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Eruption of Bogoslof in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands

By Scott Bachmeier •

Himawari-8 Visible (0.64 µm, left) and Infrared Window (10.4 µm, right) images, with hourly surface and ship reports plotted in yellow [click to play animation]

Himawari-8 Visible (0.64 µm, left) and Infrared Window (10.4 µm, right) images, with hourly surface and ship reports plotted in yellow [click to play animation]

The Bogoslof volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands erupted around 2216 UTC on 29 May 2017. A comparison of Himawari-8 Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above; MP4) showed the volcanic cloud as it drifted north/northeastward.

A very oblique view of the volcanic cloud was captured by Korean COMS-1 satellite at 2315 UTC (below).

COMS-1 Visible (0.67 µm) images, with surface observations plotted in yellow [click to enlarge]

COMS-1 Visible (0.67 µm) images, with surface observations plotted in yellow [click to enlarge]

Himawaari-8 false-color images from the NOAA/CIMSS Volcanic Cloud Monitoring site (below) revealed the initial signature of a volcanic cloud — however, this signature became less distinct after about 02 UTC on 29 May.

Himawari-8 false-color RGB images [click to play animation]

Himawari-8 false-color RGB images [click to play animation]

A different type of Himawari-8 false-color imagery (below) makes use of the 8.5 µm spectral band, which can help to infer the presence of sulfur dioxide within a volcanic cloud feature. A similar 8.4 µm band is available from the ABI instrument on the GOES-R series of satellites.

Himawari-8 false-color images [click to play animation]

3Himawari-8 false-color images [click to play animation]

A blend of Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) and radiometrically-retrieved Ash Cloud Height is shown below; the maximum ash cloud height was generally in the 10-12 km (33,000-39,000 feet above sea level) range (dark blue color enhancement). A volcanic ash signal was no longer apparent after 2320 UTC — this was likely due to enhanced ash particle removal via water (both liquid and ice) related processes.

Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images and Ash Cloud Height retrievals [click to play animation]

Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images and Ash Cloud Height retrievals [click to play animation]

A DigitalGlobe WorldView image at 2234 UTC (below) provided remarkable detail of the Bogoslof volcanic cloud shortly after the eruption began.


Categories: COMS, Himawari-8, Other Satellites, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images, Volcanic activity