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NASA NTRS2005

Physical Properties of Volcanic Deposits on Venus from Radar Polarimetry

Studies of the morphology and radar properties of volcanic deposits can aid in understanding their differences and formation. On Venus, volcanoes range in size from large highland edifices, such as Theia Mons, to small shields and domes which are often found in groups of tens to hundreds. In plains regions, windstreaks are sometimes found near shield fields, suggesting that there may be fine grained deposits associated with the volcanoes. Previous studies of Bell Regio suggest the presence of fine-grained material in a low dielectric constant triangular shaped region on the flank of Tepev Mons, which may be crater ejecta or a pyroclastic deposit spread westward by wind. The eastern caldera on Tepev Mons shows a steep trend in backscattered power with incidence angle and has high RMS-slopes, implying a finegrained covering such as ash. Radar waves can easily penetrate smooth mantling layers such as ash and aeolian deposits. If a radar system can measure two orthogonal polarizations, it is possible to detect subsurface scattering and infer the presence of surficial deposits. The Magellan spacecraft could only measure one polarization and was therefore not able to fully characterize the polarization state of the radar echoes. We compare Arecibo dual-polarization data for Venus to Magellan images and emissivity data to investigate the physical properties of volcanic deposits.

Carter, Lynn M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

An Approach to In-Situ Observations of Volcanic Plumes

Volcanoes have long been recognized as playing a dominant role in the birth, and possibly the death, of biological populations. They are possible sources of primordial gases, provide conditions sufficient for creating amino acids, strongly affect the heat balance in the atmosphere, and have been shown to sustain life (in oceanic vents.) Eruptions can have profound effects on local flora and fauna, and for very large eruptions, may alter global weather patterns and cause entire species to fail. Measurements of particulates, gases, and dynamics within a volcanic plume are critical to understanding both how volcanoes work and how plumes affect populations, environment, and aviation. Volcanic plumes and associated eruption columns are a miasma of toxic gases, corrosive condensates, and abrasive particulates that makes them hazardous to nearby populations and poses a significant risk to all forms of aviation. Plumes also provide a mechanism for sampling the volcanic interior, which, for hydrothermal environments, may host unique biological populations.

Smythe, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Parga Chasma: Coronae and Rifting on Venus

The majority of coronae (quasicircular volcano-tectonic features) are found along rifts or fracture belts, and the majority of rifts have coronae [e.g. 1,2]. However, the relationship between coronae and rifts remains unclear [3-6]. There is evidence that coronae can form before, after, or synchronously with rifts [3,4]. The extensional fractures in the rift zones have been proposed to be a result of broad scale upwelling and traction on the lower lithosphere [7]. However, not all rift systems have a significant positive geoid anomaly, as would be expected for an upwelling site [8]. This could be explained if the rifts lacking anomalies are no longer active. Coronae are generally accepted to be sites of local upwelling [e.g. 1], but the observed rifting is frequently not radial to the coronae and extends well beyond the coronae into the surrounding plains. Thus the question remains as to whether the rifts represent regional extension, perhaps driven by mantle tractions, or if the coronae themselves create local thinning and extension of the lithosphere. In the first case, a regional extension model should be consistent with the observed characteristics of the rifts. In the latter case, a model of lithospheric loading and fracturing would be more appropriate. A good analogy may be the propagation of oceanic intraplate volcanoes [9].

Smrekar, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

NASA Participated in the Japan 2001 Science, Creativity and the Young Mind Workshop

During the week of July 23, 2001, a workshop called the Japan 2001 Science, Creativity and the Young Mind took place at Bristol University in Bristol, England. Coordinated by the Clifton Scientific Trust, it brought together 60 British and Japanese students and provided them with a forum for learning and interacting. All the students were chosen from geographical areas of social deprivation, where university education is not seen as a natural progression for students. One of the aims of the workshop was to give the combined group a new view of themselves as potential scientists and an ambition to succeed at the highest level. Members of the Glenn Research Center's Learning Technologies Project participated with six of the students and their team leaders as a Space Science Team. Four interactive videoconferencing sessions were held between the NASA Glenn Research Center and Bristol University on four consecutive days. During the sessions, students raised questions concerning various theories about the probable formation of volcanoes on Mars. Of specific interest was if the great Tharsis volcanoes might be the result of an ancient collision of planetary proportions, or if plate tectonic movement, evidence for which was recently discovered by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Spacecraft, might account for them.

Kolecki, Joseph C.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Status and Plans for the WCRP/GEWEX Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP)

Status and plans for GPCP are presented along with scientific findings from the current data set. Global and large regional rainfall variations and possible long-term changes are examined using the 26-year (1979-2004) monthly dataset from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). One emphasis is to discriminate among the variations due to ENSO, volcanic events and possible long-term changes. Although the global change of precipitation in the data set is near zero, the data set does indicate an upward trend (0.13 mm/day/25yr) and a downward trend (-0.06 mm/day/25yr) over tropical oceans and lands (25S-25N), respectively. This corresponds to a 4% increase (ocean) and 2% decrease (land) during this time period. Simple techniques are derived to attempt to eliminate variations due to ENSO and major volcanic eruptions in the Tropics. Using only annual values two "volcano years" are determined by examining ocean-land coupled variations in precipitation related to ENSO and other phenomena. The outlier years coincide with Pinatubo and El Chicon eruptions. The ENSO signal is reduced by deriving mean ocean and land values for El Nino, La Nina and neutral conditions based on Nino 3.4 SST and normalizing the annual ocean and land precipitation to the neutral set of cases. The impact of the two major volcanic eruptions over the past 25 years is estimated to be about a 5% reduction in tropical rainfall. The modified data set (with ENSO and volcano effect at least partially removed) retains the same approximate linear change slopes over the data set period, but with reduced variance leading to significance tests with results in the 90-95% range. Intercomparisons between the GPCP, SSM/I (1988-2004), and TRMM (1998-2004) satellite rainfall products and alternate gauge analyses over land are made to attempt to increase or decrease confidence in the changes seen in the GPCP analysis.

Adkerm Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Monitoring Eruptive Activity at Mount St. Helens with TIR Image Data

Thermal infrared (TIR) data from the MASTER airborne imaging spectrometer were acquired over Mount St. Helens in Sept and Oct, 2004, before and after the onset of recent eruptive activity. Pre-eruption data showed no measurable increase in surface temperatures before the first phreatic eruption on Oct 1. MASTER data acquired during the initial eruptive episode on Oct 14 showed maximum temperatures of similar to approximately 330 C and TIR data acquired concurrently from a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera showed maximum temperatures similar to approximately 675 C, in narrow (approximately 1-m) fractures of molten rock on a new resurgent dome. MASTER and FLIR thermal flux calculations indicated a radiative cooling rate of approximately 714 J/m(exp 2)/s over the new dome, corresponding to a radiant power of approximately 24 MW. MASTER data indicated the new dome was dacitic in composition, and digital elevation data derived from LIDAR acquired concurrently with MASTER showed that the dome growth correlated with the areas of elevated temperatures. Low SO2 concentrations in the plume combined with sub-optimal viewing conditions prohibited quantitative measurement of plume SO2. The results demonstrate that airborne TIR data can provide information on the temperature of both the surface and plume and the composition of new lava during eruptive episodes. Given sufficient resources, the airborne instrumentation could be deployed rapidly to a newly-awakening volcano and provide a means for remote volcano monitoring.

thermal emissions↗
NASA NTRS2008

Mapping the Sedna-Lavinia Region of Venus

Geologic mapping of Venus at 1:5 M scale has shown in great detail the flow complexes of volcanoes, coronae, and shield fields, and the varying structural patterns that differentiate tesserae from corona rims and isolated patches of densely lineated terrain. In most cases, however, the lower-elevation plains between the higher-standing landforms are discriminated only on the basis of potentially secondary features such as late-stage lava flooding or tectonic overprinting. This result, in which volcanoes and tesserae appear as "islands in the sea," places weak constraints on the relative age of large upland regions and the nature of the basement terrain. In this work, we focus on the spatial distribution and topography of densely lineated and tessera units over a large region of Venus, and their relationship to apparently later corona and shield flow complexes. The goal is to identify likely connections between patches of deformed terrain that suggest earlier features of regional extent, and to compare the topography of linked patches with other such clusters as a guide to whether they form larger tracts beneath the plains. Mapping Approach. We are mapping the region from 57S to 57N, 300E-60E. Since the 1:5 M quadrangles emphasize detail of tessera structure and corona/edifice flows, we simply adopt the outlines of these features as they relate to the outcrops of either "densely lineated terrain" or tessera (Fig. 1). The densely lineated material is mapped in many quadrangles based on pervasive structural deformation, typically with a single major axis (in contrast to the overlapping orthogonal patterns on tesserae). This unit definition is often extended to include material of corona rims. We do not at present differentiate between plains units, since earlier efforts show that their most defining attributes may be secondary to the original emplacement (e.g., lobate or sheet-like flooding by thin flow units, tectonic patterns related to regional and localized stress regimes) [1].

Campbell, Bruce A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Geology of the Lachesis Tessera Quadrangle (V-18), Venus

The Lachesis Tessera Quadrangle (V-18) lies between 25deg and 50deg north, 300deg and 330deg east. Most of the quadrangle consists of "regional plains" (1) of Sedna and Guinevere Planitiae. A first draft of the geology has been completed, and the tentative number of mapped units by terrain type is: Tesserae - 2; plains - 4; ridge belts - 1; fracture belts - 1 (plus embayed fragments of possible additional belts); coronae - 3; central volcanoes - 1; shield flows - 2; paterae - 1; impact craters - 1; undifferentiated flows - 1; bright materials - 1. By far the areally most extensive materials are regional plains. These are mapped as two units, based on radar backscatter ("radar brightness"). The brighter unit appears to be younger than the darker unit. This inference is based on the common presence within the lighter unit of circular or nearly circular inliers of material with radar backscatter characteristic of the darker unit. The circular inliers are most likely low shield volcanoes, which are commonly present on the darker unit, that were only partially covered by the brighter unit. Clear cut examples of wrinkle ridges and fractures superposed on the darker unit but truncated by the brighter unit have not been found to date. These relationships indicate that the brighter unit is superposed on the darker unit, but that the difference in age between them is very small. Because they are so widespread, the regional plains are a convenient relative age time "marker." The number of impact craters superposed on these plains is too small to measure age differences (2), and thus we cannot estimate how much time elapsed between the emplacement of the darker and brighter regional plains units. More local plains units are defined by significantly lower radar backscatter or by a texture that is mottled at scores to hundreds of kilometers scale. A plains-like unit with a homogenous, bright diffuse backscatter is present as scattered exposures in the eastern part of the quadrangle. These exposures have been mapped as "bright material," but it is not clear at present if this is a valid unit or if it is part of the brighter regional plains unit. Tessera terrain is primarily found along the western border of the quadrangle, where Lachesis Tessera refers to the southern exposures, and Zirka Tessera refers to northern exposures. A second tessera unit has been mapped with the symbol "t?." This unit appears to be deformed by the requisite 2 sets of closely spaced structures, but it is so extensively flooded by regional plains materials that the structural fabric is partially obscured. Tessera terrain is present in the adjacent V-17 quadrangle, where both Lachesis Tessera and Zirka Tessera are areally more extensive than in V-18. Ridge and fracture belts are both present, but not as extensive as is the case in, for example, the Pandrosos Dorsa (3) and Lavinia Planitia (4) quadrangles. As is commonly the case, it is difficult to determine if the materials of these belts are older or younger than regional plains. A recent study using radar properties (5) demonstrated that at least most ridge belts appear to be older than regional plains. The materials of fracture belts probably are also older than regional plains, but the fractures themselves can be both older and younger than regional plains (e.g., 3).

McGill, George E.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Renewed Mapping of the Nepthys Mons Quadrangle (V-54), Venus

After a long hiatus due to competing tasks with the PI, mapping of Venus' Nepthys Mons Quadrangle (V-54, 300-330degE, 25-50degS) has been resumed, with planned submission late in 2008 or early 2009. Major goals are to determine the style of volcanism and tectonism over time, the evolution of shield volcanoes, the evolution of coronae, the characteristics of plains volcanism, and what these observations tell us about the general geologic history of Venus. This abstract largely repeats earlier progress reports, with some updates to show GEMS that the PI intends to complete this task in the near future. Methods: Geologic units and structures have been mapped onto hardcopy FMAPs and then transferred to the 1:5 million-scale map base (Figure 1). Pseudostereo anaglyphs have proved an indispensable tool and have resulted in a virtual complete revision of previously mapped areas [1,2]. At FMAP scale, structural trends and inferred ages are broken out using different symbols and colors. These are in the process of being transferred to a 1:5 million-scale structure map separate from the geologic map. The geologic units, structures, impact craters, coronae, and volcanoes are being arranged in time-stratigraphic sequences as the mapping progresses.

Bridges, Nathan T.↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Detection, Characterization and Tracking of Recent Aleutian Island Volcanic Ash Plumes and the Assessment of Their Impact on Aviation

The Aleutian Islands of Alaska are home to a number of major volcanoes which periodically present a significant hazard to aviation. During summer of 2008, the Okmok and Kasatochi volcanoes experienced moderate eruptive events. These were followed a dramatic, major eruption of Mount Redoubt in late March 2009. The Redoubt case is extensively covered in this paper. Volcanic ash and SO2 from each of these eruptions dispersed throughout the atmosphere. This created the potential for major problems for air traffic near the ash dispersions and at significant distances downwind. The NASA Applied Sciences Weather Program implements a wide variety of research projects to develop volcanic ash detection, characterization and tracking applications for NASA Earth Observing System and NOAA GOES and POES satellites. Chemistry applications using NASA AURA satellite Ozone Monitoring System (OMI) retrievals produced SO2 measurements to trace the dispersion of volcanic aerosol. This work was complimented by advanced multi-channel imager applications for the discrimination and height assignment of volcanic ash using NASA MODIS and NOAA GOES and POES imager data. Instruments similar to MODIS and OMI are scheduled for operational deployment on NPOESS. In addition, the NASA Calipso satellite provided highly accurate measurements of aerosol height and dispersion for the calibration and validation of these algorithms and for corroborative research studies. All of this work shortens the lead time for transition to operations and ensures that research satellite data and applications are operationally relevant and utilized quickly after the deployment of operational satellite systems. Introduction

Murray, John J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Attaching Thermocouples by Peening or Crimping

Two simple, effective techniques for attaching thermocouples to metal substrates have been devised for high-temperature applications in which attachment by such conventional means as welding, screws, epoxy, or tape would not be effective. The techniques have been used successfully to attach 0.005- in. (0.127-mm)-diameter type-S thermocouples to substrates of niobium alloy C-103 and stainless steel 416 for measuring temperatures up to 2,600 F (1,427 C). The techniques are equally applicable to other thermocouple and substrate materials. In the first technique, illustrated in the upper part of the figure, a hole slightly wider than twice the diameter of one thermocouple wire is drilled in the substrate. The thermocouple is placed in the hole, then the edge of the hole is peened in one or more places by use of a punch (see figure). The deformed material at the edge secures the thermocouple in the hole. In the second technique a hole is drilled as in the first technique, then an annular relief area is machined around the hole, resulting in structure reminiscent of a volcano in a crater. The thermocouple is placed in the hole as in the first technique, then the "volcano" material is either peened by use of a punch or crimped by use of sidecutters to secure the thermocouple in place. This second technique is preferable for very thin thermocouples [wire diameter .0.005 in. (.0.127 mm)] because standard peening poses a greater risk of clipping one or both of the thermocouple wires. These techniques offer the following advantages over prior thermocouple-attachment techniques: . Because these techniques involve drilling of very small holes, they are minimally invasive . an important advantage in that, to a first approximation, the thermal properties of surrounding areas are not appreciably affected. . These techniques do not involve introduction of any material, other than the substrate and thermocouple materials, that could cause contamination, could decompose, or oxidize at high measurement temperatures. . The simplicity of these techniques makes it possible to attach thermocouples quickly. . These techniques can be used to attach thermocouples at locations where access is somewhat restricted by the surrounding objects.

Murtland, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS2010

Geologic Mapping of V-19

A geologic map of the Sedna Planitia (V-19) quadrangle is being completed at 1:5,000,000 scale as part of the NASA Planetary Geologic Mapping Program, and will be submitted for review by September 2010. Overview: The Sedna Planitia quadrangle (V-19) extends from 25 N - 50 N latitude, 330 - 0 longitude. The quadrangle contains the northernmost portion of western Eistla Regio and the Sedna Planitia lowlands. Sedna Planitia consists of low-lying plains units, with numerous small volcanic edifices including shields, domes and cones. The quadrangle also contains several tholi, the large flowfield Neago Fluctus, the Manzan-Gurme Tesserae, and Zorile Dorsa and Karra-mahte Fossae which run NW-SE through the southwestern part of the quadrangle. There are six coronae in the quadrangle (Table 1), the largest of which is Nissaba (300 km x 220 km), and there are fourteen impact craters (Table 2). The V-19 quadrangle contains a variety of mappable volcanic landforms including two shield volcanoes (Evaki Tholus and Toci Tholus) and the southern portion of a large flow field (Neago Fluctus). A total of sixteen units associated with volcanoes have been mapped in this quadrangle, with multiple units mapped at Sif Mons, Sachs Patera and Neago Fluctus. An oddly textured, radarbright flow is also mapped in the Sedna plains, which appears to have originated from a several hundred kilometer long fissure. The six coronae within V-19 have a total of eighteen associated flow units. Several edifice fields are also mapped, in which the small volcanic edifices both predate and postdate the other units. Impact crater materials are also mapped.

Martin, Paula↗
NASA NTRS2008

Mesoscale Raised Rim Depressions (MRRDs) on Earth: A Review of the Characteristics, Processes, and Spatial Distributions of Analogs for Mars

Fields of mesoscale raised rim depressions (MRRDs) of various origins are found on Earth and Mars. Examples include rootless cones, mud volcanoes, collapsed pingos, rimmed kettle holes, and basaltic ring structures. Correct identification of MRRDs on Mars is valuable because different MRRD types have different geologic and/or climatic implications and are often associated with volcanism and/or water, which may provide locales for biotic or prebiotic activity. In order to facilitate correct identification of fields of MRRDs on Mars and their implications, this work provides a review of common terrestrial MRRD types that occur in fields. In this review, MRRDs by formation mechanism, including hydrovolcanic (phreatomagmatic cones, basaltic ring structures), sedimentological (mud volcanoes), and ice-related (pingos, volatile ice-block forms) mechanisms. For each broad mechanism, we present a comparative synopsis of (i) morphology and observations, (ii) physical formation processes, and (iii) published hypothesized locations on Mars. Because the morphology for MRRDs may be ambiguous, an additional tool is provided for distinguishing fields of MRRDs by origin on Mars, namely, spatial distribution analyses for MRRDs within fields on Earth. We find that MRRDs have both distinguishing and similar characteristics, and observation that applies both to their mesoscale morphology and to their spatial distribution statistics. Thus, this review provides tools for distinguishing between various MRRDs, while highlighting the utility of the multiple working hypotheses approach.

Burr, Devon M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Microphysical, Macrophysical and Radiative Signatures of Volcanic Aerosols in Trade Wind Cumulus Observed by the A-Train

Increased aerosol concentrations can raise planetary albedo not only by reflecting sunlight and increasing cloud albedo, but also by changing cloud amount. However, detecting aerosol effect on cloud amount has been elusive to both observations and modeling due to potential buffering mechanisms and convolution of meteorology. Here through a natural experiment provided by long-tem1 degassing of a low-lying volcano and use of A-Train satellite observations, we show modifications of trade cumulus cloud fields including decreased droplet size, decreased precipitation efficiency and increased cloud amount are associated with volcanic aerosols. In addition we find significantly higher cloud tops for polluted clouds. We demonstrate that the observed microphysical and macrophysical changes cannot be explained by synoptic meteorology or the orographic effect of the Hawaiian Islands. The "total shortwave aerosol forcin", resulting from direct and indirect forcings including both cloud albedo and cloud amount. is almost an order of magnitude higher than aerosol direct forcing alone. Furthermore, the precipitation reduction associated with enhanced aerosol leads to large changes in the energetics of air-sea exchange and trade wind boundary layer. Our results represent the first observational evidence of large-scale increase of cloud amount due to aerosols in a trade cumulus regime, which can be used to constrain the representation of aerosol-cloud interactions in climate models. The findings also have implications for volcano-climate interactions and climate mitigation research.

Yuan, T.↗
NASA NTRS2012

MISR Observations of Etna Volcanic Plumes

In the last twelve years, Mt. Etna, located in eastern Sicily, has produced a great number of explosive eruptions. Volcanic plumes have risen to several km above sea level and created problems for aviation and the communities living near the volcano. A reduction of hazards may be accomplished using remote sensing techniques to evaluate important features of volcanic plumes. Since 2000, the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) on board NASA s Terra spacecraft has been extensively used to study aerosol dispersal and to extract the three-dimensional structure of plumes coming from anthropogenic or natural sources, including volcanoes. In the present work, MISR data from several explosive events occurring at Etna are analyzed using a program named MINX (MISR INteractive eXplorer). MINX uses stereo matching techniques to evaluate the height of the volcanic aerosol with a precision of a few hundred meters, and extracts aerosol properties from the MISR Standard products. We analyzed twenty volcanic plumes produced during the 2000, 2001, 2002-03, 2006 and 2008 Etna eruptions, finding that volcanic aerosol dispersal and column height obtained by this analysis is in good agreement with ground-based observations. MISR aerosol type retrievals: (1) clearly distinguish volcanic plumes that are sulphate and/or water vapor dominated from ash-dominated ones; (2) detect even low concentrations of volcanic ash in the atmosphere; (3) demonstrate that sulphate and/or water vapor dominated plumes consist of smaller-sized particles compared to ash plumes. This work highlights the potential of MISR to detect important volcanic plume characteristics that can be used to constrain the eruption source parameters in volcanic ash dispersion models. Further, the possibility of discriminating sulphate and/or water vapor dominated plumes from ash-dominated ones is important to better understand the atmospheric impact of these plumes.

Scollo, S.↗
NASA NTRS2014

The ISRU Field Tests 2010 and 2012 at Mauna Kea, Hawaii: Results from the Miniaturised Mossbauer Spectrometers Mimos II and Mimos IIA

The 2010 and 2012 In-Situ Resource Utilization Analogue Test (ISRU) [1] on the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawai'i was coordinated by the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), through the PISCES program. Several instruments were tested as reference candidates for future analogue testing at the new field test site at the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawai'i. The fine-grained, volcanic nature of the material is a suitable lunar and martian analogue, and can be used to test excavation, site preparation, and resource utilization techniques. The 2010 location Pu'u Hiwahine, a cinder cone located below the summit of Mauna Kea (19deg45'39.29" N, 155deg28'14.56" W) at an elevation of ~2800 m, provides a large number of slopes, rock avalanches, etc. to perform mobility tests, site preparation or resource prospecting. Besides hardware testing of technologies and systems related to resource identification, also in situ science measurements played a significant role in integration of ISRU and science instruments. For the advanced Mössbauer instrument MIMOS IIA, the new detector technologies and electronic components increase sensitivity and performance significantly. In combination with the high energy resolution of the SDD it is possible to perform Xray fluorescence analysis simultaneously to Mössbauer spectroscopy. In addition to the Fe-mineralogy, information on the sample's elemental composition will be gathered. The 2010 and 2012 field campaigns demonstrated that in-situ Mössbauer spectroscopy is an effective tool for both science and feedstock exploration and process monitoring. Engineering tests showed that a compact nickel metal hydride battery provided sufficient power for over 12 hr of continuous operation for the MIMOS instruments.

Klingelhoefer, G.↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Decade of Volcanic Observations from Aura and the A-Train

Aura observations have made many seminal contributions to volcanology. Prior to the Aura launch, satellite observations of volcanic degassing (e.g., from TOMS) were mostly restricted to large eruptions. However, the vast majority of volcanic gases are released during quiescent 'passive' degassing between eruptions. The improved sensitivity of Aura OMI permitted the first daily, space-borne measurements of passive volcanic SO2 degassing, providing improved constraints on the source locations and magnitude of global SO2 emissions for input to atmospheric chemistry and climate models. As a result of this unique sensitivity to volcanic activity, OMI data were also the first satellite SO2 measurements to be routinely used for volcano monitoring at several volcano observatories worldwide. Furthermore, the Aura OMI SO2 data also offer unprecedented sensitivity to volcanic clouds in the UTLS, elucidating the transport, fate and lifetime of volcanic SO2 and providing critical input to aviation hazard mitigation efforts. Another major advance has been the improved vertical resolution of volcanic clouds made possible by synergy between Aura and other A-Train instruments (e.g., AIRS, CALIPSO, CloudSat), advanced UV SO2 altitude retrievals, and inverse trajectory modeling of detailed SO2 cloud maps. This altitude information is crucial for climate models and aviation hazards. We will review some of the highlights of a decade of Aura observations of volcanic activity and look ahead to the future of volcanic observations from space.

Aura↗
NASA NTRS2014

The 2012 Moon and Mars Analog Mission

The 2012 Moon and Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA) scientific investigations were completed on Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii in July 2012. The investigations were conducted on the southeast flank of the Mauna Kea volcano at an elevation of approximately 11,500 ft. This area is known as "Apollo Valley" and is in an adjacent valley to the Very Large Baseline Array dish antenna.

Graham, Lee↗