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A Multi-Sensor Approach for Volcanic Ash Cloud Retrieval and Eruption Characterization: The 23 November 2013 Etna Lava Fountain
Author(s)
Language
English
Obiettivo Specifico
3V. Dinamiche e scenari eruttivi
Status
Published
JCR Journal
JCR Journal
Peer review journal
Yes
Title of the book
Issue/vol(year)
/8 (2016)
Pages (printed)
58
Issued date
2016
Keywords
Abstract
Volcanic activity is observed worldwide with a variety of ground and space-based
remote sensing instruments, each with advantages and drawbacks. No single system can give
a comprehensive description of eruptive activity, and so, a multi-sensor approach is required. This
work integrates infrared and microwave volcanic ash retrievals obtained from the geostationary
Meteosat Second Generation (MSG)-Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI),
the polar-orbiting Aqua-MODIS and ground-based weather radar. The expected outcomes are
improvements in satellite volcanic ash cloud retrieval (altitude, mass, aerosol optical depth and
effective radius), the generation of new satellite products (ash concentration and particle number
density in the thermal infrared) and better characterization of volcanic eruptions (plume altitude,
total ash mass erupted and particle number density from thermal infrared to microwave). This
approach is the core of the multi-platform volcanic ash cloud estimation procedure being developed
within the European FP7-APhoRISM project. The Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy) volcano lava fountaining
event of 23 November 2013 was considered as a test case. The results of the integration show the
presence of two volcanic cloud layers at different altitudes. The improvement of the volcanic ash
cloud altitude leads to a mean difference between the SEVIRI ash mass estimations, before and after
the integration, of about the 30%. Moreover, the percentage of the airborne “fine” ash retrieved from
the satellite is estimated to be about 1%–2% of the total ash emitted during the eruption. Finally,
all of the estimated parameters (volcanic ash cloud altitude, thickness and total mass) were also
validated with ground-based visible camera measurements, HYSPLIT forward trajectories, Infrared
Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) satellite data and tephra deposits.
remote sensing instruments, each with advantages and drawbacks. No single system can give
a comprehensive description of eruptive activity, and so, a multi-sensor approach is required. This
work integrates infrared and microwave volcanic ash retrievals obtained from the geostationary
Meteosat Second Generation (MSG)-Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI),
the polar-orbiting Aqua-MODIS and ground-based weather radar. The expected outcomes are
improvements in satellite volcanic ash cloud retrieval (altitude, mass, aerosol optical depth and
effective radius), the generation of new satellite products (ash concentration and particle number
density in the thermal infrared) and better characterization of volcanic eruptions (plume altitude,
total ash mass erupted and particle number density from thermal infrared to microwave). This
approach is the core of the multi-platform volcanic ash cloud estimation procedure being developed
within the European FP7-APhoRISM project. The Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy) volcano lava fountaining
event of 23 November 2013 was considered as a test case. The results of the integration show the
presence of two volcanic cloud layers at different altitudes. The improvement of the volcanic ash
cloud altitude leads to a mean difference between the SEVIRI ash mass estimations, before and after
the integration, of about the 30%. Moreover, the percentage of the airborne “fine” ash retrieved from
the satellite is estimated to be about 1%–2% of the total ash emitted during the eruption. Finally,
all of the estimated parameters (volcanic ash cloud altitude, thickness and total mass) were also
validated with ground-based visible camera measurements, HYSPLIT forward trajectories, Infrared
Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) satellite data and tephra deposits.
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