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Quantitative thermal flux retrievals with multispectral TIR data: Bridging the scale gap.

James O. Thompson 1, Claudia Corradino2, Jean-François Smekens3, Michael S. Ramsey4, and Evan Collins4

  • Affiliations:  1Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; 2Osservatorio Etneo, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Catania, Sicily, IT; 3Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA; 4Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA 

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Tuesday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 129

  • Programme No: 3.15.34

  • Theme 3 > Session 15

Abstract

Satellite-based multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) instruments are routinely used to derive thermal anomalies and heat fluxes from volcanoes (e.g., ASTER, MODIS, and ECOSTRESS). Similar datasets are challenging to acquire from the ground at high spatial (<5 meters), spectral (>6 bands), and temporal (<1 minute) resolutions, due to constraints related to cost, deployment, and maintenance in volcanic environments. However, if viable instrument solutions are developed, higher resolution observations will be achieved, increasing the potential for the detection of subtle (<1 K and <1 meter) changes in thermal fluxes. Here we evaluate the capability of a new ground-based 12-band TIR imager (MMT-gasCam) to accurately quantify minor thermal anomalies and flux changes at Vulcano and Etna (Italy). Observations were acquired of surfaces within/around each crater for thermal flux retrievals. Subpixel surface thermal anomalies are modeled based on previously developed dual- and tri-channel methods. However, the high resolution of the MMT-gasCam data provides the opportunity to model up to seven thermal components of surfaces. The ground-based analyses are combined with long-term orbital TIR data analyses conducted using ASTER and ECOSTRESS data, to improve the overall completeness of the data record. By combining orbital TIR datasets, it is possible to gain a more complete understanding of the cyclic behavior at volcanoes and start to decipher pre-eruptive thermal changes. These data and analyses provide an opportunity to evaluate the scalability of the algorithms and interpretation for future satellite missions (e.g., LSTM, SBG, and TRISHNA), as well as viability for permanent installation by volcano observatories.