UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT (GB)
Satellite Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a powerful Earth Observation tool for the analysis of subaerial volcanic deformation – a parameter that is critical both for monitoring hazardous volcanic systems and for understanding magma storage in the shallow crust. The long duration and consistent acquisition strategy of ESA’s Sentinel-1 mission as part of the Copernicus initiative will increase the volume of SAR imagery suitable for analyzing volcanic deformation by an order of magnitude, and change the way that we: (1) use SAR imagery to monitor active volcanoes (2) understand the variety of mechanisms that can result in measurable surface deformation.
The primary outcome of my ESA Living Planet fellowship is a demonstration of the application of Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to analyzing volcanic signals (Ebmeier, 2016). This provided a novel, robust method for distinguishing between independent and causally related deformation. My synthesis of global InSAR measurements of volcano deformation (Ebmeier et al., 2018) provides insight into the lateral extent and complexity of zones of magma storage beneath volcanoes. In the extension to my fellowship research (2018-19), myself and two PhD students use SAR imagery to (1) investigate the potential for processes internal to a magma reservoir to generate deformation signals [Eoin Reddin, PhD 2018 onwards] and (2) demonstrate the capabilities of SAR backscatter for detecting eruption dynamics [Edna Dualeh, PhD 2017 onwards].
Selected Related Publications:
Ebmeier, S.K. (2016). Application of independent component analysis to multitemporal InSAR data with volcanic case studies. Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, 121, 12, 8970– 8986, doi:10.1002/2016JB013765
Ebmeier SK; Elliott JR; Nocquet JM; Biggs J; Mothes P; Jarrín P; Yépez M; Aguaiza S; Lundgren P; Samsonov SV (2016) Shallow earthquake inhibits unrest near Chiles-Cerro Negro volcanoes, Ecuador-Colombian border, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 450, pp.283-291. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.06.046
Ebmeier, S.K., Andrews, B.J., Araya, M.C., Arnold, D.W.D., Biggs, J., Cooper, C., Cottrell, E., Furtney, M., Hickey, J., Jay, J.J.J.A.V. and Lloyd, R., 2018. Synthesis of global satellite observations of magmatic and volcanic deformation: implications for volcano monitoring & the lateral extent of magmatic domains. Journal of Applied Volcanology, 7(1), p.2.