Volcanology from space: applications of infrared remote sensing

Remote sensing techniques are being used increasingly to address volcanological problems. This thesis is concerned with the interpretation of multispectral infrared data of volcanic thermal features. Data from the two short wavelength infrared (SWIR) bands of the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) are used to constrain sizes and temperatures of subpixel resolution hot spots. Analysis of a 1989 TM scene of Lonquimay volcano suggests a cooling from 250 to 170°C of the crust of an active lava flow down 1.5 km of its length. Estimates of the summed radiative and convective heat losses from the flow top fall from 6 to 3 MW per 30 x 30 m pixel downflow. Thermal data were collected at volcanoes in Chile, Nicaragua and Italy to test assumptions explicit in such calculations. These surveys suggest that SWIR emission from fumarole fields is dominated by that from the interior walls of vents, and that surface temperatures around fumarole vents are lower than those of typical active lava bodies. The relative response of the two SWIR sensors of the TM is sensitive to such differences and therefore provides a basis for the interpretation of thennal anomalies known only from satellite data. Comparison of measurements in the two SWIR bands is petfonned with fourteen TM scenes recorded between 1984 and 1991, of a persistent hot spot at Lascar volcano, Chile. Evolution of the thennal source is charted by comparing the summed spectral radiance in each of the SWIR bands. Thus it appears that Lascar has experienced at least two periods of lava dome growth punctuated by the explosive eruptions of 1986 and 1990. Infrared sensors to be deployed on forthcoming remote sensing platfonns, including the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite and NASA's Earth Observing System, promise to constrain thennal emissions from volcanoes more effectively than possible with existing orbital systems. These investigations will improve understanding of the physical processes that influence the emplacement of lavas, as well as the potential for detecting eruption precursors and evaluating volcanic hazards

Rationalising a volcanic crisis through literature: Montserratian verse and the descriptive reconstruction of an island

International audienceThis article discusses a selection of the literary output provoked and inspired by the eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat - notably poetry and prose written by Montserratians affected by the disaster. It argues that literature can be a source of local knowledge, and a window into a culture that is seeking to deal with a tragedy. It can also be used to assess outreach efforts and to investigate the impact of volcanic events - and of volcanological information - on local populations. The texts describe the process by which Montserratians moved from bewilderment and denial to renewal and re-identification, and even pride in the volcanic activity and their own ability to live with it - and to help prepare other Caribbean islands for future volcanic events. Literature looks both backwards and forwards, communicating the acts of experiencing and changing. On Montserrat, that applies both to colonialism and the role of the UK in Montserrat's political, economic and social life, and also to the importance of learning volcanology, and welcoming volcanologists, as a means of survival

Sulfur Degassing From Volcanoes: Source Conditions, Surveillance, Plume Chemistry and Earth System Impacts

International audienceDespite its relatively minor abundance in magmas (compared with H2O and CO2), sulfur degassing from volcanoes is of tremendous significance. It can exert substantial influence on magmatic evolution (potentially capable of triggering eruptions); represents one of the most convenient opportunities for volcano monitoring and hazard assessment; and can result in major impacts on the atmosphere, climate and terrestrial ecosystems at a range of spatial and temporal scales. The complex behavior of sulfur in magmas owes much to its multiple valence states (-II, 0, IV, VI), speciation (e.g., S2, H2S, SO2, OCS and SO3 in the gas phase; S2-, SO42- and SO32- in the melt; and non-volatile solid phases such as pyrrhotite and anhydrite), and variation in stable isotopic composition (32S, 33S, 34S and 36S; e.g., Métrich and Mandeville 2010). Sulfur chemistry in the atmosphere is similarly rich involving gaseous and condensed phases and invoking complex homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reactions. Sulfur degassing from volcanoes and geothermal areas is also important since a variety of microorganisms thrive based on the redox chemistry of sulfur: by reducing sulfur, thiosulfate, sulfite and sulfate to H2S, or oxidizing sulfur and H2S to sulfate (e.g., Takano et al. 1997; Amend and Shock 2001; Shock et al. 2010). Understanding volcanic sulfur degassing thus provides vital insights into magmatic, volcanic and hydrothermal processes; the impacts of volcanism on the Earth system; and biogeochemical cycles. Here, we review the causes of variability in sulfur abundance and speciation in different geodynamic contexts; the measurement of sulfur emissions from volcanoes; links between subsurface processes and surface observations; sulfur chemistry in volcanic plumes; and the consequences of sulfur degassing for climate and the environment

The 2011 eruption of Nabro volcano, Eritrea: perspectives on magmatic processes from melt inclusions.

The 2011 eruption of Nabro volcano, Eritrea, produced one of the largest volcanic sulphur inputs to the atmosphere since the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, yet has received comparatively little scientific attention. Nabro forms part of an off-axis alignment, broadly perpendicular to the Afar Rift, and has a history of large-magnitude explosive silicic eruptions, as well as smaller more mafic ones. Here, we present and analyse extensive petrological data obtained from samples of trachybasaltic tephra erupted during the 2011 eruption to assess the pre-eruptive magma storage system and explain the large sulphur emission. We show that the eruption involved two texturally distinct batches of magma, one of which was more primitive and richer in sulphur than the other, which was higher in water (up to 2.5 wt%). Modelling of the degassing and crystallisation histories demonstrates that the more primitive magma rose rapidly from depth and experienced degassing crystallisation, while the other experienced isobaric cooling in the crust at around 5 km depth. Interaction between the two batches occurred shortly before the eruption. The eruption itself was likely triggered by recharge-induced destabilisation of vertically extensive mush zone under the volcano. This could potentially account for the large volume of sulphur released. Some of the melt inclusions are volatile undersaturated, and suggest that the original water content of the magma was around 1.3 wt%, which is relatively high for an intraplate setting, but consistent with seismic studies of the Afar plume. This eruption was smaller than some geological eruptions at Nabro, but provides important insights into the plumbing systems and dynamics of off-axis volcanoes in Afar

Experimental Phase-equilibrium Constraints on the Phonolite Magmatic System of Erebus Volcano, Antarctica

International audienceField observations and petrological studies have recently advanced understanding of the magmatic system of Erebus volcano, renowned for its sustained CO2-rich degassing, and long-lived phonolitic lava lake. However, this body of work has highlighted uncertainty in several key parameters, including the magma temperature, redox state and the depth of the reservoir presumed to maintain the lava lake. Here, we use experimentally determined phase equilibria to constrain these unknowns. The experiments ranged in temperature from 900 to 1025°C, in pressure from atmospheric to 300 MPa, in water content from 0 to 8 wt %, and in oxygen fugacity from NNO + 4 (where NNO is nickel-nickel oxide) to QFM - 2 (where QFM is quartz-fayalite-magnetite). The natural system was experimentally reproduced at 950 ± 25°C, a pressure below 200 MPa, redox conditions between QFM and QFM - 1, and remarkably low water contents of less than 0*5 wt %. These findings help in understanding petrological observations, including melt inclusion data, as well as the measured composition of gas emissions from the lava lake. Biotite and amphibole appear in the crystallization sequence at around 925°C, even under very dry conditions (biotite). Both biotite and amphibole are absent in the phonolites erupted over the last 20 kyr at Erebus. The constant abundance of anorthoclase observed in the erupted lavas and bombs indicates that the shallow magmatic system feeding the Erebus lava lake (below pressures of 200 MPa) has been thermally buffered at 950 ± 25°C over this time period, possibly reflecting steady-state connection with the deep feeding system rooted in the mantle. Combined with recent seismological data, our results suggest that if a large phonolitic reservoir exists, then it should lie in the depth range 4-7*5 km. The tight constraints on temperature and redox conditions will be valuable for future thermodynamical and rheological modelling

Resilient science: The civic epistemology of disaster risk reduction

In this paper, we use insights from science studies to elucidate the nature of advisory science in the context of disasters, particularly those involving geophysical hazards. We argue that there are some key differences between disaster advisory science and the issues that are most discussed in science studies: they are both time- and space-specific and they constitute major social, economic and scientific shocks. We suggest that disasters require flexible advisory structures that maximise the co-production of science and social order, and present a framework for this. We argue that the aim of increasing resilience to natural hazards requires that sociology of scientific knowledge play a part in the application of scientific advice: disaster studies has focused on the reduction of vulnerability as a reaction against technical-rational models of scientific advice, but in doing so has restricted the potential role of the social sciences in the framing of scientific advice and expertise.AD gratefully acknowledges support from a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship, part-funded by the Isaac Newton Trust, University of Cambridge. AD would also like to thank Professor Susan Owens for productive and enjoyable discussions.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scv03

Monitoring volcanic thermal anomalies from space: Size matters

International audienceMeasuring temperatures on volcanoes from space provides important constraints on the transfer of mass and heat to the Earth's surface. Time series of multispectral infrared images, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) between 2000 and 2009, were inspected to investigate fluctuations in thermal anomalies at both Mount Erebus (Antarctica) and Láscar volcano (Chile). Several thermal metrics were explored: i) maximum pixel temperatures above background, ii) the spatial extent of low, moderate and high temperature anomalies, and iii) the spatial extent of short-wave infrared anomalies. The maximum pixel temperature metric correlated to eruptive events at Láscar volcano yet displayed significant scatter at Erebus. The spatial extent of both temperature and short-wave infrared anomalies correlates well with eruptive activity at both volcanoes. Limited variation in the size of thermal anomalies was observed at Erebus throughout the time series due to the stability of a long-lived lava lake, with the exception of a seasonal expansion in low temperature anomalies associated with localized snow-melt at the peak. This finding has implications for the interpretation of low temperature anomalies at other volcanoes. At least two different types of precursory signals are identified at Láscar: i) a gradual increase and ii) a dip, in the size and intensity of thermal anomalies. These thermal precursors appear to be associated with different eruptive styles. The former precedes a relatively shallow, short lived eruption; the later a prolonged eruptive period. Such thermal precursors could therefore help to constrain not only the timing but also the style and duration of an imminent eruptive episode

Thermal imaging of Erta 'Ale active lava lake (Ethiopia)

Active lava lakes represent the uppermost portion of a volume of convective magma exposed to the atmosphere, and provide open windows on magma dynamics within shallow reservoirs. Erta 'Ale volcano located within the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, hosts one of the few permanent convecting lava lakes, active at least since the last century. We report here the main features of Erta 'Ale lake surface investigated using a handheld infrared thermal camera between 11 and 12 November 2006. In both days, the lake surface was mainly characterized by efficient magma circulation reflecting in the formation of well-marked incandescent cracks and wide crust plates. These crossed the lake from the upwelling to the downwelling margin with mean speeds ranging between 0.01 and 0.15 m s-1. Hot spots opened eventually in the middle of crust plates and/or along cracks. These produced explosive activity lasting commonly between ~10 and 200 s. Apparent temperatures at cracks ranged between ~700 and 1070˚C, and between ~300 and 500˚C at crust plates. Radiative power output of the lake varied between ~45 and 76 MW according to the superficial activity and continuous resurfacing of the lake. Time series analysis of the radiant power output data reveals cyclicity with a period of ~10 min. The combination of visual and thermal observations with apparent mean temperatures and convection rates allows us to interpret these signals as the periodic release of hot overpressured gas bubbles at the lake surface

Lava effusion — A slow fuse for paroxysms at Stromboli volcano?

International audienceThe 2007 effusive eruption of Stromboli followed a similar pattern to the previous 2002–2003 episode. In both cases, magma ascent led to breaching of the uppermost part of the conduit forming an eruptive fissure that discharged lava down the Sciara del Fuoco depression. Both eruptions also displayed a ‘paroxysmal' explosive event during lava flow output. From daily effusion rate measurements retrieved from helicopter- and satellite-based infrared imaging, we deduce that the cumulative volume of lava erupted before each of the two paroxysms was similar. Based on this finding, we propose a conceptual model to explain why both paroxysms occurred after this ‘threshold' cumulative volume of magma was erupted. The gradual decompression of the deep plumbing system induced by magma withdrawal and eruption, drew deeper volatile-rich magma into the conduit, leading to the paroxysms. The proposed model might provide a basis for forecasting paroxysmal explosions during future effusive eruptions of Stromboli