Prime Highlights :
The space agency is employing satellite observations to monitor tropical tree reactions to subsurface volcanic activity, enabling eruptions to be forecast.
Vegetation alteration, in particular enhanced greening due to CO₂ exposure, is being researched as early signs.
Key Facts :
Volcanic CO₂ fertilizes the surrounding trees, and these evidence heightened growth and greenness.
In contrast to sulfur dioxide, CO₂ is difficult to identify directly in the air, so plant vigor serves as a useful surrogate.
Main Background :
NASA researchers, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, are developing a new technique to predict volcanic eruptions by tracking the well-being of tropical trees. The method hinges on recent findings that volcanic carbon dioxide emissions fertilize forests close to the volcanoes, which in turn show an increased greenness and vitality of the trees—properties which can be sensed from space through high-resolution satellite imaging.
Volcanoes emit a combination of gases, among them carbon dioxide, as magma ascends to the surface. As compared to sulfur dioxide, which is easily identified using conventional satellite sensors, carbon dioxide dissolves more subtly into the air. Thus, detection is not straightforward. Trees in tropical regions, however, are extremely responsive to variations in CO₂ levels. Under exposure to high CO₂ from subsurface volcanic activity, trees usually exhibit increased photosynthesis and rapid growth, which translates to denser, greener canopies.
NASA’s Earth Science Division has leveraged this biological signal to create an early-warning device. It is now possible for scientists to remotely detect changes in vegetation in volcanic areas by examining imagery from satellites like Landsat and ECOSTRESS (Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station). When greening spikes are identified around well-documented volcanoes—frequently without season-related causes—it can be a sign of forthcoming activity.
This methodology is being incorporated into wider volcano monitoring networks to improve prediction accuracy, particularly in remote regions where ground sensors are sparsely distributed or lacking. It is an indication of a trend toward ecosystem monitoring, with biology and geology coming together to protect communities on the flanks of active volcanoes. This technique is not only non-destructive but also economical, providing a viable addition to conventional geophysical instruments.
