Gravity Waves Associated with Calbuco Volcanic Eruption
Suomi NPP VIIRS 11.45 µm imagery, 0509 UTC 23 April 2015 (Click to enlarge)
Suomi NPP overflew the erupting Calbuco Volcano in southern Chile around 0509 UTC or 2:09 am local time on 23 April 2015. The image above is the VIIRS 11.45 µm infrared imagery (click here for a similar view).
The shock of the volcanic eruption generated mesospheric gravity waves (or “mesospheric airglow waves”) that were evident in the Day/Night Band, shown in the toggle below between the 11.45 µm and the night-time visible imagery. No lunar illumination was present, so the waves were apparent via the Earth’s airglow as the primary light source; this “night glow” is emitted from a variety of high-altitude (80-105 km) gases located near the mesopause (reference).
Toggle between VIIRS 11.45 µm infrared image and 0.70 µm Day/Night Band image, 0509 UTC 23 April 2015 (Click to enlarge)
(VIIRS images courtesy of William Straka, SSEC)