IASPEI - Picture Gallery

IUGG XXIV General Assembly July 2-13, 2007 Perugia, Italy
(S) - IASPEI - International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's
Interior
JSS010 Oral Presentation 2071
Monitoring slow unrest of Taal Volcano (Philippines) using carbon
monoxide from MOPITT satellite
Mr. Senthilkumar Jambulingam
CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT IAVCEI
Ramesh P. Singh, J. Zlotnicki, Y. Sasai, J. Sincioco
Taal volcano (121E, 14N) is located 60 km south of Manila, Philippines. Since 1572, 33 eruptions have
occurred. The volcano is considered as one of the most devastating volcanoes in Philippines, due to the
sudden and explosive eruptions. Taal volcano shows new phases of low but noticeable activities since
the last 1976-1977 eruption. Between 1992 and 1994, seismicity was strongly found to increase and
was accompanied by ground deformations (several tens of cm) and surface fissures. After October
2004, seismicity sporadically occurs and several earthquakes are felt. Geysering phenomena was finally
observed in November 2006. The 311 m high Taal stratovolcano is located in a large pre-historical
caldera filled by a lake, and the crater of the volcano itself is filled by an acidic lake of about 1.2 km in
diameter. These hydrologic characteristics, associated with dikes injection below the volcano generate a
very powerful hydrothermal activity which partly controls the onset of eruptions. Efforts have been
made to use remote sensing technique since it will be difficult to access the area close to the volcano, in
case of eruption. Analysis of multi sensor parameters available from optical and microwave sensors
every day have been carried out. Unfortunately, up to now, these sensors have low resolution. As a
result it is difficult to monitor small changes in land surface and meteorological parameters. However,
the gases emitted from the volcano bring changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere over the volcano
and the surrounding region. The multi sensor parameters which provide information about the land,
meteorological and atmospheric parameters have been analyzed during the period 2001 to 2007. Due to
low resolution of sensors not much changes in various parameters are noticed. The MOPITT
(Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere) sensor onboard Terra satellite daytime and nighttime
vertical carbon monoxide (CO) mixing ratio data over the volcano shows significant variations in mixing
ratio from ground up to 500 hPa pressure level. The correlation of ground parameters observed near
the Taal volcano and vertical carbon monoxide mixing ratio confirms the slow increase of activity of Taal
volcano.
Keywords: volcano, carbon monoxide, mopitt satellite