From GOES and POES to GOES-R and JPSS: Improvements in Operational Volcanic Cloud Monitoring

Airborne volcanic ash and SO2 have significant aviation, health, infrastructure, and economic impacts. As such, frequent observation of volcanic regions and prompt identification of ash and SO2 clouds are necessary to minimize risk. Geostationary (GEO) and low earth orbit (LEO) satellite data are critical for monitoring volcanic ash clouds. In this talk, it will be shown that while the current operational GOES and POES satellites are useful for detecting volcanic clouds and retrieving their macro and micro-physical properties (height, loading, and particle size), the next generation of GEO and LEO operational satellites (GOES-R and JPSS) will offer significant improvements in volcanic cloud remote sensing which will benefit Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers and volcanic cloud dispersion modeling. The April – May 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland will be used to illustrate the operational improvements in volcanic cloud monitoring that can be expected with the next generation of operational sensors.