Christoph Kern Allan Lerner Vincent J. Realmuto Simon Carn Patricia A. Nadeau Robert Wright John N. Porter Andrea Gabrieli 2026 <p><span id="_mce_caret" data-mce-bogus="1" data-mce-type="format-caret"><span>Ultraviolet (UV) remote sensing is widely used to detect volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO₂) due to its high sensitivity and favorable spatial and temporal resolution. However, significant discrepancies have been reported between ground-based and satellite-based UV observations of dense volcanic plumes. A notable example is the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea, where SO₂ emission rates derived from ground-based Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements differed substantially from those obtained by the spaceborne Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). In this study, we investigate these differences by applying thermal infrared (TIR) satellite retrievals using a modified version of the SO₂-ALTA algorithm to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations. The resulting TIR-derived SO₂ fluxes are compared with ground-based DOAS data, satellite UV observations, and petrological estimates of gas emissions. Our results show strong agreement between TIR-derived fluxes, ground-based DOAS measurements, and petrological estimates, particularly during the peak and plateau phases of the eruption. In contrast, satellite UV-derived SO₂ emissions are systematically lower. We find that TIR observations are more effective in quantifying high-concentration SO₂ plumes in the near-vent region, while UV measurements are more sensitive under lower-concentration conditions but more affected by scattering in optically dense plumes. These findings highlight the complementary strengths of UV and TIR remote sensing techniques and emphasize the importance of accounting for plume density and observation geometry when interpreting satellite SO₂ retrievals.</span></span></p> application/pdf 10.1007/s00445-026-02004-5 en Springer Nature Thermal infrared and ultraviolet remote sensing of sulfur dioxide gas emitted during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea, Hawaiʻi article