Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Volcanic Aerosols: Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI) Analysis During the Eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23917/saintek.v2i1.15729Keywords:
absorbing aerosol index, mount lewotobi laki-laki, remote sensing, tropomi, volcanic eruptionAbstract
In November 2024, the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Flores Island, Indonesia, resulted in the release of substantial volcanic aerosols, including sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and volcanic debris. These aerosols impacted the environment, health, and aviation activities. The objective of this investigation is to examine the temporal and spatial dynamics of volcanic aerosols by employing the Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI) in conjunction with TROPOMI satellite data (Sentinel-5P). The methodologies employed are as follows: spatial-temporal analysis with Google Earth Engine (GEE), aerosol dispersion simulation with the HYSPLIT model, and data processing with the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP). The results indicated a substantial increase in volcanic activity from November 8th to 11th, 2024, as evidenced by an ash column that reached a height of as much as 10,945 m. The distribution of aerosols was influenced by atmospheric dynamics, with high concentrations observed in the vicinity of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki and extending to the east-southeast. Although the level of volcanic activity declined in late November, aerosol concentrations were still detected in the atmosphere. This investigation offers critical insights into the distribution of volcanic aerosols during the eruption and its effects on disaster risk mitigation and air quality. It is anticipated that these discoveries will facilitate the implementation of more sustainable and effective risk management strategies for volcanic eruptions.
Downloads
References
[1] PVMBG, “VONA,” https://magma.esdm.go.id/vona?code=LWK&page=53.
[2] E. Weisz and W. P. Menzel, “Monitoring the 2021 Cumbre Vieja Volcanic Eruption Using Satellite Multisensor Data Fusion,” Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, vol. 128, no. 2, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1029/2022JD037926.
[3] R. Singh et al., “Temporal and Spatial Variations of Satellite-Based Aerosol Optical Depths, Angstrom Exponent, Single Scattering Albedo, and Ultraviolet-Aerosol Index over Five Polluted and Less-Polluted Cities of Northern India: Impact of Urbanization and Climate Change,” Aerosol Science and Engineering, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 131–149, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s41810-022-00168-z.
[4] S. Mukai, I. Sano, and M. Nakata, “Improved Algorithms for Remote Sensing-Based Aerosol Retrieval during Extreme Biomass Burning Events,” Atmosphere (Basel), vol. 12, no. 3, p. 403, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.3390/atmos12030403.
[5] F. Tang, W. Wang, F. Si, H. Zhou, Y. Luo, and Y. Qian, “Successful Derivation of Absorbing Aerosol Index from the Environmental Trace Gases Monitoring Instrument (EMI),” Remote Sens (Basel), vol. 14, no. 16, p. 4105, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.3390/rs14164105.
[6] M. Khan, S. Tariq, and Z. U. Haq, “Variations in the aerosol index and its relationship with meteorological parameters over Pakistan using remote sensing,” Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-25613-5.
[7] A. R. Reshi, S. Pichuka, and A. Tripathi, “Applications of Sentinel-5P TROPOMI Satellite Sensor: A Review,” IEEE Sens J, vol. 24, no. 13, pp. 20312–20321, Jul. 2024, doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2024.3355714.
[8] J. van Geffen et al., “Sentinel-5P TROPOMI NO2 Retrieval: Impact of Version v2.2 Improvements and Comparisons with OMI and Ground-Based Data,” Atmos Meas Tech, vol. 15, no. 7, pp. 2037–2060, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.5194/amt-15-2037-2022.
[9] K. M. Bisson et al., “Observing ocean ecosystem responses to volcanic ash,” Remote Sens Environ, vol. 296, p. 113749, Oct. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2023.113749.
[10] Z. Wu et al., “User needs for future Landsat missions,” Remote Sens Environ, vol. 231, p. 111214, Sep. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2019.111214.
[11] Y. Qiu et al., “Observational Evidence of Brown Carbon Photobleaching in Urban Atmosphere at Molecular Level,” Environ Sci Technol Lett, vol. 11, no. 10, pp. 1032–1039, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00647.
[12] R. Mota, J. M. Pacheco, A. Pimentel, and A. Gil, “Monitoring Volcanic Plumes and Clouds Using Remote Sensing: A Systematic Review,” Remote Sens (Basel), vol. 16, no. 10, p. 1789, May 2024, doi: 10.3390/rs16101789.
[13] J. C. Gómez Martín et al., “On the application of scattering matrix measurements to detection and identification of major types of airborne aerosol particles: Volcanic ash, desert dust and pollen,” J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf, vol. 271, p. 107761, Sep. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2021.107761.
[14] N. K. Maurya, P. C. Pandey, S. Sarkar, R. Kumar, and P. K. Srivastava, “Spatio-Temporal Monitoring of Atmospheric Pollutants Using Earth Observation Sentinel 5P TROPOMI Data: Impact of Stubble Burning a Case Study,” ISPRS Int J Geoinf, vol. 11, no. 5, p. 301, May 2022, doi: 10.3390/ijgi11050301.
[15] N. Theys et al., “Global monitoring of volcanic SO2 degassing with unprecedented resolution from TROPOMI onboard Sentinel-5 Precursor,” Sci Rep, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 2643, Feb. 2019, doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39279-y.
[16] M. Burton, C. Hayer, C. Miller, and B. Christenson, “Insights into the 9 December 2019 eruption of Whakaari/White Island from analysis of TROPOMI SO 2 imagery,” Sci Adv, vol. 7, no. 25, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abg1218.
[17] B. Markus, S. Valade, M. Wöllhaf, and O. Hellwich, “Automatic retrieval of volcanic SO2 emission source from TROPOMI products,” Front Earth Sci (Lausanne), vol. 10, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.3389/feart.2022.1064171.
[18] R. Grandin, M. Boichu, T. Mathurin, and N. Pascal, “Automatic Estimation of Daily Volcanic Sulfur Dioxide Gas Flux From TROPOMI Satellite Observations: Application to Etna and Piton de la Fournaise,” J Geophys Res Solid Earth, vol. 129, no. 6, Jun. 2024, doi: 10.1029/2024JB029309.
[19] K. McKee et al., “Evaluating the state-of-the-art in remote volcanic eruption characterization Part II: Ulawun volcano, Papua New Guinea,” Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, vol. 420, p. 107381, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2021.107381.
[20] F. Beckett, E. Rossi, B. Devenish, C. Witham, and C. Bonadonna, “Modelling the size distribution of aggregated volcanic ash and implications for operational atmospheric dispersion modelling,” Atmos Chem Phys, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 3409–3431, Mar. 2022, doi: 10.5194/acp-22-3409-2022.
[21] T. J. Aubry et al., “Impact of climate change on volcanic processes: current understanding and future challenges,” Bull Volcanol, vol. 84, no. 6, p. 58, Jun. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s00445-022-01562-8.
[22] M. Petrelli and G. F. Zellmer, “Rates and Timescales of Magma Transfer, Storage, Emplacement, and Eruption,” in Geophysical Monograph Series, 2020, pp. 1–41. doi: 10.1002/9781119521143.ch1.
[23] L. Caricchi, M. Townsend, E. Rivalta, and A. Namiki, “The build-up and triggers of volcanic eruptions,” Nat Rev Earth Environ, vol. 2, no. 7, pp. 458–476, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1038/s43017-021-00174-8.
[24] B. Scheu and D. B. Dingwell, “Magma Fragmentation,” Rev Mineral Geochem, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 767–800, May 2022, doi: 10.2138/rmg.2021.87.16.
[25] Y. Moussallam et al., “Volcanic gas emissions and degassing dynamics at Ubinas and Sabancaya volcanoes; implications for the volatile budget of the central volcanic zone,” Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, vol. 343, pp. 181–191, Sep. 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.06.027.
[26] A. Schmidt and S. Carn, “Volcanic emissions, aerosol processes, and climatic effects,” in Aerosols and Climate, Elsevier, 2022, pp. 707–746. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-819766-0.00017-1.
[27] A. de Laat, M. Vazquez-Navarro, N. Theys, and P. Stammes, “Analysis of properties of the 19 February 2018 volcanic eruption of Mount Sinabung in S5P/TROPOMI and Himawari-8 satellite data,” Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 1203–1217, May 2020, doi: 10.5194/nhess-20-1203-2020.
[28] C. Cimarelli and K. Genareau, “A review of volcanic electrification of the atmosphere and volcanic lightning,” Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, vol. 422, p. 107449, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2021.107449.
[29] G. Stenchikov et al., “How Does a Pinatubo‐Size Volcanic Cloud Reach the Middle Stratosphere?,” Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, vol. 126, no. 10, May 2021, doi: 10.1029/2020JD033829.
[30] J. Eliasson, “New model for dispersion of volcanic ash and dust in the troposphere.,” International Journal of Geosciences, vol. 11, no. 08, pp. 544–561, 2020, doi: 10.4236/ijg.2020.118029.
[31] N. H. Hamzeh, S. Karami, D. G. Kaskaoutis, I. Tegen, M. Moradi, and C. Opp, “Atmospheric Dynamics and Numerical Simulations of Six Frontal Dust Storms in the Middle East Region,” Atmosphere (Basel), vol. 12, no. 1, p. 125, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.3390/atmos12010125.
[32] A. Cofano, F. Cigna, L. Santamaria Amato, M. Siciliani de Cumis, and D. Tapete, “Exploiting Sentinel-5P TROPOMI and Ground Sensor Data for the Detection of Volcanic SO2 Plumes and Activity in 2018–2021 at Stromboli, Italy,” Sensors, vol. 21, no. 21, p. 6991, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.3390/s21216991.
[33] V. Trees, P. Wang, and P. Stammes, “Restoring the top-of-atmosphere reflectance during solar eclipses: a proof of concept with the UV absorbing aerosol index measured by TROPOMI,” Atmos Chem Phys, vol. 21, no. 11, pp. 8593–8614, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.5194/acp-21-8593-2021.
Downloads
Submitted
Accepted
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Azmi Khusnani, Adi Jufriansah, Dedi Suwandi Wahab, Fazaki Ramadhani Anwar Samana, Sitti Arafah Bahruddin, Zaina Anwar, Wingki Nursilawati, Anggun Syafira Arifin

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.





