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Studies of Alaskan volcanoes using synthetic aperature radar and Landsat imagery

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Abstract

Approximately 10 percent of the world’s active volcanoes are located in the Alaskan Aleutian arc and produce about 3-4 explosive eruptions per year. Even with this high amount of volcanic activity, the remote locations and harsh environments of the Aleutian volcanoes conspire to keep them among some of the most poorly studied volcanoes in the world. Space-borne remote sensed imagery can play a significant role in improving our understanding of activity at these volcanoes. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Landsat imagery, and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) derived from SRTM and the National Elevation Database (NED) are used to study several Alaskan volcanoes. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) techniques with ERS-1 and ERS-2 SAR imagery are used to measure ground-surface deformation, which enables the construction of detailed mechanical models that enhance the study of magmatic and tectonic processes. The 30-year historical archive of Landsat data is used to study land cover change, visualize the ash plumes of Aleutian volcanic eruptions, and to map the extent of lava flows. Differencing two DEMs that represent volcano topography before and after an eruption makes it possible to calculate the volume of extruded materials. This paper provides a progress report on how InSAR, Landsat imagery and digital elevation data can be used to better understand the volcanic processes at three Aleutian volcanoes.

Study Area

Publication type Conference Paper
Publication Subtype Conference Paper
Title Studies of Alaskan volcanoes using synthetic aperature radar and Landsat imagery
Year Published 2003
Publisher American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
Contributing office(s) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
Description 6 p.
Larger Work Type Book
Larger Work Subtype Conference publication
Larger Work Title Technology- Converging at the top of the world
Country United States
State Alaska
Additional publication details