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Redoubt Volcano: steam plume rising over Alaskan crater, NASA satellites on duty
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Although clouds have rolled back in over Alaska's Redoubt Volcano, scientists were able to verify that steam is rising from a new melt depression. The steam plume, according to Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) watchers, is located near the vent area of the 1989-90 eruption site.
Seismicity levels have "risen markedly over the last hour" exeprts said, and have steadily increased since last night. So far, no full eruption has been sighted at the steam plume, spotted at the mouth of the summit crater.
Shown above: a map showing the Redoubt Volcano's location in relation to Anchorage and other landmarks, including the Drift River Oil Terminal. The terminal was flooded by heavy mud flows after the 1989-90 eruption, which also coated Anchorage with ash, interrupted international air traffic, and damaged aircraft in flight as far away as Texas.
Scientists are monitoring Redoubt using satellites, x-ray, webcams, and aircraft overflights. Local media report that Alaskans in the region are stocking up on emergency supplies, including face masks.
Among the resources available: NASA's Earth Observatory, including the Terra and Aqua satellites. A Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observes the Earth on both satellites.
Both satellites orbit the Earth from pole to pole, seeing most of the globe every day. Onboard Terra, MODIS sees the Earth during the morning, while Aqua MODIS orbits the Earth in the afternoon.
Managed through NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the MODIS Rapid Response Team responds to disaster needs and provides a variety of quick-serve images. Their work is
a valuable resource for organizations like the U.S. Forest Service and the international fire monitoring community, who use the images to track fires; the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, who monitors crops and growing conditions; and the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Air Force Weather Agency, who track dust and ash in the atmosphere. The science community also uses the system in projects like the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), which studies particles like smoke, pollution, or dust in the atmosphere.
Because the system is designed to support events as they occur, various agencies are able to gather data on items such as air quality and pollution. During a volcanic eruption, the tracking of ash flow is crucial not only to those living in the area, but to aviation, and those dowstream from the wind flow as well.
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