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Saturday, August 23, 2008

Cool Geo-Pic: Sulfur Dioxide from Okmok Volcano



Sulfur Dioxide from Okmok Volcano
Click here to view full image (2533 kb)


"Cut & Paste" Highlights:
On July 12, 2008, Okmok Volcano, in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands erupted, releasing a plume of ash and steam. Besides emissions visible to human eyes, Okmok also released sulfur dioxide, a gas our eyes cannot see, but which can affect both human health and climate.


The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite measured the sulfur dioxide from Okmok Volcano from July 12-20, 2008. This image shows the estimated sulfur dioxide at altitudes around 16 kilometers (10 miles) released by the volcano over that time span, with red indicating the highest levels, and pale pink indicating the lowest. The sulfur dioxide was most intense southeast of the volcano, but lower levels spread both to the south and east, forming a large L shape, and spreading over parts of the continental United States and Canada...."
Full Article:
Credits:
Image courtesy Fred Prata, NILU. Caption by Michon Scott and Rebecca Lindsey.

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