GOALS
The pilot project was aimed at evaluating the utility of remote sensing data for anticipating, detecting, and tracking volcanic eruptions and was completed during 2014–2017. The goals of the pilot were:
1) Explore the feasibility of integrated, systematic, and sustained monitoring of Holocene volcanoes using space-based observations.
2) Emphasize the applicability and superior timeliness of space-based observations to the operational community (including volcano observatories and Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers) for better understanding volcanic activity and reducing the impact of eruptions.
3) Build the capacity for use of space-based data at volcano observatories in developing countries, where the uptake of remote sensing data has traditionally been limited.
LOCATION
Much of the pilot work focused on regional monitoring of volcanoes in Latin America, from Mexico to Chile and including the Lesser Antilles, to evaluate and showcase the potential for global monitoring given open access to satellite data. The region was chosen for special emphasis for the following reasons:
1) The volcanoes are situated in a diversity of environments (from rain forest to high-altitude desert), providing a good test of the capabilities of different types of satellite data in different settings.
2) Of the 319 volcanoes in the pilot region, more than half are unmonitored by ground-based sensors, and volcanic activity is abundant, including persistent eruptive activity, discrete eruptions, and unrest without eruption.
3) Explosive eruptions that disrupt air travel and impact local citizens were likely to occur over the course of the three-year project.
4) Volcano observatories and monitoring agencies in Latin American countries would directly benefit from the additional resources made available by the pilot.
RESULTS
Some key successes include:
1) Recognizing aseismic deformation at Cordón Caulle, Chile, that would have remained undetected due to a lack of ground-based monitoring
2) Characterizing a previously unknown magma storage area beneath Masaya, Nicaragua, based on interferograms and InSAR time series
3) Interpreting deformation and seismicity at Chiles-Cerro Negro, on the Colombia-Ecuador border, to help determine the volcano alert level
4) Developing approaches for mitigating atmospheric artifacts using global weather models, statistics, and deep learning methods
5) Assessing the behavior of open-conduit versus closed-conduit volcanoes and contributing to the development of conceptual models of volcanic unrest and eruption forecasting through synergistic use of thermal, degassing, and deformation time series
6) Building capacity at local volcano observatories through short courses and in-person visits by scientists with expertise in InSAR and other satellite datasets
The results of the pilot showed how satellite data are critical for identifying volcanoes that may become active in the future, as well as tracking eruptive activity that may impact populations and infrastructure on the ground and in the air. With sufficient access to data and analysis and interpretation capabilities provided by partners, volcanic activity can be detected and sometimes forecast. This information, when made available to the local volcano observatories tasked with hazards assessment and mitigation, provides critical input to decisions related to alert levels, deployment of ground-based sensors, and protection of people, property, and resources. Remote sensing data can aid the operations at volcano observatories, sometimes contributing information that would not otherwise be known. Further, the pilot emphasized that there are useful data being collected by satellites that are not being fully exploited by volcano observatories.