Catching Geomorphological Response to Volcanic Activity on Steep Slope Volcanoes Using Multi-Platform Remote Sensing

Abstract

The geomorphological evolution of the volcanic Island of Stromboli (Italy) between July 2010 and June 2019 has been reconstructed by using multi-temporal, multi-platform remote sensing data. Digital elevation models (DEMs) from PLÉIADES-1 tri-stereo images and from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) acquisitions allowed for topographic changes estimation. Data were comprised of high-spatial-resolution (QUICKBIRD) and moderate spatial resolution (SENTINEL-2) satellite images that allowed for the mapping of areas that were affected by major lithological and morphological changes. PLÉIADES tri-stereo and LiDAR DEMs have been quantitatively and qualitatively compared and, although there are artefacts in the smaller structures (e.g., ridges and valleys), there is still a clear consistency between the two DEMs for the larger structures (as the main valleys and ridges). The period between July 2010 and May 2012 showed only minor changes consisting of volcanoclastic sedimentation and some overflows outside the crater. Otherwise, between May 2012 and May 2017, large topographic changes occurred that were related to the emplacement of the 2014 lava flow in the NE part of the Sciara del Fuoco and to the accumulation of a volcaniclastic wedge in the central part of the Sciara del Fuoco. Between 2017 and 2019, minor changes were again detected due to small accumulation next to the crater terrace and the erosion in lower Sciara del Fuoco.

Overflows and Pyroclastic Density Currents in March-April 2020 at Stromboli Volcano Detected by Remote Sensing and Seismic Monitoring Data

“…We exploited the Pléiades constellation, which is composed of two optical satellites, Pléiades 1A and 1B, respectively, launched on December 2011 and 2012, in order to retrieve areas, volumes, and thickness distribution of the recent volcanic deposits in Stromboli. These satellites provide images at 50 cm spatial resolution in stereo and tri-stereo mode [74]. The 3D processing of the Pléiades imagery was performed using the free and open source MicMac photogrammetric library (available at http://micmac.ensg.eu), in this way 1-m Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) were obtained.…”

Environmental Aftermath of the 2019 Stromboli Eruption

“…The dataset comprised also Panchromatic and Multispectral Very High Resolution (VHR) optical imagery with spatial resolution of 0.5 and 2 m, respectively (see ref. [18]). To assess the accuracy of the horizontal position in the PLÉIADES-1 images, Ground-Control Points (GCPs) were collected on the map database (Cartographic XY standard deviation: 0.15 m).…”

“…This validation was strengthened by field surveys and eyewitness accounts. Furthermore, linear (contour lines, drainage network, infrastructure, dividing elements) and polygonal (buildings) elements of ATA Regional Technical Map (edition 2012-2013) and ground morphology from PLÉIADES tri-stereo Digital Elevation Model (collected on 1 September 2018; see [18] for DEM details) have been used to define every single "patch," to scale 1:2.000. In addition to the evaluation of abundance of each class in 2018 and 2019, the percentage variation of land cover and use has been calculated to estimate the degree of loss, following recent eruptions (Appendix A).…”

The 2004–2005 Mt. Etna Compound Lava Flow Field: A Retrospective Analysis by Combining Remote and Field Methods

“…(2016) and Di Traglia et al. (2018, 2020), in this work we assumed that the matching errors between DEMs are completely correlated, thus we assigned to each pixel the maximum possible error, and we used the errors of the equation Err V,high = Aσ ∆z , where A is the area across which we measured the volume changes.…”