| Michigan Tech Home | Department of Geological Engineering & Sciences | Remote Sensing Institute | MTU Volcanoes Page | Volcanic Clouds Web Site | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) | Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC) | Smithsonian Institution | Alaska Volcano Observatory |

Home
Index

Main Topics

Overview

Background

Tools

Methodology

Tutorials

Combining Data

Future

Subtopics

Future

New Satellite Detectors

Data Gap for GOES

Algorithm Improvements

VOLCAM plans

Meetings and Workshops

Partners in Volcanic Cloud Work

Future

This section of the Volcanic Clouds Web Site describes the future of volcanic cloud work. New detectors will become available, and some old detectors will be lost. Improvements in various methods are also being made, and there is even the opportunity of the development of detectors specifically developed for volcanic clouds. There is a growing list of international users of volcanic cloud data and numerous relevant meetings and workshops about volcanic clouds. Send your news about the subject to the email address below.

New Satellite Detectors

SEVIRI new detector with robust IR capability on the European Space Satellite beginning summer 2001; has thermal 2-band IR plus SO2 channel

ASTER High resolution multispectral pointing detector on Terra

GMS-5 new western-Pacific geostationary detector with GOES-like 2 band capability

Complete list of Meteorological Satellites (Kidder)

Data Gap for GOES

The GOES satellite series provides geostationary coverage of the Western Hemisphere for meteorological purposes and has provided excellent 2 band infrared (brightness temperature difference) coverage to volcanic cloud observations for volcanoes in North and South American, and the Caribbean and parts of the Pacific region. There is an unfortunate gap in two-band capability of GOES caused by the lack of band 5 coverage at 11-12 microns, which is scheduled for approximately 6 years, from about 2002 to 2007 or 2008. This corresponds to the GOES-M, GOES-N and GOES-O instruments. Beginning with GOES-P, the capability will be restored.

Algorithm Improvements

The improvements in volcanic cloud schemes are numerous.

First, we expect that multiband IR data which can detect both SO2 and ash will be routine soon, via MODIS and SEVERI detectors.

Improvements in IR detection as a result of atmospheric corrections are also being developed.

The ability to use TOMS AI data for retrieval of optical depth and particle size of ash is being developed.

VOLCAM plans

VOLCAM is a volcanic cloud satellite detector, specifically designed to mitigate volcanic cloud hazards. It was proposed to NASA as an ESSP mission and reviewed favorably. The mission was tabled and delayed because a commitment after the demonstration period was not agreed to by NOAA. However other proposals for VOLCAM-like instruments are likely, and platforms for such and instrument are being sought.

Meetings and Workshops

International Workshop on Remote Sensing of Volcanic Eruption Clouds Michigan Technological University, Houghton. July 29-Aug 3, 2001.

American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, Dec 10-14, 2001 The premier international meeting for volcano research is AGU. This year there is a special scientific session about Volcanic Clouds.

International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior(IAVCEI) hosts international meetings of volcanologists.

Partners in Volcanic Cloud Work

David J Schneider, USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory, Anchorage, AK, email

Ken Dean, Univ Alaska-Fairbanks/Alaska Volcano Observatory, email

Gary Ellrod, NOAA NESDIS, Washington DC (Washington VAAC), email

Gerald.J. Ernst, Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, UK, email

Luke Flynn, SOEST, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, email

Hans Graf, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany, email

Andrew Harris, SOEST, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, email

Nikolay Krotkov, Atmospheric Remote Sensing, Raytheon ITSS, Lanham MD, email

Arlin J Krueger, TOMS SO2 Group, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, email

Clive Oppenheimer, Geography Department, Cambridge University, email

Fred Prata, Atmospheric Processes Program, CSIRO, Aspendale, Vic, Australia, email

Vincent J Realmuto, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, CA, email

Rene Servranckx, Canadian Meteorological Centre, Environment Canada (Montreal VAAC), email

Christiane Textor, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany, email

Andrew Tupper, Bureau of Meteorology, Darwin, NT Australia (Darwin VAAC), email

Sarah Watkin, The Met Office, Aviation Applications Research, Bracknell, UK (London VAAC), email

| Michigan Tech Home | Department of Geological Engineering & Sciences | Remote Sensing Institute | MTU Volcanoes Page | Volcanic Clouds Research Web | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) | Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC)| Smithsonian Institution | Alaska Volcano Observatory |