HR: 0800h
AN: V21E-0663    [Abstracts]
TI: Monitoring Volcanic Plumes and Clouds with the NASA Earth Observing System
AU: * Realmuto, V J
EM: vincent.j.realmuto@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 168-414, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AB: The NASA series of Earth Observing System satellites present volcanologists with a new set of tools for the study of volcanic plumes and clouds. This presentation will focus on the analyses of data acquired with the first two EOS platforms. The Terra platform, launched in December 1999, carries the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), and Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS). The Aqua platform, launched in May 2002, carries a second MODIS instrument together with the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The centerpiece of this study is a time-series of data acquired during the 2002-2003 eruption of Mount Etna. Time-series measurements are the only means of recording dynamic phenomena and characterizing the processes that generate such phenomena. In an effort to evaluate the effects of atmospheric conditions on our plume mapping techniques we are also analyzing data acquired over the Kamchatka Penninsula (Russia) and Anatahan Volcano (Mariana Islands) during periods of eruption in 2004 and 2005. When combined with the Etna data, this suite of measurements spans the range of climatic conditions from sub-Arctic through Mediterranean to Tropical. The ASTER, MODIS, AIRS, and MISR measurements are complimentary, providing information on sulfur dioxide, silicate ash, and sulfate aerosols. In addition, MISR data are used to derive estimates of cloud-top altitude, wind direction, and wind speed. The suite of EOS measurements span spatial resolutions from 15 m, for ASTER in the VNIR, to ~17 km, at nadir, for AIRS. These differences in the spatial resolution allow us to evaluate the uniformity of the mixing of plume constituents. In addition, the multi-resolution data set is an analog for future NASA missions that will feature a network of satellites flying at low, medium, and geostationary earth orbits.
DE: 8409 Atmospheric effects (0370)
DE: 8419 Volcano monitoring (7280)
DE: 8430 Volcanic gases
DE: 8485 Remote sensing of volcanoes
DE: 8494 Instruments and techniques
SC: Volcanology, Geochemistry, Petrology [V]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005