Remote sensing of volcano deformation and surface change

Abstract

Volcanic unrest and eruptions are associated with surface deformation and landscape change that can be detected, characterized, and tracked via remote sensing measurements. Subsurface processes, including magma accumulation, withdrawal, and transport, can cause displacements at the surface that are best tracked at subaerial volcanoes with interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, although non-volcanic activity, like hydrothermal and tectonic sources, can complicate interpretations. Surface change is often associated with the emplacement of volcanic deposits, which modify the landscape and can experience post-emplacement deformation or morphological changes over time. Measurement of surface topography at volcanoes via remote means is a particularly important capability, given the control that topography exerts on many volcanic hazards and the potential for topographic change measurements to provide information about eruption rates. A much broader set of tools is available to investigate surface change at volcanoes, including not only InSAR and GNSS, but also synthetic aperture radar amplitude data, visible imagery, and lidar, acquired from airborne, ground-based, and satellite platforms. These data can also be used to identify instability of volcanic flanks and even have potential for use in detecting airborne ash plumes. Although hidden from traditional airborne and space-based remote sensing, deformation and surface change associated with submarine volcanism can be investigated with pressure sensors and bathymetric measurements—the below-water remote sensing analogs of GNSS and InSAR, respectively.