First satellite detection of volcanogenic carbon monoxide
Measuring and tracking the gases that vent from an erupting volcano is a project wrought with potential dangers and difficulties. On the ground measurements place researchers in harm's way, as do airborne sampling surveys. These approaches may also suffer from issues around accurately representing the spatial and temporal shifts in gas emissions rates. As such, satellite-based remote sensing techniques are becoming a favorite way to assess the dispersion and concentrations of various volcanic gases. Devising a functional remote sensing scheme, however, depends on identifying a satellite sensor that can reliably identify the chemical species in question and pick the volcanic emissions out from the background concentrations. Such efforts have so far been successful for only a few volcanic gases: sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide.