Multi-sensor satellite-based monitoring of a volcanic eruption

Abstract

This paper presents a combined analysis of multi-sensor satellite-based remote sensing data monitoring of a volcanic eruption – the 2014/15 Holuhraun fissure eruption in Iceland. Signalized by increasing seismic activity on 16 August 2014 onwards, a dike originated from the Bardarbunga Volcano broke through the Earth’s surface on 29 August 2014, causing one of the largest volcanic events in modern Icelandic history. Within this multi-sensor approach three different aspects are investigated: First, the development of the hotspot was monitored by analyzing MODIS imagery and nighttime acquisitions of Landsat-8. Furthermore, satellite data of DLR’s FireBIRD mission (TET-1 – Technology Experiment Carrier) were exploited to measure the temperature development of the lava over time. Second, gases emitted by the volcano, such as SO2 were investigated using data from satellites focusing on atmospheric remote sensing. SO2 total columns are retrieved from the ultra-violet spectrometer GOME-2 onboard the polar satellites MetOp-A and -B. Earthshine reflectances from nadir-view scans are measured by GOME-2 on a daily basis. SO2 emissions showed a strong increase when the fissure first erupted in late August 2014. Comparison with higher spatial resolution Earth observation satellite imagery showed a strong correlation between the development of the area covered by lava and the amount of SO2 emitted by the volcano. A time series of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery acquired by TerraSAR-X and Sentinel-1 as well as a dataset of Landsat-8 daytime and WorldView-2/-3 acquisitions was used to monitor the spatio-temporal evolution of the lava extent.