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Archive: NASA Observes Ash Plume of Icelandic Volcano
04.23.10
05.26.10
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Many satellites can provide a bird’s-eye view that can identify thick plumes of ash, but few satellites can tell how high the ash is in the atmosphere. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite, however, records a vertical profile of the atmosphere, which reveals the altitude of ash clouds. These observations help modelers in volcanic ash advisory centers improve forecasting models and issue more accurate warnings to pilots and others with aviation interests.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a night-time image of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano's ash plume on on May 16, 2010. The image showed subtle differences in thermal energy radiated by volcanic emissions, the open ocean, and water and ice clouds. The MODIS image revealed the plume extended from the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland to the U.K.
The CALIPSO Satellite image showed a vertical profile of the atmosphere, revealing that the ash was between four and six kilometers (~3.5 miles) high on May 16. A joint mission between NASA and the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), CALIPSO carries a pulsating laser (lidar) that sends short pulses of light through the atmosphere. Some of the light bounces off clouds and particles in the atmosphere and returns to the satellite. The strength of the returning signal provides information about the characteristics of the clouds or particles.
The length of time CALIPSO's lidar’s light pulse takes to return to the satellite provides information about where the clouds or particles are in the atmosphere. On May 16, a bank of clouds covered much of the ocean at an altitude of about two kilometers. Breaks in the clouds are represented by a drop in altitude in the atmospheric profile—showing how the laser light being scattered back to the satellite was coming from farther away. In the north, the cloud cover is less uniform, with scattered clouds creating jagged peaks in the profile. The volcanic ash is above the clouds at about six kilometers high, the altitude at which models predicted it would be.
The London Volcanic Ask Advisory Center at the UK Met Office uses satellite measurements like these to validate model results. The models integrate weather forecasting models with models of the way ash moves through the atmosphere to predict where volcanic ash will be. The satellite measurements give modelers a way to check their predictions and improve future forecasts. NASA Langley Research Center produces expedited CALIPSO data. Data and images compatible with Google Earth are available from the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center.
Text credit: Holli Riebeek/NASA's Earth Observatory/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
05.25.10
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After two months of eruption—with activity ranging from lava flows, to outburst floods, to ash plumes—Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull Volcano appeared to be quieting down. As of May 24, 2010, heat signatures at the summit had dropped according to the Iceland Met Office, and explosive eruptions of ash had not occurred for several days.
This image from the Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite on May 18 captured one of the last explosive ash eruptions from the volcano. The thick plume spread east from the summit, casting a black shadow over the clouds below.
Text credit: Rebecca Lindsey/NASA's Earth Observatory/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
05.18.10
NASA's Terra satellite continues to provide visible and infrared imagery of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano ash plume, and the most recent imagery showed the plume being pulled in a northeasterly direction over the island nation.
The brownish ash plume was being pushed to the northeast from a low pressure area situated to Iceland's northeast. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard Terra captured an image on May 18 at 12:20 UTC (8:20 a.m. EDT).
NASA works with other agencies on using satellite observations to aid in the detection and monitoring of aviation hazards caused by volcanic ash. For more on this NASA program, visit: http://science.larc.nasa.gov/asap/research-ash.html.
As weather systems to continue to interact with the ash plume, it will continue to shift, so air travel may always be affected.
Text credit: Rob Gutro/NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Eyjafjallajokull Ash Continues to Disrupt Air Traffic
Ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, viewed here in imagery from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft on May 16, 2010, once again disrupted air traffic over Europe with the closure of major airports in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The top panel is a natural-color, nadir (vertical) view of the scene, with the volcano itself located outside the upper left corner of the image. The ash plume is visible as a brownish stream of particles situated above lower-level clouds. Stereoscopic images acquired by MISR's other cameras are used to derive the height of the plume. The bottom panel shows a color-coded plume height map, which is retrieved at 1.1 kilometer (0.68 mile) horizontal resolution, and with vertical accuracy of about half a kilometer (0.3 miles). Close to the source, the plume reaches altitudes exceeding 8 kilometers (26,247 feet), descending to about 6 kilometers (19,685 feet) about 250 kilometers (155 miles) downwind. These heights exceed the values observed by MISR about a week earlier.
The images cover an area measuring 275 by 186 kilometers (171 by 116 miles).
MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The MISR data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team 05.17.10
Ash Plume from Eyjafjallajokull Moves With Weather System Over Weekend
NASA's Terra satellite captured the ash plume being pulled into a weather system as it moved toward Iceland on May 14. Credit: NASA Goddard / MODIS Rapid Response Team› Larger image
A stationary front caused the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano's ash plume to change direction over this past weekend, and NASA satellites followed the plume's movement as the front shifted.
On May 14 at 12:45 UTC (8:45 a.m. EDT), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the Terra satellite saw the ash plume from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano being pulled into the circulation of the cold side of a stationary front. In the visible satellite image from NASA, the plume swept west from the volcano and was then pulled northwest around the system.
On Saturday, May 15 as the stationary front continued drifting to the east, and the warm sector of the front moved near southern Iceland, the winds shifted. The MODIS instrument flying aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of the plume at 13:40 UTC (9:40 a.m. EDT) the ash plume from Eyjafjallajokull Volcano as it began drifting back in a more southerly direction.
By Sunday, May 16 at 12:30 UTC (8:30 a.m. EDT) when NASA's Terra satellite flew overhead, the area of low pressure associated with the stationary front had moved to the east of Iceland. As the winds continued to shift and blow to the southeast, the brownish ash plume from the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano started moving in a southeasterly direction.
The MODIS instrument flying aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of the plume on May 15 at 9:40 a.m. EDT as it began to drift back toward the south.
This visible NASA satellite image from May 16 at 8:30 a.m. EDT shows the brownish ash plume now blowing in a southeast direction after the weather system passed. Credit: NASA Goddard / MODIS Rapid Response TeamRob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
05.14.10
NASA's MISR Measures Heights of Volcano Plume
Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano produced its second major ash plume of 2010 beginning on May 7. This latest plume has thus far caused far fewer aircraft disruptions than the earlier eruption, however, due, in part, to computer models that are being used to predict the spread of volcanic ash. A key constraint to running volcanic plume simulation models is data on how high the volcanic ash is being injected into the atmosphere, as well as the amount and timing of ash released. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite passed just east of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano mid-morning on May 7, 2010, and viewed its ash plume for about 600 kilometers (373 miles) downwind. From MISR's nine different angular images, the height of the ash plume can be derived. On the left is a natural-color, nadir (directly downward) view of the scene, with the volcano itself just off the upper left corner of the image, and the main plume extending to the southeast. At right is the stereo-derived plume height, which is retrieved at 1.1 kilometer (0.68 mile) horizontal resolution, and with vertical accuracy of about half a kilometer (0.3 miles). Much of the plume resides between 4 and 6 kilometers (2.5 and 4 miles) above the ocean surface (orange and red color in the right image), but descends to the 3 kilometer (2 mile) range (yellow-green) far downwind. Note also the smaller patch of ash plume near the source, within about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of the surface (blue in the right image), which appears to be traveling to the southwest.
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Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
Text Credit: NASA/Goddard/JPL/Alan Buis
05.13.10
Eyjafjallajokull's Ash Plume Mixing with Weather System
On May 12, an occluded weather front swept past the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano from east to west shifting winds and the direction of the ash plume. Today, May 13, the brown ash plume is mixing with the clouds associated with that system. Imagery from NASA's Terra satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument taken at 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. EDT) on May 13, shows the ash plume is no longer forcefully streaming to the south-southeast. The plume is now briefly traveling in south-southeast before mixing in with the clouds associated with the occluded front that now sits to the east of Iceland. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/MODIS Rapid Response Team; Text Credit: NASA/Goddard/Rob Gutro› Larger image
05.12.10
Volcanic Plume Meets and Occluded Weather Front, Changes Wind Direction
A visible satellite image on Wednesday, May 12 at 13:10 UTC (9:10 a.m. EDT) from NASA's Aqua satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument captured the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano's ash plume (brown). Compared to the MODIS image from May 11, this image shows that lower level winds have shifted from blowing to a southerly direction to a more east-southeasterly direction, as an occluded front is positioned just to the east of the volcano. An occluded front is a frontal boundary where cold, warm and cool air come in conflict. This system is a cold occlusion, where cold air near the surface is moving under less cold air aloft. It has created winds that are blowing from the west-northwest (as the front passes), taking the brown volcanic ash plume in an east-southeasterly direction in this image. Credit: NASA Goddard / MODIS Rapid Response Team› Larger image
05.11.10
Eyjafjallajokull Volcano's Ash Plume Streaming Steadily in NASA Image
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano (top left) on May 10 at 13:25 UTC (9:25 a.m. EDT). A visible image taken from the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Instrument that flies aboard the satellite showed the ash plume streaming in a straighter, more steady path than the day before, indicating winds were stronger than they were May 9. The ash plume was moving in a south-southeasterly direction over the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Farther south in the image the ash plume became partially obscured by higher clouds (white). By May 10, the ash had reached North Africa, Turkey and Morocco. Credit: NASA Goddard / MODIS Rapid Response Team› Larger image
Satellite Sees Ash Plume Shifting Steadily Streaming South
05.10.10
NASA Continues to Watch Eyjafjallajokull's Ash Plume Stream into Atlantic
Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano was still streaming ash as NASA's Aqua satellite flew overhead on Sunday, May 9 at 12:30 UTC (8:30 a.m. EDT). The Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer Instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this visible image of the brown plume as it blew in a south-southeast direction over the Atlantic Ocean. The ash is estimated at heights of 30,000 ft (9,100 meters). Iceland and the volcano are located in the top left part of this satellite image. The brighter white color is snow and ice on Iceland's land surface. Credit: NASA Goddard / MODIS Rapid Response Team
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05.06.10
NASA's Aura Satellite Measures Aerosols from Volcano
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. uses data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) to create satellite image updates on volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide plumes. This image from the Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC) on May 6 shows the highest concentration of aerosols (tiny airborne particles) in the ash plume from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in black southeast of Iceland. Credit: NOAA/NASA
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05.06.10
NASA's Aura Satellite Measures Sulfur Dioxide from Volcano
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland's volcano continues to emit gases and an ash cloud as seen in Ozone Monitoring Instrument sulfur dioxide (SO2) this May 6 image from the Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC). Highest concentrations of SO2 appear in red in this image. Credit: NOAA/NASA
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05.06.10
NASA Satellite Sees a Darker Ash Plume From Iceland Volcano
NASA's Terra satellite flew over the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, Iceland, on May 6 at 11:55 UTC (7:55 a.m. EDT). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument known as MODIS that flies onboard Terra, captured a visible image of the ash plume. The plume was blowing east then southeast over the Northern Atlantic. The satellite image shows that the plume is at a lower level in the atmosphere than the clouds that lie to its east, as the brown plume appears to slide underneath the white clouds. Credit: NASA/Goddard/MODIS Rapid Response Team
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Related Link:
› NASA Aids Forecasters Tracking Iceland Volcano Ash Plume
05.05.10
NASA's Aqua Satellite Captures Another Ash Plume from the Iceland Volcano
NASA's Aqua satellite flew over the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland on May 4 at 14:00 UTC (10 a.m. EDT), and captured a visible image of its ash plume. Despite the abundance of clouds in the area, the plume appears as a thin line of darker clouds streaming from the center of the image toward the southeast. The bright white areas on Iceland is snow and ice cover.Credit: NASA/Goddard/MODIS Rapid Response Team
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NASA’s Earth Observing-1 Satellite Captures True-Color Ash Plume Image
The Advanced Land Imager instrument on NASA’s EO-1 satellite captured this natural-color image on May 2, 2010. Credit: NASA/EO-1 - ALI/Robert Simmon› Larger image
Ash and steam continued billowing from Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in early May 2010. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this natural-color image on May 2, 2010.
The volcano’s summit is near the left edge of this image, capped by a dark plume. The plume is dull gray-brown, indicating that its principal visible component is volcanic ash. Ash from the plume blows toward the east-southeast, passing over a charcoal-colored ash field on the land surface. Just to the north of Eyjafjallajökull’s summit are white puffs of steam, likely from surface lava flows vaporizing snow and glacial ice.
On May 4, 2010, the Icelandic Meteorological Office warned that Eyjafjallajökull showed no signs of ending its eruptive activity in the near future. The Met Office reported that ash from the volcano had reached a height of 5.8 to 6.0 kilometers (19,000 to 20,000 feet) above sea level, and had spread 65 to 80 kilometers (40 to 50 miles) east-southeast of the volcano, where it impeded visibility for local residents. The Met Office also reported that lava continued flowing down a steep hill north of the crater.
Text credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and NASA's Earth Observatory
04.23.10
A Satellite View of Eyjafjallajökull's Waning Plume
The MetOp-A satellite imagery from April 20 between 8:20-8:29 a.m. EDT showed Eyjafjallajökull's ash plume as a very small, faint area (yellow arrow points to plume) of brown on Iceland's southern tip. Credit: NASA/NOAA/EUMETSAT› Larger image
A NASA and NOAA provided instrument flying on a polar orbiting MetOp-A satellite developed by the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), captured an image of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano's waning ash plume. The image showed the ash plume as a very small, faint area of brown on Iceland's southern tip.
The satellite image came from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/3). The AVHRR/3 instrument captured an image of the ash plume from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano on April 20 between 12:20 and 12:29 UTC (8:20-8:29 a.m. EDT) as the MetOp-A satellite passed overhead.
The ITT Corporation built AVHRR/3 is a radiation-detection imager that can be used for remotely determining cloud cover and the surface temperature. Note that the term surface can mean the surface of the Earth, the upper surfaces of clouds, or the surface of a body of water. This scanning radiometer uses 6 detectors that collect different bands of radiation wavelengths at 1 km (0.6 mile) resolution.
Because the winds are not carrying the ash plume away from Iceland the ash is lingering over the island nation, and is a hazard to two Iceland airports. As a result, on Friday, April 23, Iceland has closed two airports: The Keflavik International Airport and Reykjavík International Airport.
The Keflavik International Airport's website posted a "Volcanic Eruption" bulletin and web page. The bulletin says "The flight zone for Keflavik International Airport and Reykjavik International Airport is closed from today Friday 23 April until further notice, due to the recent volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier in Iceland. This is the first time that the flight zones around the two Icelandic International Airports are threatened by airborne lava ash since volcanic activity started in Southern Iceland last March."
The page also notes "When the London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre predicts ash plumes in the atmosphere, the Reykjavík Oceanic Area Control Centre initiates procedures in accordance with the Contingency Plan for Handling Traffic in the Event of Volcanic Ash Penetrating the Airspace of North Atlantic Region." The London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre's latest graphics showing the extent of the ash cloud can be found at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation/vaac/vaacuk_vag.html.
At 15:40 Iceland local (Atlantic/Reykjavik) time, or 11:40 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 23 the Icelandic Meteorological Office weather radar showed that the height of the ash plume ranging from 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) to as high as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in a few areas. For updated imagery, visit http://brunnur.vedur.is/radar/rb5/eht.html.
The Polar Operational Environmental Satellite or POES and EUMETSAT MetOp series of satellites include an AVHRR/3 and Advanced Tiros Operational Vertical Sounder (ATOVS) instruments. These satellites offer the advantage of daily global coverage, by each making nearly polar orbits 14 times daily so that they see every place on earth twice a day. Two satellites provide combined coverage of most places 4 times a day.
The POES series of satellites are developed and launched by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NASA POES Project operates out of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The latest POES satellite was NOAA-N Prime, which lifted off Feb. 6, 2009 and was renamed NOAA-19 after achieving orbit. MetOp-A was launched by the European Space Agency for EUMETSAT on October 19, 2006.
Although the ash plume has diminished and air travel is resuming to and from northern Europe, predicting the volcano's behavior is extremely difficult. Some experts have noted that Eyjafjallajökull could continue erupting for months. Back in 1821, Eyjafjallajökull erupted on and off for just over a year.
For more information about NASA POES Project, visit: http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/poes/index.html
Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA Satellite Observes Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Infrared
False-color infrared image of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano acquired Sat., April 17, 2010, by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) instrument onboard NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) spacecraft. Strong thermal emissions, shown in red, are visible at the base of the ash plume and above and to the right from earlier lava flows located at Fimmvorduhals.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/EO-1 Mission/GSFC/Ashley Davies
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On Sat., April 17, 2010, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) instrument onboard NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) spacecraft obtained this false-color infrared image of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano from an altitude of 705 kilometers (438 miles). A strong thermal source (denoted in red) is visible at the base of the Eyjafjallajökull plume. Above and to the right, strong thermal emission is also seen from the lava flows located at Fimmvorduhals between March 20 and April 13, 2010. This is where lava first reached the surface, generating impressive lava fountains and lava flows. As the Fimmvorduhals episode was in a location with no ice cap, there was little of the violent interaction between lava and water that took place at Eyjafjallajökull and that generated the massive volcanic plume. To the east of Fimmvorduhals is the Myrdalsjökull ice cap, beneath which slumbers the mighty Katla volcano. Katla has erupted 20 times in recorded history, with the last eruption occurring in 1918. This ALI image is 38 kilometers (24 miles) wide, and has a resolution of 30 meters (98 feet) per pixel. Up is north-northeast.
The EO-1 spacecraft is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. EO-1 is the satellite remote-sensing asset used by the Volcano Sensor Web developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which is being used to monitor this, and other, volcanic eruptions around the world.
04.21.10
Eyjafjallajökull Ash Plume Particle Properties
The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured these different views of the ash plume from Iceland's erupting Eyjafjallajökull volcano on April 19, 2010, which provide information on the amount and type of particles in the plume itself. Left: a true-color nadir (vertical) view; left-center: a map of retrieved aerosol optical depth, a measure of the amount of particulate matter in the atmosphere; right-center: the Angstrom exponent, which is related to average particle size; right: particle shape. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
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As NASA's Terra satellite flew over Iceland's erupting Eyjafjallajökull volcano on April 19, 2010, its Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument acquired 36 near-simultaneous images of the ash plume, covering nine view angles in each of four wavelengths. From these observations, the extent of the plume is easily visible, but in addition, the amount and type of particles in the plume itself can be derived.
The leftmost panel of this figure gives a true-color nadir (vertical) view of the scene, with the plume emanating from the cloud-enshrouded volcano in the top-center of the image, heading south to southeast. The next panel covers the same area, and gives a map of retrieved aerosol optical depth, a measure of the amount of particulate matter in the atmosphere. The plume here is about five times thicker than the background aerosol. The third panel reports the Angstrom exponent, which is related to average particle size -- bigger particles generally have smaller Angstrom exponents. In this case, the volcanic plume contains distinctly larger particles than the surrounding atmosphere. The final panel reports particle shape. Volcanic ash is composed primarily of angular, non-spherical particles, whereas background maritime particles are typically tiny spherical liquid droplets. In the last panel, the plume stands out relative to the unperturbed air as being composed of close to 100 percent non-spherical particles, the kind that create concern for jet aircraft safety.
Each panel covers an area 380 kilometers wide by 842 kilometers high (236 miles wide by 523 miles high). The resolution of the nadir image in the first panel is 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles); aerosol amount and type in the other three panels are given at 17.6 kilometers (10.9 miles) per pixel. MISR has been acquiring aerosol information routinely for the past 10 years, covering the entire globe about once per week.
04.21.10
NASA's Terra Satellite Sees Eyjafjallajökull's Less Intense Ash Plume
The MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of the much diminished ash plume (brown) drifting south and east from Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland on April 21. Image credit: NASA's MODIS Rapid Response Team> View larger image
NASA satellite imagery of the ash plume from Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano appears much less intense today than it was on Monday, April 19.
As NASA's Terra satellite flew over the volcano, its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument captured a visible image of the ash plume this morning. Over the weekend of April 17-18, the brown ash plume appeared as dark line of clouds moving south-southeast on visible satellite imagery. Today, April 21 at 12:35 UTC (8:35 a.m. EDT) MODIS imagery showed a much thinner cloud that is not streaming into the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, the ash cloud appears to be lingering off the Icelandic coast.
The satellite image from today is a confirmation that there is not as much force behind the eruptions. The distribution of the ash cloud however, is dependent upon the winds. If the winds increase, the cloud will be transported farther.
NASA works with other agencies on using satellite observations to aid in the detection and monitoring of aviation hazards caused by volcanic ash. For more on this NASA program, visit: http://science.larc.nasa.gov/asap/research-ash.html.
Text Credit: Rob Gutro, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
04.20.10
NASA Satellite Helps Measure Iceland Volcanic Plume
Top: a view of the ash plume from Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, taken by the nadir (vertical-viewing) camera on the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. Bottom: a computer-analyzed map of ash plume heights, corrected to compensate for the effects of wind. Reds are highest, blue lowest. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team› Larger view
NASA's Terra satellite flew directly over Iceland on April 19, 2010, allowing its Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument to capture a series of images of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and its erupting ash plume. The left panel of this image shows a view from MISR's nadir (vertical-viewing) camera, while the right panel contains a computer-analyzed map of plume heights, which have been corrected to compensate for the effects of wind. The heights are measured in meters, with red being highest and blue lowest. The smaller streamers of the plume are just several hundred meters above the surface, whereas the main plume extends to an altitude of about 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles). This is smaller than the 7.3 kilometer (4.5 mile) altitude measured by MISR on April 14, 2010, though conditions remain highly dynamic.
The stereo anaglyph at the link below was generated from MISR’s nadir and 46-degree forward-viewing cameras. When the anaglyph is viewed through 3-D glasses, the plume height can be estimated.› Stereo anaglyph JPG (1.2 Mb)
› Full nadir view JPG (1 Mb)
04.20.10
NASA's CALIPSO Satellite Observes Volcanic Plume
NASA's Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite watches Eyjafjallajökull's plume drift over northern Europe. Credit: NASA/Kurt Severance and Tim Marvel› Larger Image
On Saturday, Apr. 17 around 02:00 UTC (9:00 p.m. EDT), the CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) satellite collected observations across Europe and captured this image of the Eyjafjallajokull ash cloud as it continued to drift over the continent. Unlike other satellites that provide a bird's-eye view of the ash cloud's horizontal spread, CALIPSO provides a unique vertical profile of a slice of the atmosphere. In this image, the ash cloud is seen as a thin, wispy layer of particles ranging in altitude from about 5,000 to 22,000 feet. To compare its altitude and breadth, see the clouds over Northern Europe, some of which are so thick that they block the penetration of light from CALIPSO's lidar to the surface. The yellow layer near the surface over France is believed to be primarily air pollution.
Highlighting its ability to capture high-resolution profile data of the atmosphere, CALIPSO on Apr. 15 detected remnants of the Eyjafjallajokull cloud drifting near Iceland at about 30,000 feet. CALIPSO uses an innovative lidar to see aerosols (small particles such as dust, smoke and pollution) and thin clouds that are often invisible to radar, and sometimes to human eye.
CALIPSO's lidar sends a series of short pulses of laser light down through the atmosphere, and measures light reflected back to the satellite. The strength of the returned signal reveals the characteristics of the cloud and aerosol layers that lie below. The time required for the signal to travel down through the atmosphere and return to the satellite is used to construct a vertical map showing locations of clouds and aerosols.
CALIPSO is joint research mission between NASA and CNES, the French space agency. It has been in operation for almost four years.
For more information on CALIPSO, visit: http://www-calipso.larc.nasa.gov/
Text Credit: Patrick Lynch, NASA Langley Research Center
04.20.10
NASA's Terra Satellite Keeps Eye on Eyjafjallajökull's Ash Plume
NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of the ash plume from Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano this morning, April 20, as it flew overhead from its vantage point in space.
The MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of the ash plume (brown) drifting south and east from Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland at 11:55 UTC (7:55 a.m. EDT). Credit: NASA's MODIS Rapid Response Team› Larger image
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured visible image of the ash plume (consisting of fine particles of pulverized rock) at 11:55 UTC (7:55 a.m. EDT). The plume appeared to be lighter in color than the previous few days, and it was drifting south and east over the Northern Atlantic Ocean.
NASA works with other agencies on using satellite observations to aid in the detection and monitoring of aviation hazards caused by volcanic ash. For more on this NASA program, visit: http://science.larc.nasa.gov/asap/research-ash.html.
NASA's Aqua satellite view of volcanic ash plume on April 19. The volcanic eruption has been particularly explosive because it has surged underneath a glacier 200 meters thick. Melting ice pouring into the crater helped create the plumes of ash that have risen as high as 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) into the air. (For the sake of comparison, commercial aircraft flying at 30,000 feet are at a height of 5.68 miles.) Now that the crater ice has mostly melted away, the ash cloud has decreased to below 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) in height, though eruption continues. European travel has been badly hit by the ash cloud, with airspace largely shut down since the morning of April 15. Credit: NOAA/NASA
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The MODIS Rapid Response System was developed to provide daily satellite images of the Earth's landmasses in near real time. The MODIS Rapid Response Team that generates the images is located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
04.19.10
NASA Continues to Track Persistent Iceland Volcano
On Monday, April 19, 2010, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument onboard NASA's Terra spacecraft obtained this image of the continuing eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
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The continuing eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano was observed Mon., April 19, 2010, by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument onboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. The new image shows a white eruption column being carried toward the south by prevailing winds. The image is dominated by the gray, ash-laden eruption cloud dispersed south and east by the winds, blowing from the southern Iceland coast toward Europe. The bright red areas mark the hot lava at the current vent (upper left), and the still-hot lava flows from the earlier phases of the eruption (upper center). The high-temperature material is revealed by ASTER's thermal infrared bands.
This image covers an area of 58.6 by 46.8 kilometers (36.3 by 29 miles). The resolution is 15 meters (49 feet) per pixel.
04.19.10
Two NASA Satellites Capture Last Three Days of Eyjafjallajökull's Ash Plume
NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites captured visible images of the ash plume (brown) from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano from April 17 to April 19 (left to right). The plume was obscured by high clouds on April 18. Credit: NASA's MODIS Rapid Response Team› April 17 image
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NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites fly around the world every day capturing images of weather, ice and land changes. Over the last three days these satellites have provided visible and infrared imagery of the ash plume from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland.
Eyjafjallajökull is pronounced similar to "EYE-a-fyat-la-yu-goot," and it is still spewing ash into the atmosphere. Volcanic eruptions are important sources of gases, such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and volcanic ash (aerosols) in the atmosphere.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, also known as MODIS, is an instrument that flies aboard both NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites. MODIS captures daily visible and infrared earth imagery and has provided daily images of the volcanic plume. NASA’s MODIS instrument and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument, both of which fly on Aqua, contain sulfur dioxide (SO2) absorption channels to enhance volcanic ash detection. These applications have significantly improved upon existing satellite-based multi-spectral techniques in identifying and tracking ash clouds and estimating their height.
On Saturday, April 17 at 13:20 UTC (9:20 a.m. EDT), Aqua captured a visible image of the ash plume so clearly that in the satellite image a viewer could see the billowing cloud spewing from the volcano and blowing almost due south before turning east over the Atlantic Ocean.
On Sunday, April 18 at 12:05 UTC (8:05 a.m. EDT), NASA's Terra satellite flew over the volcano and captured an image of the brown ash cloud mostly obscured by higher clouds. The brown plume was partly visible underneath the high clouds.
By Monday morning, April 19 at 12:50 UTC (8:50 a.m. EDT) the high clouds had cleared, and the brown line of spewed volcanic ash was visible once again blowing south, then turning east toward the United Kingdom.
The ash cloud basically consists of fine particles of pulverized rock. Volcanic ash is a rare but potentially catastrophic hazard to aviation. Encounters with volcanic ash while in flight can result in engine failure from particulate ingestion and viewing obstruction of the cockpit widescreen from etching by the acidic aerosols. Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers were established to monitor the air space in areas prone to eruptions and to issue volcanic ash warnings.
NASA works with other agencies on using satellite observations to aid in the detection and monitoring of aviation hazards caused by volcanic ash. For more on this NASA program, visit: http://science.larc.nasa.gov/asap/research-ash.html.
Eyjafjallajökull is one of Iceland's smaller glaciers, located north of Skógar. Skógar is a small Icelandic village with a population of roughly 25 located at the south of the glacier. Eyjafjallajökull lies west of another glacier called Mýrdalsjökull.
The MODIS Rapid Response System was developed to provide daily satellite images of the Earth's landmasses in near real time. True-color, photo-like imagery and false-color imagery are available within a few hours of being collected, making the system a valuable resource. The MODIS Rapid Response Team that generates the images is located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
04.18.10
NASA Satellite Eyes Iceland Volcano Cauldron
Visible (left) and infrared (right) images of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, acquired April 17, 2010, from the Hyperion instrument onboard NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) spacecraft. Image credit: NASA/JPL/EO-1 Mission/GSFC/Ashley Davies
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On Saturday, April 17, 2010, the Hyperion instrument onboard NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) spacecraft obtained this pair of images of the continuing eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. In the left-hand image, created from visible wavelengths, new black ash deposits are visible on the ground, as well as nearby brilliant unsullied ice and snow and the volcano's brown, billowing plume. The plume's dark color reflects its large ash content. These fine particles of pulverized rock are carried high into the atmosphere, where they create a hazard for aviation and are carried long distances by the prevailing winds.
In contrast, the false-color, infrared image at the right reveals the intense thermal emissions (at least 60 megawatts, or 60 million watts) emanating from the vent at the base of the massive plume. This thermal emission, equivalent to the energy consumption of 60,000 homes, represents only a small proportion of the total energy being released by the volcano as its molten lava interacts violently with ice and water. Each image covers an area measuring 7.7 kilometers (4.8 miles) wide, and has a resolution of 30 meters (98 feet) per pixel. The vertical direction is north-northeast.
The EO-1 spacecraft is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. EO-1 is the satellite remote-sensing asset used by the Volcano Sensor Web developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which is being used to monitor this, and other, volcanic eruptions around the world.
04.18.10
Ash from Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland Stretches over the North Atlantic
Perspective view of the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland, acquired April 14, 2010, by the 70-degree forward-viewing camera on the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra spacecraft, looking southward at the plume. Stereoscopic analysis of the data from this and another of MISR's cameras put the height of the plume at about 7.3 kilometers (4.5 miles), more than three times higher than the low clouds that are visible in much of the scene. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
After a brief pause in eruptions that occurred in late March 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland began erupting again on April 14, 2010. The resulting ash plume rose to high altitudes and was subsequently carried across the North Atlantic, causing closure of the airspace over northern Europe, grounding thousands of flights and stranding travelers around the world. The particles contained in volcanic ash clouds can cause significant damage to jet engines and the outside of aircraft. This image is a perspective view acquired April 14, 2010 by the 70-degree forward-viewing camera from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft, looking southward at the plume. East is at the left. The image is approximately 76 kilometers (47 miles) wide, and is centered approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the volcano. Stereoscopic analysis of the data from this and another of MISR's cameras put the height of the plume at about 7.3 kilometers (4.5 miles), more than three times higher than the low clouds that are visible in much of the scene.
04.16.10
NASA Satellite Images Dissect Iceland Volcanic Plume
The ongoing eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano is seen in this pair of images acquired April 15, 2010, from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. At left is a natural-color visible image, while the right image is a composite of MODIS thermal infrared channels. Image credit: NASA GSFC/JPL
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On April 15, 2010, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft captured these images of the ongoing eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, which continues to spew ash into the atmosphere and impact air travel worldwide. The left-hand, natural-color visible image shows a brownish, ash-laden plume streaming across the North Atlantic toward the United Kingdom. The right-hand image is a composite of thermal infrared channels. In this rendition, the ash plume appears red, due to the presence of silica-rich material, and the ice-rich clouds appear blue. These MODIS images do not show any evidence of sulfur dioxide clouds, which would appear yellow in the right image. It is likely that any sulfur dioxide signals were obscured by the large amounts of ash. Scientists expect to see a better expression of sulfur dioxide in later images of the plume as the ash settles over time.
04.16.10
Terra Satellite Sees Iceland Volcano's Ash Moving into Germany
NASA's Terra satellite has captured another image of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano ash cloud, now moving into Germany. Eyjafjallajökull continues to spew ash into the air and the ash clouds are still impacting air travel in Northern Europe.
NASA's Terra satellite flew over the volcano on April 16 10:45 UTC (6:45 a.m. EDT) and the MODIS instrument captured a visible image of Eyjafjallajökull's ash plume (brown cloud) stretching from the U.K. (left) to Germany (right). Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team› Larger image (labeled)
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NASA's Terra satellite flew over the volcano on April 16 at 10:45 UTC (6:45 a.m. EDT) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS instrument aboard Terra captured a visible image of Eyjafjallajökull's ash plume over the England and the Netherlands, stretching into Germany.
Air travel into and out of northern Europe has either been grounded or diverted because volcanic ash particles pose a risk of damage to airplane engines. NASA works with other agencies on using satellite observations to aid in the detection and monitoring of aviation hazards caused by volcanic ash. For more on this NASA program, visit: http://science.larc.nasa.gov/asap/research-ash.html.
The MODIS Rapid Response System was developed to provide daily satellite images of the Earth's landmasses in near real time. True-color, photo-like imagery and false-color imagery are available within a few hours of being collected, making the system a valuable resource. The MODIS Rapid Response Team that generates the images is located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. For more information and a real-time MODIS image gallery, visit: http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
04.15.10
JPL Instrument Sees Disruptive Iceland Volcanic Cloud
Infrared AIRS image of Iceland volanic ash plume, shown in blue. Credit: NASA/JPL
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For the second time this month, Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano (pronounced "Aya-fyatla-jo-kutl") erupted. The latest eruption, on Wed., April 14, spewed a cloud of ash into the atmosphere and is disrupting air travel in Northern Europe and around the world.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite flew over the volcano at 1:30 p.m. local time (13:29:24 UTC, or 6:29:24 a.m. PDT) on April 15, capturing this false-color infrared image, as well as a visible image of the ash plume. The images show the ash cloud (in blue) enveloping Iceland and moving eastward over the Shetland Islands and onward to Europe. The ash clouds appear to be at an altitude of 3,658 meters (12,000 feet).
NASA works with other agencies on using satellite observations to aid in the detection and monitoring of aviation hazards caused by volcanic ash. More information on this NASA program is at: http://science.larc.nasa.gov/asap/research-ash.html. The ingestion of ash particles from such clouds can result in engine failure for aircraft.
Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).
Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
04.15.10
NASA'S Terra Satellite Captures Ash Plume of Icelandic Volcano
The MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured an Ash plume from Eyjafjallajokull Volcano over the North Atlantic at 11:35 UTC (7:35 a.m. EDT) on April 15, 2010. Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team› Larger image
The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted Wednesday, April 14, for the second time this month. The volcano is still spewing ash into the air and the ash clouds are impacting air travel in Northern Europe.
NASA's Terra satellite flew over the volcano the following day at 11:35 UTC (7:35 a.m. EDT) on April 15, 2010, and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS instrument onboard Terra captured a visible image of the ash plume from Eyjafjallajökull Volcano.
The MODIS Rapid Response System was developed to provide daily satellite images of the Earth's landmasses in near real time. True-color, photo-like imagery and false-color imagery are available within a few hours of being collected, making the system a valuable resource. The MODIS Rapid Response Team that generates the images is located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
NASA works with other agencies on using satellite observations to aid in the detection and monitoring of aviation hazards caused by volcanic ash. For more on this NASA program, visit: http://science.larc.nasa.gov/asap/research-ash.html.
For more information and a real-time MODIS image gallery, visit: http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Other Resources
› Images of Eyjafjallajökull from NASA's Earth Observatory
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