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GOME-2 Volcanic SO2 Alerts
Product Information
This volcanic SO2 alert service is produced as part of the ESRIN funded project SAVAA (Support to Aviation for Volcanic Ash Avoidance ). It is based on GOME-2 lv1 data provided by EUMETSAT which are analysed at the University of Bremen using an iterative DOAS SO2 retrieval. The resulting SO2 columns are scanned for clusters of high values which then raise alerts. The number of alerts raised within a 5° x 5° box is indicated by the colour on the alerts map. In spite of filtering the results, some false alarms cannot be avoided in the current product, in particular at high latitudes.
For technical reasons, GOME-2 data are currently only analysed once per day providing an update at around 08:00 UT of the following day. At this point, often one orbit over the Pacific is still missing which will then only be processed the next morning. We hope to be able to accelerate processing in the future. As the MetOp-A satellite is in a sun-synchronous orbit, the GOME-2 observations in mid-latitudes are always around the same local time of about 09:30LT.
A detailed description of the algorithms used can be found in the SAVAA GOME-2 SO2 ATBD.
More on SO2 retrievals from GOME-2 can also be found here:
- Quantifying volcanic SO2 emissions using GOME-2 measurements, A. Richter et al., EGU – General Assembly 2009, Vienna, Austria, 20th to 24th April 2009
- Observations of volcanic SO2 using GOME-2 measurements, A. Richter et al., DPG Spring meeting, Hamburg, Germany, March 2009
Disclaimer
All data and images on this web site are property of the Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Germany. Any use of these data must acknowledge the source. If you intend to use information from this page in a publication, please contact us for an updated version.
The data shown here are near real time products and are generated automatically without human checks. If you are interested in consolidated data, please send an email to Andreas Richter.
As this is an experimental scientific product, no guarantee is given on availability of the service, accurateness or completeness of the alerts raised or any other aspect of the product. In particular one should not assume that the absence of SO2 in the GOME-2 product implies the absence of volcanic ash as this is not always the case.
Contact
If you have any suggestions or questions, please contact Andreas Richter.