Alaska's Advanced Volcano Monitoring System to Deploy Nationwide

Alaska-Grown Volcano Monitoring System to be Expanded Across the United States and Beyond

A radar-based volcano monitoring system born out of a need in Alaska is being funded for expansion across the United States and beyond. The technology, known as VolcSARvatory, was designed to produce better warnings of volcanic activity by using advanced satellite radar to identify subtle changes in ground movement.

The VolcSARvatory system was developed by scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey through the use of interferometric synthetic aperture radar, which can feel surface movement down to one centimeter. The suggestion is that making multiples of satellite radar imagery will allow the system to capture the alteration on the ground and thus allow scientists to see long-term deformation and activity.

The ability of the system was initially presented in 2022 in the course of a series of quakes close to Mount Edgecumbe, which is an inactive volcano in the state of Alaska. Even with no recent seismic activity at Mount Edgecumbe, the radar system detected years-long deformation happening beneath the earth. It showed that this was due to a fresh intrusion of magma below ground level which proved to be an important factor and would otherwise have not been detected by conventional on-ground monitoring methods.

The VolcSARvatory system rapidly processes huge amounts of radar data, reducing analysis time from weeks to days. That efficiency could be crucial to identifying volcanic unrest before it can be picked up by other sensors, such as earthquakes or ground sensors.

This growth is likely to improve monitoring of volcanoes throughout the U.S., especially those that do not have ground-based sensors. The system is currently in operation at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) and will be implemented at other USGS-managed volcano observatories throughout the nation. It will deliver essential situational awareness, allowing scientists to more comprehensively study volcanic activity, monitor the location and volume of fresh magma and gases, and forecast possible eruptions.

Satellite image detection of deformation also holds the promise of studying volcanoes that are not equipped with physical sensors. As magma is in motion or building up beneath the earth's surface, surface deformation can be a clue to information regarding pressurization or depressurization. Such changes could indicate a volcano is more active and perhaps on the verge of eruption.

Although the system guarantees improved volcano monitoring, it can never be a replacement for human observation. The scientists will still be required to interpret the data to come up with adequate conclusions. Nevertheless, integrating radar-based satellite data with other remote sensing techniques, such as gas and thermal monitoring, will revolutionize volcano monitoring in the nation.

NASA picked this VolcSARvatory project as one of seven two-year funding grant recipients for its Disasters Program and provided $6.3 million. Given its successful uses in Alaska, the system makes doors open to further applications, and its spread could usher in much-needed technology for efficient monitoring, possibly saving lives and cutting down economic losses by serving up earlier warnings of dangers caused by volcanoes.

This new technology can serve as a model for tracking volcanoes all over the world, giving more efficient and centralized means of observing volcanic activity that can lead to better-informed disaster response protocols.