Climate & Radiation Laboratory Seminar Series
NOTE DIFFERENT DAY AND TIME
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017 AT 3:30PM
Bldg. 33, Room H114
 
 
Verity J. Flower
USRA-NPP and the Climate & Radiation Laboratory
 
 
Volcanology from space: Characterizing eruptions and their corresponding geological implications using space-borne remote sensing data
 
Volcanic eruptions represent a significant source of atmospheric aerosols and can display local, regional and global effects, impacting Earth systems and human populations. Space-based instruments can monitor volcanic activity globally, which is especially important in remote locations or where in situ observing conditions are hazardous. This presentation will provide an overview of satellite-based remote sensing techniques for assessing volcanic eruption dynamics. Observations from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) represent the primary dataset in this work, providing stereo-derived plume height as well as plume-particle microphysical properties. Additional information is gleaned from MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) thermal anomalies. These data facilitate interpretation of eruption energetics and changing dynamics in volcanic systems over time, within individual eruptive plumes, for multiple plumes from the same volcano, and for comparative analysis. Eight active Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia) volcanoes were used as an initial test of the space-borne techniques, which can be applied globally, and in particular, to volcanoes that are less-well studied with traditional methods.
 
Seminar Series Coordinators:
Hongbin.Yu-1@nasa.gov
Lauren.M.Zamora@nasa.gov