Near real-time monitoring of the April-May 2010 Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud: an example of a web-based, satellite data-driven, reporting system

Philippe Labazuy (1, 2) , M. Gouhier (1, 2) , Andrew J.L. J.L. Harris (1, 2) , Yannick Guéhenneux (1, 2) , M. Hervo (1, 3) , Jean-Claude Bergès (4) , P. Fréville (1) , Philippe Cacault (1) , S. Rivet (1)

1 OPGC - Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand
2 LMV - Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans
3 LaMP - Laboratoire de météorologie physique
4 PRODIG - Pôle de recherche pour l'organisation et la diffusion de l'information géographique

During the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano (Iceland) we set up a system designed to ingest satellite data and output volcanic ash cloud products. The system (HVOS = HotVolc Observing System) ingested on-reception data provided every 15 minutes by the SEVIRI sensor flown aboard the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite. Data were automatically processed and posted on the web to provide plume location maps, as well as to extract plume metrics (cloud top height and mass flux), in near-real time. Given the closing speeds for aircraft approaching such hazardous ash clouds, reporting delays for such products have to be minimised.

Mots clés: Eyjafjallajökull eruption; near real time monitoring; remote sensing; Icelandic volcano; volcanoes; volcanic ash clouds; web based reporting; satellite data; plume location maps; volcanic crisis; SEVIRI; mass flux; cloud top height; plume metrics; ash cloud monitoring; LiDAR; Iceland

Domaines: Volcanologie; Milieux et Changements globaux

Philippe Labazuy, M. Gouhier, Andrew J.L. J.L. Harris, Yannick Guéhenneux, M. Hervo, et al.. Near real-time monitoring of the April-May 2010 Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud: an example of a web-based, satellite data-driven, reporting system. International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2012, 48 (1-4), pp.262-272. ⟨10.1504/IJEP.2012.049673⟩. ⟨hal-00800055⟩