Application of Bistatic TanDEM-X Interferometry to Measure Lava Flow Volume and Lava Extrusion Rates During the 2012-13 Tolbachik, Kamchatka Fissure Eruption

Abstract:

Aerial imaging methods are a well approved source for mapping lava flows during eruptions and can serve as a base to assess the eruption dynamics and to determine the affected area. However, clouds and smoke often hinder optical systems like the Earth Observation Advanced Land Imager (EO-1-ALI, operated by NASA) to map lava flows properly, which hence affects its reliability. Furthermore, the amount of lava that is extruded during an eruption cannot be determined from optical images – however, it can significantly contribute to assess the accompanying hazard and risk. One way to monitor active lava flows is to quantify the topographic changes over time while using up-to-date high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs). Whereas photogrammetric methods still fail when clouds and fume obstruct the sight, innovative radar satellite missions have the potential to generate high-resolution DEMs at any time. The innovative bistatic TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X Add-on for Digital Elevation Measurements) satellite mission enables for the first time generating high-resolution DEMs from synthetic aperture radar satellite data repeatedly with reasonable costs and high resolution. The satellite mission consists of the two nearly identical satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X that build a large synthetic aperture radar interferometer with adaptable across- and along-track baselines aiming to generate topographic information globally. In the present study, we apply the TanDEM-X data to study the lava flows that were emplaced during the 2012-13 Tolbachik, Kamchatka fissure eruption. The eruption was composed of very fluid lava flows that effused along a northeast-southwest trending fissure. We used about fifteen bistatic data pairs to generate DEMs prior to, during, and after the eruption. The differencing of the DEMs enables mapping the lava flow field at different times. This allows measuring the extruded volume and to derive the changes in lava extrusion over time.