Identify Volcanic Activity by Trees? A New Study Shows Amazing Early Eruption Signs

According to the research, tracking plant health with satellite imagery may revolutionise efforts to reduce the risk of volcanic eruptions.

Visualise verdant woods that pulse like live barometric instruments, giving away the impending pyrotechnic violence below. This is a novel finding that has the potential to completely change the way volcanoes are monitored, not a dream. Because plants are sensitive to changes in volcanic gases, scientists have discovered that plants can serve as early warning signs of volcanic eruptions.

This "greener" signal is more visible in satellite photos and could provide years' notice compared to conventional approaches that are hindered by gas diffusion and remote sites.

US scientists under the direction of Robert Bogue of McGill University examined Yellowstone National Park by examining decades' worth of satellite images acquired between 1984 and 2022. They saw an odd pattern: greener flora before volcanic activity, then browning as explosions approached. They clarify that this is how carbon dioxide is like Jekyll and Hyde: it first fertilises plants,

The outcomes of this innovative study, which appeared in The field of geochemistry, Geophysics, and Geosystems, suggest that using satellite photos to monitor plant health could help predict eruptions years in advance.

For densely forested volcanoes like Mount Etna in Italy and The Taal Volcano in the Philippines, this plant-based early warning system has potential. It's possible that scientists will one day be able to get a vital advantage against the underground firepower by keeping an eye out for their green murmurs.

While the study focused on Yellowstone, researchers believe the approach could apply to other volcanoes with comparable characteristics. To improve and adapt the method for other volcanic terrains, more research is needed.

The ability to forecast eruptions several years in advance is crucial for the communities that surround these geological occurrences. Alerts sent out on time can improve evacuation plans, prevent property losses, and save lives.