Spatial and Temporal Resolution Needs for Volcano Topographic Change Data Sets Based on Past Eruptions (1980–2019)

Abstract

Abstract Up‐to‐date topography data sets are essential for forecasting volcanic hazards and monitoring deformation. Digital elevation models are used to quantify eruption rates, used in flow modeling programs, and are necessary to accurately process interferometric synthetic aperture radar data for surface deformation. We can track topographic change at volcanoes through fieldwork, airborne instruments, and satellite data, with the last providing the greatest potential for global coverage. Despite this global coverage, we do not know the characteristics of topographic change at volcanoes over a given time interval. We define the specific acquisition needs for topography data using topographic change detected from recent eruptions. We review existing literature and compile a data set of eruptive products (121 lava flows, 99 domes and 163 pyroclastic density currents (PDCs)) from eruptions between 1980 and 2019. We find that different sensing capabilities are required for different use cases. A vertical accuracy of 1 m would detect 92% of all eruptive products including 100% of lava domes and lava flows, but only 78% of PDCs. A horizontal resolution of 13 × 13 m pixels is the minimum necessary to detect 90% of all eruptive products. Explosive eruptions (with PDC products) typically lasted less than 1 day and would need a temporal resolution of 1 day while a longer repeat interval is acceptable at effusive eruptions (lava domes and flows), which could last weeks to years. We find a lack of consistent data acquisition, with 45% of the 383 eruptive products reported not having published spatial dimensions.

Keywords

• topographic change
• volcanic hazards
• eruptive deposits
• remote sensing