NASA scientists believe it may be possible to predict when a volcano will erupt by using satellites to track changes in the color of surrounding trees.
NASA scientists believe it may be possible to predict when a volcano will erupt by using satellites to track changes in the color of surrounding trees.
Before volcanoes erupt, they begin seeping carbon dioxide, a cue that people living nearby should evacuate. When, in December 2017, carbon dioxide levels began to rise around the Mayon volcano in the Philippines, officials alerted the public. More than 56,000 people evacuated, and after the volcano blew in January, not a single life was lost.
The challenge is that many volcanoes are so remote that it is costly, challenging, and potentially dangerous to set up monitoring equipment on site, and the volume of carbon dioxide seeping from volcanoes is too small to be detectable by satellites. However, scientists have found that even small amounts of carbon dioxide can affect the growth of nearby trees, causing their foliage to become greener and more lush, and that these changes are visible from space.
Read more at Yale Environment 360
Photo Credit: fe31lopz via Pixabay
