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Mt. Sinabung Spews Ash, Sulfur Dioxide

March 2, 2021
Image of a volcano from a satellite

Throughout the morning and afternoon of March 2, 2021, Japan’s Himawari-8 satellite saw a series of eruptions from Mt. Sinabung, in Sumatra, Indonesia. The VOLcanic Cloud Analysis Toolkit (VOLCAT) an artificial intelligence application developed by NOAA in partnership with the University of Wisconsin‐ Madison, estimated that the volcano shot ash and sulfur dioxide several miles into the air. Located in the famous “ Pacific Ring of Fire ”, Mt. Sinabung last erupted in Aug. 2020.

In the Natural Fire Color imagery above, three channels on Himawari-8’s Advanced Baseline Imager are able to visualize volcanic eruptions by detecting the volcano’s plumes and hot spots. The Ash product, on the other hand, detects ash and sulfur dioxide (SO2) stand out from the ground below as it wafts through the air. In the image below, the ash and SO2 can be seen blowing northwestward from the volcano by the prevailing winds.

RGB Image of a volcano
The Ash RGB product, Himawari-8, March 2, 2021

 

The Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia (BMKG) issued a warning for residents, stating: “[T]he eruption coincides with the occurrence of hot clouds, with the danger of heavy ash rain around the summit and slopes of Mt. Sinabung. Ash material can be carried further from the summit, depending on the direction and speed of the wind.” Residents and visitors within three miles of the volcano were advised by authorities to refrain from regular activities, as winds pushed the ash clouds over the island and brought the threat of ash rain.

The Himawari-8 satellite is the first unit of the Japan Meteorological Agency's (JMA) third-generation of geostationary satellites, and provides visible light and infrared images of the Asia-Pacific region. Himawari's data are vital for global geostationary coverage, which is why NOAA and JMA have agreed to mutual back-up arrangements for their geostationary systems.