Latest news with #FlorianSchwandner
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The closer a volcano is to erupting, the greener the trees around it look from space
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Scientists can tell whether a volcano is about to erupt from the greenness of the trees around it, with more vibrant leaves indicating a potentially imminent blast. Until now, these subtle color changes could be observed only from the ground — but researchers have recently found a way to monitor them from space. A new collaboration between NASA and the Smithsonian Institution could "change the game" when it comes to detecting the first signs of a volcanic eruption, volcanologists said in a statement published by NASA earlier this month. These signs can help to protect communities against the worst effects of volcanic blasts, including lava flows, ejected rocks, ashfalls, mudslides and toxic gas clouds. "Volcano early warning systems exist," Florian Schwandner, a volcanologist and chief of the Earth Science Division at NASA's Ames Research Center in California, said in the statement. "The aim here is to make them better and make them earlier." Current indicators of an imminent volcanic eruption include seismic activity, changes in ground height and sulfur dioxide emissions, which are visible from space. Scientists also look out for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions linked to magma near Earth's surface, but these are harder to pinpoint with satellites than sulfur dioxide due to the ubiquity of CO2 in the atmosphere. "A volcano emitting the modest amounts of carbon dioxide that might presage an eruption isn't going to show up in satellite imagery," Robert Bogue, a doctoral student in volcanology at McGill University, Canada, said in the statement. Related: Watch mesmerizing 1,000-foot-tall lava fountains: Kilauea volcano erupting in ways not seen for 40 years But researchers are particularly interested in detecting these emissions because CO2 is one of the very first signs of a coming eruption — preceding even sulfur dioxide, according to the statement. To that end, scientists have been developing methods to monitor carbon dioxide based on the color of trees around volcanoes. Clouds of CO2 wafting from volcanoes that are about to blow boost the health of surrounding trees and plants, making their leaves greener and more lush. "The whole idea is to find something that we could measure instead of carbon dioxide directly," Bogue said in the statement. Until recently, scientists had to trek to volcanoes if they wanted to measure their CO2 levels. By using the color of tree leaves as an indicator of volcanic gas concentrations, researchers can save themselves the trouble of accessing remote and potentially dangerous locations — instead relying on satellites to do the hard work. A 2024 study published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment revealed a strong correlation between the carbon dioxide and trees around Mount Etna in Italy. Using pictures taken by Landsat 8 and other Earth-observing satellites between 2011 and 2018, the study's authors showed 16 clear spikes in both the amount of CO2 and vegetation's greenness, which coincided with upward migrations of magma from the volcano. "There are plenty of satellites we can use to do this kind of analysis," study lead author Nicole Guinn, a doctoral student in volcanology at the University of Houston in Texas, said in the statement. RELATED STORIES —Mystery of Bolivian 'zombie' volcano finally solved —Alaskan volcano Mount Spurr showing activity that will 'most likely end in an explosive eruption,' scientist says —Never-before-seen chain of volcanoes discovered hiding near the Cook Islands Measuring the greenness of trees from space won't be useful in all volcanic settings, however. Many volcanoes don't host trees – or at least not enough trees to measure with satellites, according to the statement. Some trees and forests may respond unexpectedly to changing carbon dioxide levels — for example, if they have been affected by fires, diseases or abnormal weather conditions. "Tracking the effects of volcanic carbon dioxide on trees will not be a silver bullet," Schwandner said. "But it is something that could change the game." To expand on the potential of the new method, researchers from NASA, the Smithsonian Institution and other organizations recently launched the Airborne Validation Unified Experiment: Land to Ocean (AVUELO), which will compare satellite images of trees around volcanoes with ground observations. The aim is to ensure the data match, so that scientists can calibrate space-borne instruments and take the research forward.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
NASA scientists reveal how trees can predict volcanic eruptions from space
Recent breakthroughs in satellite and environmental sensing technology have introduced a promising method for detecting volcanic unrest by monitoring changes in vegetation health from space. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This innovative approach, supported by in-field data from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's AVUELO (Airborne Validation Unified Experiment: Land to Ocean) mission, enhances early warning systems for volcanic eruptions . By analysing how trees respond to volcanic CO₂ emissions, scientists can detect subtle signs of increased volcanic activity, potentially providing earlier alerts and improving the accuracy of volcanic forecasts, especially in remote or hard-to-reach areas. NASA satellite images can spot volcanic activity through plant growth As magma rises beneath the Earth's surface, it releases gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂). Although existing volcanic monitoring systems generally depend on seismic activity, ground deformation, and on-site gas measurements, detecting low-level CO₂ release from space is still a huge challenge due to atmospheric dilution and sensor limitations. Source: NASA Nonetheless, scientists have found a key biological proxy: trees. Plant life, especially trees that grow near active volcanoes, may take up volcanic CO₂ through roots. This absorption can lead to visibly greener and healthier leaves as a result of the fertilization effect of more CO₂. These physiological effects can be measured using satellite imagery, providing an indirect but quantifiable measure of subsurface volcanic activity. NASA tracks volcanic activity through vegetation changes The AVUELO project, coupled with NASA's Landsat 8 satellite and airborne sensors, has shown the potential for spectral analysis to track these plant changes across vast and sometimes inaccessible volcanic areas. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now By mapping changes in vegetation indices—like the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)—researchers can detect regions where tree health has anomalously increased, which could be related to concurrent volcanic gas emissions. Source: NASA A dramatic demonstration of the phenomenon occurred alongside Costa Rica's Rincón de la Vieja volcano. Volcanic CO₂ there warmed and bubbled through water pools while altering vegetation on the ground at the same time. Those observations on the ground as well as in orbit validate the idea that the health of trees could be an early warning sign of magmatic activity. NASA aims to enhance volcano early warning systems As Dr. Florian Schwandner, the Director of the Earth Science Division at NASA's Ames Research Center, explains, the intention is not to supplant current volcanic monitoring methods but to improve and add to their effectiveness. "Volcano early warning systems exist," Schwandner said, "The aim here is to make them better and make them earlier." Conventional approaches are hampered by such volcanoes in remote or heavily forested areas with poor access for placing ground sensors. By utilizing tree response as a proxy for volcanic CO₂, this barrier can be overcome. As McGill University's Dr. Robert Bogue describes, "Volcanoes release a lot of carbon dioxide, but the modest quantities emitted before an eruption go undetectable from space. The concept is to look for something measurable instead—trees provide us with that signal. How ground observations enhance satellite volcano monitoring To verify satellite data, scientists integrate space data with ground observations. Field staff take leaf samples and obtain measurements of CO₂ near volcanoes to verify the accuracy of the vegetation changes determined by satellites. This synthesis approach guarantees the biological proxy's reliability and improves predictability. According to NASA reports, Dr. Nicole Guinn, a volcanologist at the University of Houston, highlighted the value of synthesizing a wide variety of satellite assets, ranging from NASA's Terra to ESA's Sentinel-2, in creating a complete image of the evolution of vegetation on volcanic terrain like Mount Etna in Italy. But she noted that "satellite data alone is not enough," highlighting the need for field verification to establish coherence between vegetation signals and volcanic gas emissions. This new approach marks a major breakthrough in remote sensing and environmental monitoring. Through the natural biological reactions of trees in response to volcanic gas release, researchers are creating an additional tool that might give earlier indications of volcanic eruptions—perhaps days or weeks ahead of conventional indicators. Since climate-resilient monitoring grows more and more vital in the wake of increased global population areas around the vicinity of volcanic regions, this tree-based signal detection presents a scalable and non-invasive approach for the improvement of global volcanic early warning systems. Also Read |
Gizmodo
21-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Monitoring Tree Leaves From Space Could Help Predict Volcanic Eruptions
Forecasting volcanic eruptions is difficult, but not impossible. By keeping an eye on features such as ground deformation, changes in gas emissions, and ground tremors, volcanologists can sometimes make successful predictions, which save countless lives. NASA and the Smithsonian Institution are now teaming up to monitor another volcanic harbinger, but from space: leaves. Scientists already knew that tree leaves can change color when a nearby volcano becomes more active, but this collaboration aims to observe the mechanism using satellite imagery. Given that there's no way to avoid volcanic eruptions, early warning systems are the only way to keep the public safe. 'Volcano early warning systems exist,' Florian Schwandner, a volcanologist and chief of the Earth Science Division at NASA's Ames Research Center, said in a NASA statement announcing the collaboration. 'The aim here is to make them better and make them earlier.' As magma rises toward the surface of the Earth before an eruption, it releases gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. In fact, in 2017, a monitoring network at a volcano in the Philippines—which Schwandner and his colleagues had previously upgraded to read carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions—enabled government researchers to forecast a major volcanic eruption. Thanks to mass evacuations, no lives were lost. Carbon dioxide emissions are one of the earliest signs that a volcano is waking up, but they are difficult to spot directly from space. Why would we want to see carbon dioxide emissions from space? Because otherwise, volcanologists have to trek to volcanoes in person to measure them directly—a task that can be difficult, expensive, and even dangerous. 'Volcanoes emit a lot of carbon dioxide,' said Robert Bogue, a volcanologist from McGill University. However, 'a volcano emitting the modest amounts of carbon dioxide that might presage an eruption isn't going to show up in satellite imagery,' he explained. Carbon dioxide does show up, however, in trees' foliage, making it greener and more lush. As such, the NASA and Smithsonian collaboration is bringing together volcanologists, botanists, and climate scientists to investigate how researchers can use trees to monitor volcanic activity. 'The whole idea is to find something that we could measure instead of carbon dioxide directly,' Bogue explained, 'to give us a proxy to detect changes in volcano emissions.' 'There are plenty of satellites we can use to do this kind of analysis,' confirmed Nicole Guinn, a volcanologist from the University of Houston. Guinn has previously monitored trees near Italy's Mount Etna volcano using satellite imagery. The approach has constraints, however. For example, some volcanoes aren't close enough to trees for satellite images to be useful, and different trees can experience different responses to carbon dioxide. Furthermore, fires, weather events, and plant diseases can make satellite data difficult to interpret. But the truth is that no single feature can perfectly predict volcanic activity. 'There's not one signal from volcanoes that's a silver bullet,' Schwandner said. 'And tracking the effects of volcanic carbon dioxide on trees will not be a silver bullet. But it will be something that could change the game.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Look to Changing Tree Color to Predict Volcanic Eruptions
NASA scientists believe it may be possible to predict when a volcano will erupt by using satellites to track changes in the color of surrounding trees. Before volcanoes erupt, they begin seeping carbon dioxide, a cue that people living nearby should evacuate. When, in December 2017, carbon dioxide levels began to rise around the Mayon volcano in the Philippines, officials alerted the public. More than 56,000 people evacuated, and after the volcano blew in January, not a single life was lost. The challenge is that many volcanoes are so remote that it is costly, challenging, and potentially dangerous to set up monitoring equipment on site, and the volume of carbon dioxide seeping from volcanoes is too small to be detectable by satellites. However, scientists have found that even small amounts of carbon dioxide can affect the growth of nearby trees, causing their foliage to become greener and more lush, and that these changes are visible from space. A recent study found a link between tree color, as shown in satellite imagery, and the amount of carbon dioxide issuing from Mount Etna, an active volcano in Italy. Now, NASA is studying changes in trees around the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Costa Rica in the hope of better predicting eruptions. Experts already have other forecasting tools. Before an eruption, the ground around a volcano bulges as magma rises beneath the surface, while small tremors hint that disaster is imminent. Recent research found that glaciers atop volcanoes flow faster as the earth heats up. Greening offers just one more clue. 'There's not one signal from volcanoes that's a silver bullet,' said NASA volcanologist Florian Schwandner. 'And tracking the effects of volcanic carbon dioxide on trees will not be a silver bullet. But it will be something that could change the game.' China's Mega Dam Project Poses Big Risks for Asia's Grand Canyon
