Monitoring Tree Leaves From Space Could Help Predict Volcanic Eruptions

Forecasting volcanic eruptions is difficult, but not impossible. By keeping an eye on features such as ground deformation, changes in gas emissions, and ground tremors, volcanologists can sometimes make successful predictions, which save countless lives. NASA and the Smithsonian Institution are now teaming up to monitor another volcanic harbinger, but from space: leaves. Scientists already knew that tree leaves can change color when a nearby volcano becomes more active, but this collaboration aims to observe the mechanism using satellite imagery. Given that there’s no way to avoid volcanic eruptions, early warning systems are the only way to keep the public safe. “Volcano early warning systems exist,” Florian Schwandner, a volcanologist and chief of the Earth Science Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center, said in a NASA statement announcing the collaboration. “The aim here is to make them better and make them earlier.” As magma rises toward the surface of the Earth before an erupt ... Read full article.