When conducting flight tests of the new Russian spacecraft of remote sensing of the land “Arctica-M” scientists of the Holding “Russian Space Systems” (RCS, included in the state corporation “Roskosmos”) tested the possibility and confirmed the efficiency of using the satellite target equipment for operational monitoring of volcanic activity .
Integrated use of differential data of remote sensing of the Earth and technologies of their interpretation together with the data of geological and geophysical studies makes it possible to optimize the actions of emergency services to minimize the possible consequences of volcanic eruptions and distribution of ash loops, coordinate the work of environmental organizations and communities, as well as raise research in the field of Volcanology to a qualitatively new level.
Developed in the RCC satellite scanner MCS GSM conducted a multi-spectral shooting and provided the source data for analyzing the activity of two volcanoes – Etna in Italy and Fagradalsfyadl in Iceland.
The results of the remote sensing of the phagraphsfyadl volcano volcano 40 km from Reykjavik – the capital of Iceland – confirmed the ability of target equipment to conduct a multifactoric analysis of the spectral characteristics of the observation object. The data obtained allowed us to evaluate the amount of ash emissions as safe for the health of the surrounding areas. At the same time, real-time equipment fixed in the atmosphere increased emissions that continued to spread within a few hours.
The shooting data of the ethna volcanic eruption demonstrated the high temperature sensitivity of the spectral channel 3.5-4.1 μm of the target equipment to observe high-temperature radiation sources on the ground surface. During the eruption of the volcano, the satellite recorded its thermal activity. With its own spatial resolution of 4 km, the MCU-GSM scanner watched the thermal processes in the hot volcanic crater of only a few hundred meters.
Hydrometeorological spacecraft “Arctic-M” was launched on February 28, 2021, its flight tests are now passing. The satellite is designed to provide round-the-clock monitoring of the surface of the Earth and the seas of the Northern Ocean. The use of DZZ data from the Arctic-M spacecraft will contribute to the socio-economic development of the northern regions of Russia.