we’re more practical and put aside this war of heroism in pursuit of competence and do it well.” “Maria Jose has a slightly stronger personality than me, which is sometimes useful; we both are pretty clear that nothing is more important than job performance,” Lopez says. According to Blanco, his boss is “more creative.” Very strong experiences, and despite the fact that we don’t have a lot of relationships, because we live far away and because of the difference in rank, I feel like a friend of Carmen,” said in a nutshell, IGN office manager Canaria.

They have been together for three months coordinating volcano monitoring, Gathering the consensus of scholars Displaced people on the island of Canary, intervening daily to explain the situation as their spokespersons, alerting the population when the whims of a volcano They cause new fears. A lot of weight on their back they share together. Did you imagine yourself watching volcanoes when you shared topics at the end of the race? Blanco recalls: “At that time, I decided that I did not want to devote myself to teaching, because the responsibility of training students seemed too great to me. Well, take responsibility.”

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