Analysis on the water vapor anomaly before Wenchuan earthquake based on MODIS data

Abstract

Remote sensing data have been used to analyze the changes in column water vapor in response to the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake, occurred in China on May 12, 2008. Anomalous changes in water vapor content have been found over the epicentral and surrounding regions 11 days before the earthquake. The sudden increase in water vapor content in the atmosphere before the earthquake may be attributed to the increase in evaporation due to increase in land surface temperature. The brightness temperature of land surface around the epicenter is found to increase one day before the increase in the water vapor content.