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EarthCARE data helped Australian forecasters check the height of an ash plume from Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano, according to the European Space Agency.
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The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, operated by Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, added data from EarthCARE’s atmospheric lidar to its satellite-monitoring tools after Anak Krakatau began erupting on 4 September. Andy Prata of the bureau said the data helped forecasters verify the height of an upper-level plume moving west at about 15 km. [1]
An image described by the European Space Agency combines a 5 September view from Copernicus Sentinel-3 with measurements from EarthCARE. It shows layers identified as sulphate and fine ash, alongside a feature thought to be coarse ash. One area remains obscured: a thick sulphate layer blocks the lidar beam, while EarthCARE’s radar cannot detect fine ash there. [1]
A radar-detected feature may be larger ash particles settling out of the plume. Researchers say confirming what it contains could improve understanding of how far such particles travel. [1]
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