Volcanic Ash Plumes from Space

On April 14, 2010 after a very small volcanic eruption a month earlier, Iceland's Mount Eyjafjallajökull exploded shooting more than 250 million cubic meters of earth into the atmosphere. Molten earth and ash were blown upwards with enough energy for them to reach an altitude of 9 kilometers (about 30,000 feet or a little more than 5.5 miles). The April eruption was categorized 4 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, at least 10,000 times more materials sent 10-100 times higher than the small eruption on March 20. The volcano's latitude and wind conditions may have contributed to the formation of a cloud of abrasive glass-rich ash by erupting lava cooling faster than usual. Smaller eruptions continued through the month of May. In this activity, using images of remotely sensed satellite aerosol optical thickness data, learners will detect the position of the ash plumes from the volcano's eruptions and compare them to wind conditions. They will be able to monitor and report the movement of the ash plumes relative to population centers and air traffic in order to decide the safest way to respond to the eruption.

Next Generation Science Standards addressed in this lesson:
    HS-PS4-5A     HS-PS4-5C     HS-LS2-6     HS-ESS2-4A     HS-ESS2-4D     HS-ESS3-1