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First Observations of Volcanic Eruption Clouds From the L1 Earth‐Sun Lagrange Point by DSCOVR/EPIC
Author(s) -
Carn S. A.,
Krotkov N. A.,
Fisher B. L.,
Li C.,
Prata A. J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2018gl079808
Subject(s) - volcano , geology , vulcanian eruption , observatory , earth science , atmospheric sciences , seismology , astronomy , physics
Volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emissions have been measured by ultraviolet sensors on polar‐orbiting satellites for several decades but with limited temporal resolution. This precludes studies of key processes believed to occur in young (~1–3 hr old) volcanic clouds. In 2015, the launch of the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) provided an opportunity for novel observations of volcanic eruption clouds from the first Earth‐Sun Lagrange point (L1). The L1 vantage point provides continuous observations of the sunlit Earth, offering up to eight or nine observations of volcanic SO 2 clouds in the DSCOVR/EPIC field of view at ~1‐hr intervals. Here we demonstrate DSCOVR/EPIC's sensitivity to volcanic SO 2 using several volcanic eruptions from the tropics to midlatitudes. The hourly cadence of DSCOVR/EPIC observations permits more timely measurements of volcanic SO 2 emissions, improved trajectory modeling, and novel analyses of the temporal evolution of volcanic clouds.