Abstract
The TanDEM-X satellite mission has revolutionized DEM generation from spaceborne synthetic aperture radar. In addition to the primary objective of generating a consistent digital elevation model with global coverage and unprecedented accuracy, the mission has acquired time series of topographic data over several volcanoes, providing an excellent opportunity to test the use of this innovative dataset for volcano monitoring and research. In this article, we review the utilization of the single-pass TanDEM-X data for studying various kinds of volcanic activity, such as basaltic lava flows, the formation and destruction of lava domes and related pyroclastic density currents, and subsurface magma withdrawal and intrusion. We then consider the uses of these data for hazard assessment and forecasting. Our goal is to highlight the importance of timely and repeated topographic information in volcanology, and to suggest the development of future spaceborne bistatic synthetic aperture radar satellite missions, such as ESA's Earth Explorer 10 candidate mission, “Harmony.”
Highlights
T OPOGRAHY is among the most fundamental datasets in volcanology, with applications to mapping deposits and assessing hazards
We summarize studies where TanDEM-X data were combined with other data, such as digital elevation models (DEMs) generated from structure from motion (SfM), repeat-pass InSAR, or the Pléiades satellite mission, to estimate topographic change
The volume estimated by [100] using DEMs from terrestrial light detection and ranging (LiDAR), SfM, and photogrammetry (i.e., 44 ± 5 × 106 m3) agrees with the TanDEM-X/Pléiades estimates, and those inferred from SO2 measurements [101] (46–55 × 106 m3)
Summary
T OPOGRAHY is among the most fundamental datasets in volcanology, with applications to mapping deposits and assessing hazards. The DEMs and derived information, generated from oblique terrestrial and aerial imagery, were one of the most widely used datasets during the eruption [3]–[7], demonstrating the importance of topographic information for hazard assessment and risk reduction These data were vital to creation of physicochemical models of the Mount St. Helens magma system that helped to constrain magma reservoir volume, recharge status, and volatile content [8], [9]. The first spaceborne attempt to generate short-temporalbaseline interferograms took place in 1994 with the SIR-C/XSAR mission (Shuttle Imaging Radar with Payload C/X-SAR) Another attempt was made a few years later during the ERS-1/2 (European Remote Sensing Satellite 1/2) tandem phase. We close by advocating for the development of future SAR satellite missions capable of acquiring time-series topographic data, such as ESA’s Earth Explorer 10 mission proposal “Harmony,” which was submitted as Stereo Thermo-Optically Enhanced Radar for Earth, Ocean, Ice, and land Dynamics (STEREOID) by the scientific community [25], [26]
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