TerraSAR-X image shows spread of lava at Bardarbunga

The lava outflow on the Holuhraun field northeast of Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano continues unabated. 

The lava field has grown to cover an area greater than 25 square kilometres. 

In this satellite image, the extent of the lava field is revealed using different colours.

To create this image, three sets of data were acquired at different times, but from the same viewpoint, and then superimposed.

They date from 13 August, 4 September and 15 September 2014 and were acquired by the German radar satellite TerraSAR-X.

Yellow shows the growth of the lava field between 13 August and 4 September; red shows the expansion between 4 and 15 September.

It is obvious that the area has doubled. A second eruption area can also be seen as a small red spot in the lower right corner of the image.

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Remote Sensing Technology Institute (Institut für Methodik der Fernerkundung; IMF) are continuing to monitor the area.

Radar images can be used to analyse changes to Earth's surface throughout the entire process.

The DLR Earth Observation Center also measures the emissions of sulphur dioxide on a daily basis.

Bardarbunga sulphur dioxide cloud

ESA Satellites showing clouds of sulphur dioxide from Bardarbunga volcano

A plume of sulphur dioxide was detected drifting towards Europe from Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano late on 4 September 2014. 

These images are based on data from the Spinning Enhanced Visible & InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) on the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) mission. 

Credit: NILU

Satellites are showing clouds of sulphur dioxide from Iceland's restive Bardarbunga volcano.

ESA's Volcanic Ash Strategic Initiative Team (VAST) and Support to Aviation Control Service (SACS) are monitoring the situation closely, and have detected sulphur dioxide emissions since early September.

A small cloud of sulphur dioxide has been drifting toward Europe since late last night.

The Bardarbunga volcano has shown heightening activity since mid-August, causing thousands of local earthquakes, spewing lava and threatening air travel.

The aviation alert level is high, fluctuating between orange and red as the potential of eruption is increased.

"The current volcanic activity is typically effusive and no ash has been detected so far with satellite measurements," said Nicolas Theys from the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy.

"SACS, VAST and ESA partners will continue monitoring volcanic emissions over Bardarbunga and provide added-value services, in case the eruption becomes explosive, causing ash-producing activity with possible consequences for European air space."

The presence of ash in the atmosphere can endanger jet engines, so timely information about ash, sulphur dioxide clouds and their dispersion are crucial to alert civil aviation authorities.

Earth-observing satellites can provide this information, especially for toxic gases like sulphur dioxide, which cannot be seen with the naked eye.

With frequent and worldwide measurements of ash plumes and sulphur dioxide emissions, satellites help to improve aviation safety.

This animation shows the spread of sulphur dioxide from Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano from 31 August to 4 September 2014, as detected by the GOME-2 instrument on the MetOp-A and -B satellites. 

Credit: BIRA/IASB

SACS and VAST uses multiple satellites, including Europe's MetOp and Meteosat missions, to provide early warning information about volcanic eruptions.

When an eruption occurs, an alert is sent to interested users, most notably to Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres and airlines, and public maps are generated showing the extent and intensity of the volcanic plumes.

ESA Venus Express: Clues Point to Active Volcanoes

New evidence hints that Venus may be volcanically active, which has long been a controversial topic among scientists.

Six years of observations by the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft have shown significant changes in the sulphur dioxide content of the planet's atmosphere over time, which could be explained by a bout of volcanism.

Immediately after arriving at Venus in 2006, the spacecraft recorded a significant increase in the average density of sulfur dioxide in the upper atmosphere, followed by a sharp decrease, according to a release from the European Space Agency (ESA).

Venus' atmosphere contains much higher levels of sulphur dioxide than on Earth. On our planet, the smelly, toxic gas is produced by volcanoes.

Sulphur dioxide doesn't last long in Venus' upper atmosphere, because it is broken down by sunlight. Any sulphur dioxide in the upper regions must have recently arrived there from the thick protective clouds that swirl beneath.

Some scientists think that the spike in sulphur dioxide suggests that a large volcano, or several volcanoes, must have erupted.

Venus is covered in hundreds of volcanoes, but whether they remain active today is much debated, and settling this question is an important scientific goal for Venus Express.

NASA MODIS Image: New Island forming in Red Sea

An eruption occurred in the Red Sea in December 2011. According to news reports, fishermen witnessed lava fountains reaching up to 30 meters (90 feet) tall on December 19.


The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites observed plumes on December 20 and December 22.

Meanwhile, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite detected elevated levels of sulphur dioxide, further indicating an eruption.

The activity in the Red Sea included more than an eruption. By December 23, 2011, what looked like a new island appeared in the region.

The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured these high-resolution, natural-color images on December 23, 2011 (top), and October 24, 2007 (bottom).

The image from December 2011 shows an apparent island where there had previously been an unbroken water surface.

A thick plume rises from the island, dark near the bottom and light near the top, perhaps a mixture of volcanic ash and water vapor.

The volcanic activity occurred along the Zubair Group, a collection of small islands off the west coast of Yemen.

Running in a roughly northwest-southeast line, the islands poke above the sea surface, rising from a shield volcano. This region is part of the Red Sea Rift where the African and Arabian tectonic plates pull apart and new ocean crust regularly forms.

1. References

2. Bauwens, J. (2011, December 22). Eruption in the Zubair Archipelago, in the southern Red Sea. Accessed December 27, 2011.
3. Gass, I.G., Mallick, D.I.J., Cox, K.G. (1973). Volcanic islands of the Red Sea. Journal of the Geological Society, 129(3), 275–309.
4. Global Volcanism Program. (2011, December 20). Weekly volcanic report, 14 December–20 December 2011. Smithsonian Institution. Accessed December 27, 2011.
5. Global Volcanism Program. Zubair Group. Smithsonian Institution. Accessed December 27, 2011.
6. Klemetti, E. (2011, December 19). Potential eruption off the coast of Yemen. Eruptions. Accessed December 27, 2011.
7. U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service. (1999, January 14). Divergent plate boundaries. Accessed December 27, 2011.
8. Volcano Discovery. (2011, December 21). Volcanic eruption in the Red Sea (Yemen) reported. Accessed December 27, 2011.

NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Michon Scott.

ESA - Mount Etna bursts into life

Europe's largest active volcano, Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily, erupted briefly yesterday sending flames and ash hundreds of metres into the air.

This image, which was acquired by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder on NASA's EOS-AQUA satellite, shows the plume of sulphur dioxide currently being carried over the Mediterranean Sea.

The data have been processed by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research within the framework of ESA's Data User Element and can be used to warn aviation companies on the hazardous plume.

NASA: Earth Observation of Volcanic Activity at Kilauea

Volcanic Activity at Kilauea

Volcanic fog—vog—swirls around the Hawaiian Islands in this satellite image. Vog is formed when sulphur dioxide gas emitted from a volcano reacts with oxygen and water vapour.


The reactions form tiny drops of sulphuric acid and other sulfates, which create a visible haze. Since March 12, 2008, emissions of sulphur dioxide (the gas that forms vog) from Kilauea volcano have been elevated: 800 metric tons (1,800,000 pounds) per day in early December 2009, compared to a 140 metric ton per day (310,000 pounds) average from 2003–2007.

The (MRIS) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer