Integrated satellite observations of the 2001 eruption of Mt. Cleveland, Alaska

Abstract Satellite data were the primary source of information for the eruption of Mt. Cleveland, Alaska on 19 February, and 11 and 19 March 2001. Multiple data sets were used pre-, syn- and post-eruption to mitigate the hazard and determine an eruption chronology. The 19 February eruption was the largest of the three, resulting in a volcanic cloud that formed an arc over 1000 km long, moved to the NE across Alaska and was tracked using satellite data over more than a 50-h period. The volcanic cloud was “concurrently” detected on the GOES, AVHRR and MODIS data at various times and their respective signals compared. All three sensors detected a cloud that had a very similar shape and position but there were differences in their areal extent and internal structural detail. GOES data showed the largest volcanic cloud in terms of area, probably due to its oblique geometry. MODIS bands 31 and 32, which are comparable to GOES and AVHRR thermal infrared wavelengths, were the least effective single channels at detecting the volcanic cloud of those investigated (MODIS bands 28, 29, 31 and 32). MODIS bands 28 and 29 detected the largest volcanic clouds that could easily be distinguished from weather clouds. Of the split-window data, MODIS bands 29 minus band 32 detected the largest cloud, but the band 31 minus band 32 data showed the volcanic cloud with the most internal structural detail. The Puff tracking model accurately tracked the movement, and predicted the extent and shape of this complex cloud even into areas beyond satellite detection. Numerous thermal anomalies were also observed during the eruption on the twice-daily AVHRR data and the high spatial-resolution Landsat data. The high-resolution Radarsat data showed that the AVHRR thermal anomalies were due to lava and debris flow features and a newly formed fan along the west coast of the island. Field observations and images from a hand-held Forward Looking Infrared Radiometer (FLIR) showed that the flow features were ′a′a lava, debris flows and a warm debris fan along the west coast. Real-time satellite data were the primary tool used to monitor the eruption, track changes and to mitigate hazards. High-resolution data, even though coverage is infrequent, were critical in helping to identify volcanic processes and to compile an eruption chronology.

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