NASA Satellite Data Could Help To Detect Volcanic Eruptions

A study by scientists at NASA may have discovered a way to detect volcanic eruptions years in advance. The study, which was published in the journal Nature Geoscience, analyzed over 16 years of radiant heat data. This data was collected from the MODIS instruments aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. The last magmatic and steam eruptions of 5 volcanoes were preceded by years of large increases in their “radiant heat flux”. In the years leading up to an eruption, the radiant surface temperature over much of the volcano increased by around 1 degree Celsius from its normal state. It decreased after each eruption, NASA. The scientists think this increase could be caused by the interaction between magma reservoirs and hydrothermal systems. They are now going to test their method on more volcanoes.