Princess Sharlynne Cosalan

Areas of interest

Microgravity modelling: Insights on volcanic unrest following the 2020 eruption of Taal Volcano, Philippines

Taal Volcano, a complex volcano in the Philippines, generated a powerful phreatomagmatic eruption in January 2020. This was later succeeded by seismic swarms, short-lived minor phreatomagmatic eruptions, gas bursts, and intense degassing from the Main Crater, defining a longer-term state of unrest. Such post-climactic behavior poses interesting questions about the evolution of the volcanic system since the January 2020 eruption and presents opportunities for study supported by high-resolution monitoring data.
My research focuses on the development of geologically constrained geophysical models and time-series analysis to understand volcanic processes occurring in Taal Volcano. It specifically aims to assess the mass changes resulting from these volcanic processes alongside other monitoring data (e.g InSAR, SO2 daily flux, seismic, GPS, and tilt). By combining microgravity with multi-parameter data, a more holistic understanding can be gained of how the magmatic and hydrothermal systems of a highly active volcano like Taal evolve through time after a major eruption.
This research study is a collaborative work with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the Philippine Government agency mandated to mitigate the harmful effects of disasters arising from geotectonic phenomena (e.g. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions).