Operational monitoring of SO2 emissions using the GOME-2 satellite instrument

Abstract

Satellite-based remote sensing measurements of atmospheric sulphur dioxide (SO2) provide valuable information on anthropogenic pollution and volcanic activity. Sensors like GOME-2 on MetOp-A make it possible to monitor SO2 emissions on a global scale and daily basis. SO2 total column amounts are retrieved in near-real time using the UV range of backscattered sunlight making it possible to detect and track volcanic eruption plumes. Trajectory matching is applied to relate detected SO2 to particular volcanoes and to estimate eruption parameters such as the height of the volcanic plume. Taking this information as input, dispersion modelling is used to forecast the motion of the volcanic plume. The high sensitivity of the GOME-2 instrument to SO2 allows measuring anthropogenic SO2 in the boundary layer and volcanic SO2 from non-eruptive degassing. This can provide critical information for early warning of volcanic hazards as changes in the SO2 emissions can indicate increased volcanic activity