Best-practice checklists for tephra collection, analysis and reporting – a draft consensus from the Tephra 2014 workshop

Abstract:

The Tephra 2014 Workshop (3-7 August 2014) discussed major developments, best practices, future directions, and critical needs in tephra studies from both volcanological and tephrochronological perspectives. In a consensus-seeking session held at the end of the workshop, the international group of over 70 tephra scientists focused on two complementary themes: (A) the need for common best practices in tephra data collection and reporting among different scientific disciplines, and (B) the need to establish common, accessible mechanisms for tephra data archiving and retrieval.

Tephra is the focus of a wide range of research in volcanology, petrology, tephrochronology and tephrostratigraphy (with applications in studies of environmental/climate change, surface processes, paleolimnology, etc.), ash dispersion and fallout modeling, and archaeology, paleoanthropology, and human origins. Researchers in each field have specific objectives that may or may not overlap. The focus on best practices is a first step towards standardized protocols for the collection, analysis and reporting of tephra data across and within disciplines. Such uniformity will facilitate the development and population of useful tephra databases. Current initiatives include the development of best practice checklists as a starting point for ensuring uniformity and completeness. The goals of the checklists are to: 1) ensure consistency among tephra scientists, regardless of research focus, 2) provide basic, comprehensible, metadata requirements, especially those who collect tephra as a peripheral part of their research, 3) help train students, and 4) help journal editors to know which essential metadata should be included in published works. Consistency in tephra sample collection, analysis, and reporting attained by use of these checklists should ultimately aid in improving correlation of tephras across geographically large areas, and facilitate collaborative tephra research.

Current and future versions of the checklists will be made available at: https://vhub.org/groups/tephra2014/resources