Evolution of the 2011 Mt. Etna ash and SO 2 lava fountain episodes using
SEVIRI data and VPR retrieval approach
Lorenzo Guerrieri, Luca Merucci, Stefano Corradini, Sergio Pugnaghi
PII:
DOI:
Reference:

S0377-0273(14)00397-7
doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.12.016
VOLGEO 5470

To appear in:

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

Received date:
Accepted date:

29 September 2014
23 December 2014

Please cite this article as: Guerrieri, Lorenzo, Merucci, Luca, Corradini, Stefano, Pugnaghi, Sergio, Evolution of the 2011 Mt. Etna ash and SO2 lava fountain episodes using
SEVIRI data and VPR retrieval approach, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research
(2015), doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.12.016

This is a PDF le of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication.
As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript.
The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof
before it is published in its nal form. Please note that during the production process
errors may be discovered which could aect the content, and all legal disclaimers that
apply to the journal pertain.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Evolution of the 2011 Mt. Etna ash and SO2 lava fountain
episodes using SEVIRI data and VPR retrieval approach

IP

Lorenzo Guerrieri, Luca Merucci, Stefano Corradini, Sergio Pugnaghi

MA

NU

SC
R

Abstract In this paper an estimation is made of the temporal evolution of volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide (SO2)
emissions from Mt. Etna during its eruption phases. The retrieval is performed using MSG-SEVIRI (Meteosat
Second Generation - Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra Red Imager) images in the TIR (Thermal InfraRed)
spectral range. The ash and SO2 plume abundance maps are computed using the Volcanic Plume Removal
(VPR) procedure originally applied to MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensors on
board the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites. As test cases, two 2011 lava fountain episodes were considered. The
set of parameters required by VPR for the Mt. Etna volcano, Volz type particles, and the SEVIRI sensor are
presented. Once the parameters have been computed, the VPR approach requires as input only the SEVIRI-TIR
radiances of the bands centered at 8.7, 10.8, and 12.0 m, together with the plume temperature and altitude. The
VPR returns maps of plume particles effective radius, aerosol optical depth at 550 nm, and columnar abundance
of ash and SO2. A new procedure for estimating wind speed and direction is also presented. Since the ash and
SO2 abundance maps, and wind speed at the plume altitude are known, it is possible to reconstruct the ash and
SO2 fluxes emitted during the eruption through time. The VPR procedure, applied to TIR SEVIRI data, allows
fast and reliable ash and SO2 retrieval with high temporal resolution during both day and night, and is thus
suitable for operational use during a volcanic crisis.

TE

Keywords Remote Sensing, Thermal-infrared radiation (TIR), volcanic ash and SO2 retrieval, multispectral satellite
data.

AC

CE
P

L. Guerrieri (Corresponding Author), S. Pugnaghi

Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche
Universit di Modena e Reggio Emilia
c/o DIEF (ex DIMA)
Via Vignolese 905a, I-41125 Modena (Italy)
Tel./Ph. +39 059 205 6217
e-mail: lorenzo.guerrieri@unimore.it
L. Merucci, S. Corradini
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Via di Vigna Murata 605, Roma, Italy.

1 Introduction
Volcanic plumes ejected into the atmosphere during explosive eruptions interact with human activities on various
levels. Plumes are generally composed of a mixture of ash and gases (Sparks et al. 1997; Oppenheimer et al. 2011), and
represent a major threat that can be mitigated only by early and rapid geolocation (detection), quantitative
characterization, tracking and forecasting of trajectories (Rose et al. 2009). On a local scale, the release of volcanic ash
and gases can affect human and animal health, while intense ash fall-out can severely damage infrastructures and
disrupt ground traffic (Delmelle et al. 2002; Mather et al. 2003; Horwell et al. 2006).
On a regional and global scale, buoyant volcanic ash clouds transported by the wind are a major hazard for air traffic
(Casadevall 1994; Miller et al. 2000; Hufford et al. 2000) and can have an important impact on climate (Robock 2000;
Langmann et al. 2010; Solomon et al. 2011; Bourassa et al. 2012). Observations of passive volcanic degassing can
provide useful information for forecasting impending eruptions (Sparks 2003; Duffell et al. 2003; Aiuppa et al. 2007),
while flux measurements of ash and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted during explosive events can give insights into the

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

processes driving the volcanic activity and provide improved source terms to ash deposition and transport models
(Merucci et al. 2011; Theys et al. 2013; Boichu et al. 2013).
The wide range of effects related to volcanic emissions can often be conveniently monitored and investigated using the
data provided by Earth Observation satellites (Prata 2009; Thomas et al. 2010). Thermal infrared (TIR) multispectral
imaging radiometers, on low or geostationary Earth orbit platforms (LEO and GEO), allow the detection and retrieval of
ash and SO2 burdens in volcanic clouds if provided with appropriate channels. This is the case with the MODIS
(Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensors on the polar LEO satellites TERRA and AQUA, and the
SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager) sensors on the MSG geostationary platforms.
A number of volcanic ash and SO2 detection and retrieval algorithms have been developed and applied successfully to
MODIS and SEVIRI data and these results represent an established reference for novel approaches (Prata 1989; Wen et
al. 1994; Realmuto et al. 1994; Pugnaghi et al. 2002; Corradini et al. 2009). Recently the authors presented a new
retrieval scheme for ash and SO2 retrieval called volcanic plume removal (VPR) (Pugnaghi et al. 2013), specifically
designed to obtain fast, user-friendly, but also reliable retrieval of volcanic ash and SO 2 plume parameters from MODIS
TIR data. The proposed procedure retrieves some of the most important parameters of volcanic plumes containing ash
and SO2, these being the SO2 columnar abundance maps, ash mass, aerosol optical depth (AOD550), and effective
radius ( ) maps, with plume altitude and temperature as the only additional inputs required at run time. Similar results
can be obtained from the same datasets with ash and SO 2 retrieval schemes based on look-up tables (LUT) of the
corrections terms computed by simulating the atmosphere containing ash and SO2 plumes with radiative transfer models
(RTM). Generally these methods, albeit theoretically sound and reliable, are difficult to implement because they require
independent knowledge of the atmosphere at the time of data acquisition in the target area (i.e. pressure, temperature,
and humidity vertical profiles collected by radiosondes or from meteorological models), specific skills on radiative
transfer and RTM codes, and they also need extensive computation time.
Since quick and reliable detection and characterization of volcanic ash clouds potentially hazardous to air traffic is
extremely valuable to support decisions during volcanic crises, new retrieval schemes have recently been proposed
(Picchiani et al. 2011; Pugnaghi et al. 2013; Piscini et al. 2014).
The VPR method is easy to use and useful for application in the monitoring of active volcanoes because with only
minor training it can be implemented by the staff on surveillance shifts, while still giving fast and reliable results. The
most time consuming computations, and the parts in which specific expertise is needed, are anticipated in a preliminary
phase during which the procedure is set up for a given location, ash type, and sensor.
In this work the VPR approach is applied to SEVIRI data collected during two brief lava fountain events that occurred
on Mt. Etna in 2011.
In Section 2 the VPR procedure is first described in its key features, namely the plume transmittance model, the ash
and AOD550, and the SO2 columnar content estimations. Then the high data frequency of SEVIRI (one image every 15
minutes, up to 5 minutes in rapid scan mode, available over a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere) is exploited to
define a method to retrieve wind speed and direction at the plume altitude, and to reconstruct the flux at the volcano
vents. The parameters required to run the procedure for the Volz (1973) ash type and the three SEVIRI instruments
currently on board the MSG platforms (Meteosat-8, -9 and -10) are computed and tabulated.
In Section 3 two Mt. Etna eruption test cases are described and, following the same scheme described in Pugnaghi et al.
(2013), the VPR results are closely compared with the results obtained by applying the ash and SO 2 retrieval schemes
(Corradini et al. 2009) based on LUTs computed by MODTRAN RTM code (Berk et al. 1989) to the same datasets. A
classification of the cloud ash particles based on the retrieved effective radius is also presented.
Finally, wind speed and direction are estimated at the plume height from a sequence of images, and a reconstruction of
the fluxes emitted at the source is presented and discussed. Finally, the conclusions are drawn in Section 4.

2 VPR procedure
In this section the VPR procedure applied to SEVIRI data is described. Once the ash and SO2 columnar abundance
maps have been estimated, the emitted fluxes can be computed since the wind speed at the plume altitude can be
established using the new flux reconstruction procedure. The required inputs of wind speed and direction at the plume
altitude can easily be derived from the sequence of SEVIRI images itself, if the plume structure allows the mass
maximum position (ash or SO 2) to be located and tracked in a sequence of images.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

IP

The entire procedure has five steps: the first three regard the VPR, and the last two regard flux reconstruction. The first
step computes the transmittance maps of the 8.7, 10.8, and 12.0 m bands; the second step computes the ash particle
effective radius ( ) and the aerosol optical depth at 550 nm (AOD550) maps from the transmittance maps of the 10.8
and 12.0 m bands; the third step computes the SO2 abundance map from the transmittance maps of the 8.7 m band;
the fourth step computes wind speed at the plume altitude by detecting the position of the maximum mass (ash or SO2)
in the plume map; the fifth step extrapolates the flux of ash and SO 2 at the vents for each image considered.
2.1 VPR: plume transmittance

NU

SC
R

The VPR procedure (Pugnaghi et al. 2013) starts with the computation of a new image by replacing the radiance
values in the plume region with those obtained from a simple linear regression of the radiance outside the edges of the
plume (see Section 3 for a description of the technique used to retrieve a suitable plume mask). Thus the plume is
removed and the new virtual image created by the VPR procedure shows what the sensor on the satellite would have
seen if the plume was not present.
The two images, the original and the one generated without the plume, allow an initial estimation of plume
transmittance for the TIR bands centered at 8.7, 10.8, 12.0 m:

MA

(1)

AC

CE
P

TE

where
is the radiance measured by the sensor,
is the radiance obtained by removing the plume (the virtual
radiance computed in the first VPR step),
is the air mass factor which accounts for the path slant through
the plume, is the sensor zenith angle,
is the Planck function at the temperature T which is slightly modified
relative to the temperature of the atmosphere at the mean plume height, and
is a rough empirical estimation of the
plume vertical transmittance due to scattering, which is specific for each aerosol particle type. For the Mt. Etna volcano,
with Volz (1973) type particles and MODIS or SEVIRI
but, if
,
is recomputed with
. The modified temperature T accounts for the layer above the plume, which is ignored in the VPR plume
model. For all three SEVIRI instruments
, when
is the air temperature at the mean plume
altitude
in km.
and
are the input data for the VPR procedure. The final plume transmittance
for each of the
three bands considered, is computed with a simple polynomial relationship from the
previously described. The
polynomial relationship takes into account the approximations performed in the simple underlying plume model used in
Eq. (1).
(2)

The
parameters for the Mt. Etna volcano and Volz type particles have been computed by fitting the MODTRAN
simulated plume transmittances versus the
transmittances obtained with Eq. (1), and are reported in Table 1 for each
band and each SEVIRI sensor. They derive from 76032 scenarios considered in the radiative transfer code simulations,
including: 12 month profiles (the monthly mean profiles of atmospheric pressure, air temperature and relative humidity
measured at Trapani over the last 30 years; Trapani, on the western tip of Sicily, is the WMO upper-air station closest to
the Mt. Etna volcano); 4 plume altitudes (
km), with a constant thickness of 1 km; 6 aerosol optical
depths AOD550 (0, 0.078, 0.156, 0.313, 0.625, 1.250); 8 effective radii
(0.785, 1.129, 1.624, 2.336, 3.360, 4.833,
6.952, 10.000 m); 3 sensor zenith angles (39.6, 44.0, 48.9 deg); 11 SO2 columnar abundances (0-10 g m-2 in steps of 1
g m-2). The radiances
and
were computed assuming a constant sea surface emissivity (0.98) and a monthly mean
sea temperature of the area of interest from NOAA (see Pugnaghi et al. 2013).
Finally, if the plume is very transparent (if
), then the total transmittance in the 8.7 m band
is
recomputed using
, ignoring any ash effects in that wavelength.
Satellite
MSG-1

Band
2 (8.7 m)
4 (10.8 m)

-0.053
-0.056

0.663
0.670

0.735
0.473

-0.371
-0.098

0.995
0.999

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
-0.061
-0.053
-0.056
-0.060
-0.052
-0.056
-0.061

0.610
0.664
0.670
0.599
0.660
0.669
0.606

0.535
0.735
0.474
0.550
0.741
0.476
0.541

-0.098
-0.371
-0.098
-0.103
-0.374
-0.099
-0.100

0.998
0.995
0.999
0.998
0.995
0.999
0.998

IP

MSG-3

5 (12.0 m)
2 (8.7 m)
4 (10.8 m)
5 (12.0 m)
2 (8.7 m)
4 (10.8 m)
5 (12.0 m)

MSG-2

SC
R

Table 1 Cubic polynomial relationship coefficients of Eq. (2) computed for the three 8.7, 10.8 and 12.0 m bands for
all the current SEVIRI aboard MSG-1, -2, -3. is the correlation coefficient
2.2 VPR: effective radius and AOD550

NU

The total plume transmittance of the window bands at 10.8 and 12.0 m is due only to ash extinction and can be
written as:

MA

(3)

TE

where is the air mass factor and AOD550 is the aerosol optical depth at 550 nm, while is a function of the effective
radius ( ) of the particle considered, representing the slope of the linear relationship which stands between the AOD at
the wavelengths considered and the AOD at 550 nm (see fig. 4 in Pugnaghi et al. 2013).
The ratio of the logarithms of the plume transmittances of the bands at 10.8 and 12.0 m is:
(4)

AC

CE
P

The ratio expressed in Eq. (4), in the particle size range (0.8-10 m) considered in the VPR scheme, is a monotonic
function of the effective radius , which consequently can easily be estimated. Next, the slope
can be obtained
from , and finally AOD550 is calculated from Eq. (3).
The slope
can also be retrieved in the same way, when with AOD550 known, the ash transmittance at 8.7 m
is obtained using Eq. (3); this is necessary for SO2 retrieval (see next section 2.3).
The
,
and
values for each SEVIRI sensor, are reported in Table 2. These values
for the Mt. Etna volcano and the optical properties of the Volz (1973) type particles were computed by fitting the
MODTRAN plume transmittances obtained with the above quoted simulations.
Finally, when the particles effective radius
and the aerosol optical depth AOD550 of each pixel have been
estimated, the ash mass can be retrieved using the Wen and Rose (1994) simplified formula.

MSG-1

MSG-2

MSG-3

0.785

1.129

1.624

2.336

3.360

4.833

6.952

10.000

1.604

1.575

1.466

1.317

1.165

1.047

0.984

0.968

0.150

0.330

0.623

0.966

1.235

1.348

1.333

1.272

0.158

0.339

0.615

0.934

1.203

1.329

1.314

1.250

1.639

1.609

1.494

1.337

1.176

1.051

0.984

0.967

0.151

0.331

0.623

0.966

1.236

1.348

1.333

1.272

0.158

0.340

0.618

0.938

1.207

1.330

1.314

1.250

1.605

1.577

1.469

1.320

1.167

1.048

0.984

0.968

0.150

0.329

0.621

0.964

1.234

1.348

1.333

1.273

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
0.159
Table 2

values as a function of

0.342

0.622

0.943

1.211

1.331

1.314

1.249

, for all the current SEVIRI aboard MSG-1, -2, -3.

2.3 VPR: SO2 columnar content

SC
R

IP

The total plume transmittance for band 8.7 m estimated using Eq. (1) is the product of the SO2 absorption and ash
extinction. Therefore, to establish the contribution only from sulfur dioxide absorption, it is necessary to estimate the
ash transmittance at 8.7 m and divide the total transmittance of the plume by this value:
(5)

NU

The SO2 columnar content can be computed inverting the following relationship:

(6)

MA

where is always the air mass factor, is the SO2 absorption coefficient which depends on the plume temperature and
pressure (height) and is an exponent of the concentration which depends only on the plume temperature:
(7)

(8)

TE

The values of and parameters were empirically derived from the MODTRAN simulations and are reported in Table
3 and Table 4 respectively.

MSG-1

MSG-2

-6.097e-5 -5.629e-5

-1.327e-4

-1.327e-4 -1.323e-4

4.099e-2

4.101e-2

Table 3 Parameters to compute the SO2 absorption coefficient

pressure (height). See Eq. (7).

Parameter

MSG-3

-5.534e-5

AC

CE
P

Parameter

MSG-1

4.079e-2

depending on the plume temperature and

MSG-2

MSG-3

3.522e-4 3.527e-4 3.530e-4

9.804e-1 9.804e-1 9.802e-1
Table 4 Parameters to compute the SO2 concentration exponent
(8).

depending on the plume temperature. See Eq.

Fig. 1 shows the distributions of the differences between the procedure results (only for the SEVIRI aboard MSG-2) and
the input values used in the MODTRAN simulations. More than 80% of the AOD550 cases exhibit a difference less
than 0.125 (a), about 70% of the
differences are less than 0.5 m (b), and more than 60% of the differences are
less than 0.5 g m2 (c).

SC
R

IP

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

NU

(a)
(b)
(c)
Fig. 1 Frequency (%) of the differences VPR-MODTRAN (SEVIRI-MSG2) for AOD550 (a),

MA

2.4 Wind speed at the plume altitude

(b) and cs (c).

AC

CE
P

TE

The eruptions of the Mt. Etna volcano selected as test cases for the proposed procedure exhibit a fairly clear peak in
the spatial mass distribution maps of both SO2 and ash. This peak has frequently been observed in recent short duration
Etna events characterized as lava fountains, and can be easily identified and tracked in a series of images. The first part
of the flux reconstruction procedure detects the peak (or peaks, since the SO2 and ash peaks are not necessarily
collocated) in the abundance maps computed with the VPR procedure for each SEVIRI image, and then tracks the
subsequent positions in a sequence of images. From the position of the peak, both its distance from the top of the
volcano (craters area) and its angle relative to North are derived. If the wind direction is constant, the peak speed can be
estimated considering the 15 minute time interval between two SEVIRI image acquisitions (reduced to 5 minutes in
Rapid Scan mode). The peak speed is assumed to be the whole plume speed, which is the true wind speed at plume
altitude. Obviously this method may not be appropriate for very long plumes, e.g. from a long continuous eruption. In
these cases, different parts of the plume may be travelling at different speeds. After a smoothing operation performed
with a mean filter over a 3 by 3 pixel area, the position of the peak in the abundance maps is assumed to be the center of
mass of a chosen square area (about 20 km side length) around the maximum in the map. This is slightly better (less
sensitive to fluctuations) than choosing the raw position of the maximum. The peak speed at a specific time is obtained
by means of linear regression of the peak distances from the top of Mt Etna in the three hours around the image
considered: 1.5 hours before and 1.5 hours after the time of the image. As the SO 2 and ash peaks are usually not formed
simultaneously, the computed speed of these peaks may be quite different, in particular during the peak formation
period. Clearly, the images from the beginning and end of the eruption have fewer data before or after them.
This method for estimating wind speed at the plume altitude has the advantage that the plume speed is estimated
directly from the images, and so is not sensitive to uncertainty in the plume altitude.
2.5 Flux Reconstruction at the volcano vents
The wind speed estimated as described in section 2.4, is subsequently used to compute the temporal trend of the flux
emitted by the volcano for each image of the SEVIRI sequence (see below). If the wind speed cannot be reliably
retrieved as previously described, then an input wind speed is used, for example the one obtained from upper air
measurement. In particular, an input wind speed is used rather than the computed one if: 1) there are limited data for the
time interval considered: at least three peak positions are required in the three hour period with a time difference of at
least one and a half hours; 2) the percentage standard deviation about the linear regression is too wide: only the data
with an absolute percentage difference (data fit) lower than 10% are used for the final linear regression; 3) the wind
direction changes excessively: more than 20 degrees in the three hours considered.
This part of the procedure determines, for each image considered, the flux of both SO 2 and ash emitted from the
vents. For each pixel of the plume the distance from the top of the volcano (known position) is determined. Then the
average wind speeds ( ) in the time intervals preceding the image acquisition time are computed considering the

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

IP

acquisition time and the previously estimated wind speed evolution. The average wind speeds and the distance ( ) of
each pixel from the volcano vent, allow computation of the plume age at each pixel, i.e. the time at which the SO2 or
ash contained in any given pixel of the plume was emitted.
Finally, integrating the retrieved mass over the pixels at the same distance, that is along an arc of length l and ray
centered at the volcano vent, and knowing the wind speed at
the flux of the SO2 or ash emitted by the volcano
through a cylindrical surface (ray ) and orthogonal to the image plane is obtained as:
(9)

NU

SC
R

where
is the wind speed at the time
when the mass (SO2 or ash) per unit surface
of the pixel in the
position has been emitted from the vents.
From the recent typical Etna lava fountains in the period 2011-2013, the temporal trend of the flux of both SO 2 and ash
emitted from the vents is expected to be a form of normal distribution curve describing the explosive event. It is worth
noting that all the flux curves reconstructed from these eruption sequences of SEVIRI images have to overlap each
other.

MA

3 Results and Applications

AC

CE
P

TE

The VPR procedure described so far was applied to the TIR SEVIRI data of two different Mt. Etna eruptions that
occurred on 12 August 2011 and 23 October 2011. These test cases were selected from among several Etna lava
fountain episodes occurred during 2011. Both events lasted a few hours and the eruption plumes reached an altitude of
about 5-7 km and were clearly recorded by the SEVIRI sensor for several hours. A fixed SEVIRI window containing
the whole of the island of Sicily and a wide region of the Mediterranean Sea south-east of Mt. Etna was chosen in this
work and the re-sampled pixels have an area of about 14 km 2. All the times shown below are in hours UTC. Finally, for
each SEVIRI image, a so-called plume mask was created to identify the pixels contaminated by the presence of the
volcanic plume. The choice of the plume mask is very important for the correct application of the VPR procedure, and
so plume detection was conducted in a semi-automatic way, with the supervision of an operator. The method is based
on a percentage threshold of the mean radiance value without the plume for a defined sequence of bands. Finally, the
operator can manually refine the plume mask by deleting some possibly spurious pixels. The SO 2 and ash retrievals
were performed only in the pixels of the plume mask.
The first case considered (12 August) was a day-time event, while the second case (23 October) occurred at night. On
the 12 August the brightness temperature difference (BTD) between bands at 10.8 and 12.0 m indicates the presence
of water droplets and/or ice particles in addition to ash. The same test, performed on the 23 October images, reveals
only the presence of ash particles in the plume. Finally, both the cases clearly show the presence of sulfur dioxide in the
two volcanic clouds.
As regards the VPR-MODIS retrieval (Pugnaghi et al. 2013), the VPR-SEVIRI retrievals were also compared with the
results obtained using the well established LUT approach (Corradini et al., 2009). In the LUT procedure, ash retrieval
(AOD550,
and ash mass) is based on the computation of look up tables simulated with a radiative transfer model and
relies on the BTD (Prata 1989; Wen et al. 1994; Yu et al. 2002; Corradini et al. 2008), while SO2 estimation is realized
using a chi square procedure applied to the SEVIRI channel centered at 8.7 m. The LUT required for the ash and SO 2
retrievals were computed using MODTRAN RTM. Differently from the VPR approach, that computes the coefficients
by using the monthly mean atmospheric profiles (P, T, RH) measured at Trapani WMO over the last 30 years, the LUT
procedure needs a single atmospheric Trapani radiosounding (P, T, RH) for a specific date and time, as close as possible
to the satellite image acquisition. This difference between the two methods is relevant: while VPR, using eq. (1) and (2),
retrieves plume transmittances that are weakly dependent on atmospheric conditions, LUT works directly with the TOA
radiances that are strongly affected by atmospheric parameters. As ash characteristics, the Volz (1973) ash optical
properties were used as RTM inputs both for LUT and VPR. Only for LUT, the sea surface temperature was computed
from the inversion of the radiative transfer equation, considering a spectral emissivity estimated from the convolution
between the JPL seawater TIR emissivity (http://speclib.jpl.nasa.gov/) and the SEVIRI response functions. The
influence of ash on the SEVIRI 8.7 m band, during SO2 retrieval, was corrected following the procedure described by
(Corradini et al. 2009).

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

3.1 VPR-LUT comparison: test case 12 August 2011

NU

SC
R

IP

The comparison of the results of the LUT- and VPR-based procedures presented here mainly concerns the trends for the
total mass of the SO2 and ash particles. Only the plume region containing ash particles and SO 2 was considered because
the VPR procedure is not yet capable of analyzing plumes with water/ice droplets. On October 23 the entire volcanic
cloud was analyzed, while on August 12 ash particles were present only in about 50 % of the volcanic cloud and the
remaining part of the plume was excluded from the comparison.
As mentioned above the ash mass is retrieved using the Wen and Rose (1994) simplified formula, which is based on the
mean AOD550 and effective radius of the particles of the analyzed pixel. The retrieved effective radii enable
classification of the plume particles into fine and coarse particles. All particles with an effective radius of less than or
equal to 5 m were classed as fine particles, while the radii greater than 5 m were classed as coarse particles. The
temporal trend obtained from the VPR and LUT procedures for these two classes is described below.
Finally, an initial test of the VPR procedure with flux reconstruction was carried out for August 12, in which the peak
positions of aerosols and sulfur dioxide are well detected. The instantaneous wind speed and direction were computed
from the consecutive peak positions, and then the SO2 and ash fluxes emitted from the volcanic vents were
reconstructed as functions of time.

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

On August 12, at about 7:00 UTC, the tenth Etna lava fountain episode of 2011 began (INGV 2011a). The
Strombolian explosive activity of the South-East crater increased rapidly and after about 8:30 the fountain phase was
quite intense. The lava fountain reached a height of several hundred meters above the vent, while the associated ash
column reached an altitude of about 7 km (a.s.l.) and produced a consistent fall out of ash debris under the plume, in
particular over the village of Zafferana Etnea on the eastern flank of the volcano. The lava fountain activity terminated
between 10:30 and 11:00 with residual pulses of ash emission continuing for about other 30 minutes.
The SEVIRI data shows that the volcanic plume reached the seashore at about 10:00 UTC, when the fountain activity
above the craters was at a maximum. On August 12, there is a delay of about an hour between the time of emission at
the craters and the detection of the plume over the sea.
The plume top altitude was established directly from the SEVIRI images by looking for the coldest pixels in the plume
in the band centered at 10.8 m. The brightness temperature of the coldest pixel was compared with the temperature
vertical profile measured at midday at Trapani (western tip of Sicily), which is the closest WMO upper air station
(number 16429). Images from the video-surveillance system of the Mt. Etna volcano, recorded during the eruptive event
of August 12, were analyzed to assess the highest altitude reached by the plume column during the maximum of the
paroxysmal phase. The comparison between the maximum plume top altitude evaluated from the SEVIRI data of about
7 km, and the slightly lower 6.5 km assessed by means of the INGV cameras deployed on the flanks of Etna shows
close agreement, within the associated 500 m measurement error (Scollo et al. 2014).
It is known (Prata 1989) that the BTD is generally negative in the presence of ash particles and positive in the presence
of water droplets or ice crystals. In this work, as in previous papers regarding Mt. Etna emission retrieval (Corradini et
al. 2009), a detection threshold of 0.17 K was applied. Consequently, all the pixels with a BTD 0.17 K were
considered to be mostly contaminated by ash. On the basis of this test, the first part of the volcanic emission (the part
furthest from the vents) is mainly formed by liquid water droplets (or more probably ice crystals) and SO2, while the
subsequent emission, after about 10:00 UTC, comprises mainly ash and SO 2.
This paper aims to compare the VPR and LUT retrieval of only ash and SO 2, rather than water or ice and SO2, so only
the part of the plume with ash and SO2 was analyzed. For example, Fig. 2a shows the BTD for the image recorded at
11:12 and Fig. 2b shows the corresponding plume mask chosen for the ash and SO 2 retrievals. In Fig. 2a the volcanic
cloud is clearly identifiable: BTD negative values (black plume) identify mainly ash, while positive values (white
plume) identify mainly water/ice droplets. It is important to note that this decision results in Mt. Etnas SO 2 emissions
being significantly underestimated, and the values presented here should not be considered as the total SO 2 emission for
the August, 12 event.
The VPR procedure is designed for rapid use during early volcanic crises, when only remotely sensed images and a few
other data are available, and a quick quantitative assessment of the presence of ash in a volcanic cloud can offer
improved aviation security. However, future developments of the VPR will include assessment of the mass of liquid
water/ice droplets with or without sulfur dioxide.

NU

SC
R

IP

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

MA

(a)
(b)
Fig. 2 BTD computed from the 12 August 2011 SEVIRI image, recorded at 11:12 UTC (a); ash and SO2 volcanic plume
mask (b).

AC

CE
P

TE

Fig. 3 (top image) shows a comparison of the SO 2 and ash total mass, this being the accumulated mass of SO 2/ash over
all the pixels in a map, computed using the LUT and VPR procedures. Retrieval was achieved by analyzing 19 images
collected by the SEVIRI radiometer aboard the MSG-2 satellite, from 10:12 UTC to 14:42 UTC on August 12 2011.
The agreement between the two procedures is quite clear, even though for both SO 2 and ash the total mass curve
computed with the VPR is a little lower than the LUT plot.

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Fig. 3 SO2 and ash total mass trends (top) and percentage of presence in the volcanic cloud of the two classes of
particles (fine with
and coarse with
) considered (bottom) computed using the LUT and
VPR procedures. The label Image time refers to the image acquisition time.
Initially the mass trend shows an emission of about 1200 tons of ash and about 1600 tons of SO 2 in one hour, which
means more than 300 kg of ash and more than 400 kg of SO 2 per second. The maximum of the peak is at about 11:30;
this was the end of the event but because of the aforementioned delay relative to emission time, the end of the event

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

IP

happened at least 30-60 minutes before, as indicated in the INGV bulletin (INGV 2011a). In less than three hours both
the plumes of ash and SO2 had disappeared, or at least the SEVIRI radiometer was no longer able to detect their
presence over the sea. The fall out and/or dispersion was very fast.
Fig. 3 (bottom image) shows the trends of the percentage of presence in the volcanic cloud of the two classes of
particles considered: fine (
) and coarse (
). There is an obvious rapid decay through
time of the coarse particles and a corresponding increase in fine particles. The VPR-LUT comparison reveals a
reasonably close agreement.

SC
R

3.2 VPR-LUT comparison: test case 23 October 2011

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

The seventeenth lava fountain episode of 2011 took place on the 23 October. (INGV 2011b). The explosive activity
started at 17:13 from the so-called new cone on the eastern flank of the South-East crater of Mt. Etna. It continued
and increased in intensity till 18:26 when a new eruptive vent (18:36) open on the flank of the cone giving added
strength to the lava fountains. The fountains reached 300 m above the crater after 19:00 UTC. After 20:30 both the
effusive and explosive activity reduced drastically. At 21:00 there was some Strombolian activity that completely
disappeared after 21:15.
SEVIRI only detected the first track of the volcanic cloud over the sea starting from 19:00 UTC when the fountain
activity at the crater was at its maximum, due to the known delay between time of emission from the crater and image
time. In the SEVIRI-TIR images the plume is clearly visible until midnight.

(a)
(b)
Fig. 4 BTD computed from the 23 October 2011 SEVIRI image recorded at 21:27 UTC (a); ash and SO2 volcanic
plume mask (b).
A plume top altitude of 6 km a.s.l. was estimated using the coldest pixel technique, but no comparison with a groundbased camera estimation was possible because the event occurred during the night. On the basis of the BTD test, the
plume was mainly composed of ash particles and SO2 therefore the whole plume was analyzed with the LUT and VPR.
For example, Fig. 4a shows the BTD for the image taken at 21:27 UTC and Fig. 4b shows the plume mask chosen for
the ash and SO2 plume.
Fig. 5 (top image) shows a comparison of ash and SO 2 total mass computed with LUT and VPR for the event of 23
October 2011. Retrieval was achieved by analyzing 20 images collected by the SEVIRI radiometer aboard the MSG2
satellite, from 19:12 UTC to 23:57 UTC on October 23 2011. As previously noted, SEVIRI detected the volcanic cloud
over the sea only after 19:00 UTC (image time), while the maximum cumulative mass of both SO2 and ash was reached
around 21:00-21:15 UTC (image time). From the end of the volcanic emissions (the maximum cumulative mass) until
the last image considered on 23 October 23:57 UTC, no mass variations of either ash or SO 2 were measured over about
three hours.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

The LUT and VPR trends were similar but clearly the VPR ash mass was systematically lower than the LUT ash mass.
Less obvious but equally clear is the effect on the SO2 mass trends. In this case the SEVIRI images appear noisy in the
area of sea around the volcanic cloud. This effect is mainly due to numerous thin and almost transparent meteorological
clouds affecting the whole area. In order to avoid the problem of clouds, the LUT procedure uses a cloud mask
algorithm to retrieve the sea surface temperature in a region surrounding the plume. Therefore, if some small
meteorological clouds are also present below the plume the LUT procedure interprets their effect as ash. Conversely,
since the VPR does not use a cloud mask algorithm, the presence of meteorological clouds near the plume also affects
the
radiance retrieval, used in Eq. (1). The different behavior of the two procedures in relation to meteorological
clouds is thought to be the explanation why VPR retrieval is lower than LUT retrieval.
Fig. 5 (bottom image) shows the percentage trends of the two particle classes considered in the volcanic cloud. The
decreasing trend through time of the coarse particles appears slower than that of the 12 August episode (Fig. 3), and the
VPR-LUT percentage comparison also exhibits a greater divergence.

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Fig. 5 SO2 and ash total mass trends (top) and percentage of presence in the volcanic cloud of the two classes of
particles (fine with
and coarse with
) considered (bottom) computed using the LUT and
VPR procedures. The label Image time refers to the image acquisition time.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
3.3 Wind velocity and direction retrieval: 12 August 2011 test case

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

This section presents and discusses the results of the determination of short-term variations in wind speed and
direction, obtained from the VPR maps of SO2 and ash. In section 3.1, with reference to the 12 August test case and
aiming to compare the VPR and LUT results, the SO2 and ash mass retrieved by the two procedures were analyzed only
for the part of the volcanic cloud containing only ash and SO 2. Here instead the whole volcanic cloud is considered,
including all the pixels with SO2, ash particles, and ice crystals (evaluated as ash), because this procedure aims first to
clearly detect the mass distribution peak position (for wind speed determination) rather than the mass values
themselves.
The SEVIRI image is geolocated, and so each pixel position has specific latitude and longitude coordinates. The
evaluation of wind speed and direction at the plume altitude is conducted simply by determining the position of the
gravity centers of the aerosol particle peaks (ash/ice) and of the sulfur dioxide emitted from the volcano, as described in
section 2.4. The retrieved wind speeds and directions obtained from the SO 2 and aerosol maps may differ if the two
plumes are not collocated.
Fig. 6 (top image) shows the evolution of the distance of the gravity centers of the SO 2 and ash/ice peaks from the Mt.
Etna craters computed using the SEVIRI images recorded from 9:42 to 16:57 on August 12. The positions of the two
peaks practically coincide, therefore, in Fig. 6 only their average wind speed and direction is shown.
The instantaneous wind speed shown in Fig. 6 (middle image) exhibits a minor trend. The wind speed increased from
about 10 to about 13 m s-1 from 10:00 to 12:00, it was almost constant from 12:00 to 14:30, but again increased to about
14 m s-1 from 14:30 to 17:00. The Trapani WMO upper air station measured a similar wind speed trend at plume
altitude (dashed line). The wind direction was also not perfectly constant. It was approximately constant at about 305
degrees from North until about 15:00, then slightly increased to 315 degrees at 17:00. The wind direction at Trapani
(dashed line) was about 270 degrees at midnight (11 August), 310 degrees at midday, and 330 degrees at midnight (12
August).

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Fig. 6 Evolution of the distance of the gravity center of the SO 2 and ash/ice peaks (top). Mean wind speed (middle) and
direction (bottom) obtained from the procedure. The dashed lines represent the values from the Trapani upper-air
sounding station.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
3.4 SO2 and Ash Flux Reconstruction: 12 August 2011 12:00-13:00

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

This final section describes the results of flux reconstruction obtained using the wind velocity obtained as described
in section 3.3. The flux derived from four consecutive images taken at 12:12, 12:27, 12:42 and 12:57 UTC on August
12 is considered as an example. During this time interval, the fluxes reconstructed at the source craters from the ash and
sulfur dioxide maps must be very similar because the eruption event had already finished. To smooth small random
fluctuations, each curve shown in Fig. 7 is the average of the four fluxes reconstructed from the four images considered.
Four curves are shown in Fig. 7, two of which are related to SO 2 flux and the others to aerosol (ash/ice) flux. The first
two (marked with dashed lines) are the fluxes reconstructed considering the complete volcanic cloud: SO2, ash particles,
and ice crystals (evaluated as ash). These curves are therefore only of qualitative interest. In particular, they show that
maximum activity and emissions occurred between 9:15 and 9:30, and that SO2 emission finished at about 10:45 while
ash/ice emission continued for another 30 minutes. In this case the time is not image time, as in Fig. 3 and Fig. 5, but
instead is the plume age shown in Eq. (9), this being the real time related to the emission of SO2 or ash from the vent
during the eruption.
The two solid curves show the flux reconstructions obtained from the maps computed using the reduced volcanic cloud
(containing only ash and SO2, obtained with the BTD test) and used to compute the total mass trends shown in Fig. 3
(top image). This part of the cloud was the last emitted from the volcano and can thus reconstruct only the last part of
the emission. Clearly, in the section describing the final part of the volcanic emission, the sulfur dioxide curves (circles)
tend to follow the same curve, which is also true for ash (triangles).

Fig. 7 Mean SO2 (circles) and ash (triangles) fluxes from 12:12 to 12:57 UTC on August 12. The dashed lines were
obtained from the whole plume; the solid lines were obtained from the reduced plume mask (only ash, no ice particles).

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
4 Conclusions

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

The VPR procedure formerly developed for the MODIS sensor was successfully applied to the MSG-SEVIRI
multispectral radiometer. All the parameters required by the VPR procedure to retrieve abundances in any Mt. Etna
volcanic cloud containing ash and SO2 were computed and presented here for all the currently available SEVIRI
sensors, namely MSG-1, MSG-2, and MSG-3. By following the scheme adopted for the MODIS sensor, the SEVIRI
VPR ash and SO2 retrievals has been compared with the well established LUT approach. The results show good
agreement.
A method for reconstruction of the flux time series at the source of the volcanic emission, based on a SEVIRI image
sequence of an eruption event, was presented and applied to the VPR results. In principle, this method is also applicable
to the ash and SO2 mass maps retrieved by other retrieval schemes, such as those based on the LUTs: starting from the
sulfur dioxide and ash maps, the SO2 and ash fluxes at the volcano vents can be reconstructed using the wind speed at
plume altitude. If the wind speed is not known, it can be computed directly from the ash and SO2 mass maps computed
from a sequence of SEVIRI images. The velocity retrieved by this procedure is inherently the speed of the wind
blowing on the volcanic plume at its specific altitude and time, and it is thus much more reliable than the wind speed
measured by an upper air station, which is recorded twice a day up to hundreds of kilometers away from the plume
region.
Therefore, in principle three input data are required for the complete VPR procedure (ash and SO 2 mass map retrieval
plus flux reconstructions), all assumed to be constant for the whole plume: altitude, temperature, and velocity. However,
plume velocity can be obtained from the sequence of computed maps, and plume temperature can be estimated from the
images using the coldest pixel method. Therefore, plume altitude is the only real unknown data that requires
independent assessment.
The VPR procedure based on MSG SEVIRI data is extremely fast, and thus suitable for operational use during volcanic
crises to quickly provide quantitative estimations of the ash and sulfur dioxide contents of volcanic clouds. Ash particle
classification based on VPR retrieval gives additional information on the evolution of an ash cloud burden in relation to
particle size.
The ash and SO2 fluxes of emitted mass reconstructed at source can give valuable insight into the dynamics of volcanic
events and extend the information available in a multiparametric approach. The reconstructed fluxes, together with the
plume speed and direction established from the retrievals, can be used as improved inputs for transport and deposition
models and so provide more reliable forecasting of volcanic ash cloud development.

AC

Acknowledgments
This work was partially funded by the EC-FP7 APhoRISM project (Research, Technological Development and
Demonstration Activities, grant agreement n. 606738).
The authors would like to thank Gavin Taylor for carefully reading the original manuscript and for providing language
corrections.

References
Aiuppa A, Moretti R, Federico C, Giudice G, Gurrieri S, Liuzzo M, Papale P, Shinohara H, Valenza M (2007)
Forecasting Etna eruptions by real-time observation of volcanic gas composition. Geology, 35(12): 11151118.
Berk A, Bernstein LS, Robertson DC (1989) MODTRAN: A Moderate Resolution Model for LOWTRAN 7. Rep. GLTR-89-0122, Air Force Geophys. Lab., Bedford, MA.
Boichu M, Menut L, Khvorostyanov D, Clarisse L, Clerbaux C, Turquety S, Coheur PF (2013) Inverting for volcanic
SO2 flux at high temporal resolution using spaceborne plume imagery and chemistry-transport modelling: the 2010
Eyjafjallajkull eruption case study. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13(17): 85698584.
Bourassa AE, Robock A, Randel WJ, Deshler T, Rieger LA, Lloyd ND, Llewellyn EJ, Degenstein DA (2012) Large
Volcanic Aerosol Load in the Stratosphere Linked to Asian Monsoon Transport. Science, 337(6090): 7881.
Casadevall TJ (1994) The 1989-1990 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska: impacts on aircraft operations. Journal of
Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 62(14): 301316.
Corradini S, Spinetti C, Carboni E, Tirelli C, Buongiorno MF, Pugnaghi S, Gangale G (2008) Mt. Etna tropospheric ash
retrieval and sensitivity analysis using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer measurements. J. Appl.
Remote Sens., 2, 023550, doi:10.1117/1.3046674.
Corradini S, Merucci L, Prata AJ (2009) Retrieval of SO2 from thermal infrared satellite measurements: correction
procedures for the effects of volcanic ash. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 2(1): 177191.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP

Delmelle P, Stix J, Baxter P, Garcia-Alvarez J, Barquero J (2002) Atmospheric dispersion, environmental effects and
potential health hazard associated with the low-altitude gas plume of Masaya volcano, Nicaragua. Bull. Volcanol.,
64(6): 423434.
Duffell HJ, Oppenheimer C, Pyle DM, Galle B, McGonigle AJS, Burton MR (2003) Changes in gas composition prior
to a minor explosive eruption at Masaya volcano, Nicaragua. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research,
126(34): 327339.
Horwell CJ, Baxter PJ (2006) The respiratory health hazards of volcanic ash: a review for volcanic risk mitigation.
Bulletin of Volcanology, 69(1): 124.
Hufford G, Simpson JJ, Salinas L, Barske E, Pieri DC (2000) Operational considerations of volcanic ash for airlines.
Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 22(6): 945967.
INGV
(2011a)
INGV
weekly
bulletin
Etna
of
16th
August
2011.
33/2011,
http://www.ct.ingv.it/it/rapporti/multidisciplinari/cat_view/61-multidisciplinari.html?limitstart=0
INGV
(2011b)
INGV
weekly
bulletin
Etna
of
25th
October
2011.
43/2011,
http://www.ct.ingv.it/it/rapporti/multidisciplinari/cat_view/61-multidisciplinari.html?limitstart=0
Langmann B, Zakek K, Hort M, Duggen S (2010) Volcanic ash as fertiliser for the surface ocean. Atmos. Chem. Phys.,
10, 3891-3899, doi:10.5194/acp-10-3891-2010.
Mather TA, Pyle DM, Oppenheimer C (2003) Tropospheric volcanic aerosol. In: Robock A, Oppenheimer C (ed)
Geophysical Monograph Series, 139, American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, pp 189212.
Merucci L, Burton M, Corradini S, Salerno GG (2011) Reconstruction of SO2 flux emission chronology from spacebased measurements. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 206(34): 8087.
Miller TP, Casadevall TJ (2000) Volcanic ash hazards to aviation. Encyclopedia of volcanoes, pp 915930.
Oppenheimer C, Scaillet B, Martin RS (2011) Sulfur Degassing From Volcanoes: Source Conditions, Surveillance,
Plume Chemistry and Earth System Impacts. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, 73(1): 363421.
Picchiani M, Chini M, Corradini S, Merucci L, Sellitto P, Del Frate F, Stramondo S (2011) Volcanic ash detection and
retrievals using MODIS data by means of neural networks. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 4(12): 2619
2631.
Piscini A, Picchiani M, Chini M, Corradini S, Merucci L, Del Frate F, Stramondo S (2014) A Neural Network approach
for the simultaneous retrieval of volcanic ash parameters and SO 2 using MODIS data. Submitted to AMTD.
Prata AJ (1989) Infrared Radiative Transfer Calculations for Volcanic Ash Clouds. Geophys. Res. Lett., 16(11): 1293
1296.
Prata AJ (2009) Satellite detection of hazardous volcanic clouds and the risk to global air traffic. Nat. Hazards, 51(2):
303324.
Pugnaghi S, Teggi S, Corradini S, Buongiorno MF, Merucci L, Bogliolo MP (2002) Estimation of SO2 abundance in
the eruption plume of Mt. Etna using two MIVIS thermal infrared channels: a case study from the Sicily-1997
Campaign. Bulletin of Volcanology, 64(5): 328337.
Pugnaghi S, Guerrieri L, Corradini S, Merucci L, Arvani B (2013) A new simplified approach for simultaneous retrieval
of SO2 and ash content of tropospheric volcanic clouds: an application to the Mt Etna volcano. Atmospheric
Measurement Techniques, 6(5): 13151327.
Realmuto VJ, Abrams MJ, Buongiorno MF, Pieri DC (1994) The use of multispectral thermal infrared image data to
estimate the sulfur dioxide flux from volcanoes: A case study from Mount Etna, Sicily, July 29, 1986. J. Geophys.
Res., 99(B1): 481488.
Robock A (2000) Volcanic Eruptions and Climate. Rev. Geophys., 38(2): 191219.
Rose WI, Durant AJ (2009) Fine ash content of explosive eruptions. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research,
186(12): 3239.
Scollo S, Prestifilippo M, Pecora E, Corradini S, Merucci L, Spata G, Coltelli M (2014) Eruption Column Height
Estimation of the 2011-2013 Etna lava fountains. Annals of Geophysics, 57(2), S0214; doi:10.4401/ag-6396.
Solomon S, Daniel JS, Neely RR, Vernier JP, Dutton EG, Thomason LW (2011) The Persistently Variable
Background Stratospheric Aerosol Layer and Global Climate Change. Science, 333(6044): 866870.
Sparks RSJ, Burski MI, Carey SN, Gilbert JS, Glaze LS, Sigurdsson H, Woods AW (1997) Volcanic Plumes. John
Wiley & Sons.
Sparks RSJ (2003) Forecasting volcanic eruptions. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 210(12): 115.
Theys N, Campion R, Clarisse L, Brenot H, Van Gent J, Dils B, Corradini S, Merucci L, Coheur PF, Van Roozendael
M, Hurtmans D, Clerbaux C, Tait S, Ferrucci F (2013) Volcanic SO2 fluxes derived from satellite data: a survey
using OMI, GOME-2, IASI and MODIS. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13(12): 59455968.
Thomas HE, Watson IM (2010) Observations of volcanic emissions from space: current and future perspectives. Nat
Hazards, 54(2): 323354.
Volz FE (1973) Infrared Optical Constants of Ammonium Sulfate, Sahara Dust, Volcanic Pumice, and Flyash. Appl.
Opt., 12(3): 564568.
Wen S, Rose WI (1994) Retrieval of sizes and total masses of particles in volcanic clouds using AVHRR bands 4 and 5.
J. Geophys. Res., 99(D3): 54215431.
Yu T, Rose WI, Prata AJ (2002) Atmospheric correction for satellite-based volcanic ash mapping and retrievals using
split window IR data from GOES and AVHRR. J. Geophys. Res.,107(4311), doi:10.1029/2001JD000706.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Highlights
We present the results of VPR procedure applied for the first time to SEVIRI images

VPR is able to obtain fast retrievals of ash and SO2 abundances in volcanic clouds

Plume speed and direction are retrieved from the temporal series of ash and SO2 maps

The fluxes of the volcanic emission applied to the VPR results are presented too

Two 2011 Etna lava fountain episodes were considered as test cases

AC

CE
P

TE

MA

NU

SC
R

IP