Application of in situ volcanic ash measurements via unmanned aerial systems at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia
Abstract
The main drawback to current airborne ash studies is the inability to provide a representative particle size distribution of volcanic ash clouds after an eruption has begun, due to a bias towards larger particle sizes in ground deposits where fine ash may be deposited far from source, and satellite imagery as a result of limitations in spectral, temporal, and spatial resolution. To improve the community's capacity to accurately measure inputs needed to produce effective numerical models of airborne ash transport, we used a Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) to characterize volcanic ash in situ while airborne, and determine the size distribution, abundance, and nature of volcanic particles smaller than those currently being measured. The sUAS can fly directly into an ash cloud to measure the finer ash particles and aerosols (<30 µm) that do not settle in deposits but present health hazards to the nearby population. To test this method, we selected Sinabung volcano (North Sumatra, Indonesia) as our test site, because of the regularity of ash emission and the proximity of adequate locations from which surveys can be launched. We outfitted our DJI Phantom 4 with an Alphasense optical particle counter to obtain the size distribution within the ash cloud of particles in the range of 0.25 - 32 μm. During our June 2018 campaign, a series of small scale ash eruptions occurred which allowed for our flights to be launched within a 4 km distance to the vent. Our flight paths ranged from 200-500 m in elevation and up to 2 km in distance to generate both vertical and horizontal profiles to assess the particle size heterogeneity within the cloud as it drifts away from the vent. These profiles will help validate both computational modeling and satellite imaging techniques currently in use while also testing a newer and possibly safer method of monitoring natural disasters.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.V23D0109M
- Keywords:
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- 8419 Volcano monitoring;
- VOLCANOLOGYDE: 8485 Remote sensing of volcanoes;
- VOLCANOLOGYDE: 8488 Volcanic hazards and risks;
- VOLCANOLOGYDE: 8494 Instruments and techniques;
- VOLCANOLOGY