Table of Contents

Eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland as seen by RADARSAT-2

Here are two RADARSAT-2 images of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano acquired on April 9 and 20 2010. The first image was acquired before the eruption, the second, during the event. These images will be provided to the International Charter space and major disaster to help the civil protection services to better understand the situation.

Several observations can be made on the images:

• A) New volcano craters are evident on April 20th image

• B) The glacial lake on the north slope of the volcano is now filled with volcanic sediments

• C) The local drainage network is strongly affected by the melt water,

• D) The radar backscatter has changed drastically, probably caused by the melted ice and by the presence of ash and dust on the ice,

• E) Agricultural farms on the south slope of the volcano are now covered by ash and dust.

Note: The wavelength used by RADARSAT-2 is very weakly affected by the cloud of ash and dust.

RADARSAT-2 image of April 9:
RADARSAT-2 Multi-Look Fine, beam 4
April 9, 2010, 07:34 :48 UTC, Descending orbit
Nominal resolution: 8 m.

RADARSAT-2 image of April 20:
RADARSAT-2 Extended High, beam 4
April 20, 2010, 07:13 :53 UTC, Descending orbit
Nominal resolution: 25 m.

Images before the eruption (April 9, left) and after the eruption (April 20, right)