NASA’s Satellite Images Could Indicate Early Volcano Warnings

As a result of the early warnings in December 2017, there were no casualties due to Volcano in Philippines

Dusmanta Behera
Dusmanta Behera - Editor-in-Chief
3 Min Read

NewzVille Science Desk

Can you believe changing tree leaves can be a prediction of Volcano? Yes, Scientists are experimenting that changing tree leaves can indicate when a nearby volcano is becoming more active and might erupt. In a new collaboration between NASA and the Smithsonian Institution, scientists now believe they can detect these changes from space.

As volcanic magma ascends through the Earth’s crust, it releases carbon dioxide and other gases which rise to the surface. Trees that take up the carbon dioxide become greener and more lush. These changes are visible in images from NASA satellites such as Landsat 8, along with airborne instruments flown as part of the Airborne Validation Unified Experiment: Land to Ocean (AVUELO).

Ten percent of the world’s population lives in areas susceptible to volcanic hazards. People who live or work within a few miles of an eruption face dangers that include ejected rock, dust, and surges of hot, toxic gases. Further away, people and property are susceptible to mudslides, ashfalls, and tsunamis that can follow volcanic blasts. There’s no way to prevent volcanic eruptions, which makes the early signs of volcanic activity crucial for public safety. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA’s Landsat mission partner, the United States is one of the world’s most volcanically active countries.
When magma rises underground before an eruption, it releases gases, including carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The sulfur compounds are readily detectable from orbit. But the volcanic carbon dioxide emissions that precede sulfur dioxide emissions – and provide one of the earliest indications that a volcano is no longer dormant – are difficult to distinguish from space.

The remote detection of carbon dioxide greening of vegetation potentially gives scientists another tool — along with seismic waves and changes in ground height—to get a clear idea of what’s going on underneath the volcano. “Volcano early warning systems exist,” said volcanologist Florian Schwandner, chief of the Earth Science Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, who had teamed up with climate scientist Josh Fisher of Chapman University in Orange, California and and volcanologist Robert Bogue of McGill University in Montreal a decade ago. “The aim here is to make them better and make them earlier.”
In December 2017, government researchers in the Philippines used the monitoring network system to detect signs of an impending eruption and advocated for mass evacuations of the area around the volcano. Over 56,000 people were safely evacuated before a massive eruption began on 23 January, 2018. As a result of the early warnings, there were no casualties.

Using satellites to monitor trees around volcanoes would give scientists earlier insights into more volcanoes and offer earlier warnings of future eruptions.

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Dusmanta Behera
By Dusmanta Behera Editor-in-Chief
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Dusmanta Behera's pioneering experience of 26 years includes key roles at News Today Pvt Ltd, ETV Networks, Lok Sabha TV. Rajya Sabha TV, and Sansad TV. As an accredited Video Journalist for more than 15 years under MI&B, Government of India covered State Visits of Prime Minister and Vice President. Valuable Contributions include Series on "National Security" and Chamber Telecast. Key interest remains in Documentaries on Armed Forces and Travelogues.
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