First results from operational volcano monitoring in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Indra Espacio and the Spanish Volcanic Research Network have started a project for operational volcano monitoring demonstration in the Canary Islands in the frame of an ESA contract using ERS interferometry. The new service shall complement the information derived from field deployed instrumentation in the archipelago and shall be used for decision making in volcanic risk linked to the Civil Protection Authorities. The preliminary results from the service, those obtained from the processing of a selection from the ERS historical archive of the last decade, have unveiled unknown displacements out of the areas traditionally being monitored by field instrumentation. These results have conditioned the development of new surveying campaigns and are revolutionising the way the volcano monitoring is being performed in the archipelago and of course shall pave the way for the achievement a self-sustained service beyond the ESA funding.