1,1,3- 1Instituto de Investigação em Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos da Universidade dos Açores (IVAR), Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal (sandro.b.matos@azores.gov.pt)
- 2Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universitá degli Studi di Firenze, Via G. La Pira, 4, 50121, Firenze, Italy
- 3Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
According to the Global Volcanism Program (GVP) of the Smithsonian Institution 1,281 volcanoes are currently considered potentially active, although only a small fraction is monitored in real time. For distant or inaccessible volcanoes, remote monitoring techniques are the only effective mean for continuous observation.
This study assesses the effectiveness of remote detection of explosive volcanic activity through infrasound observations between 2011 and 2020. A detection algorithm has been developed and applied to eruptions recorded in the GVP database with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) ≥ 3. The analysis has used data collected from 43 infrasound stations of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) International Monitoring System (IMS) worldwide network, with distances up to 4,500 km from the selected volcanoes.
The approach has combined event compilation, infrasound data processing and spatio-temporal correlation analysis to associate detections with explosive volcanic activity. The algorithm has been developed based on the Progressive Multi-Channel Correlation (PMCC) method, integrated with the atmospheric profile calculated at the time of each event: this has been realized by incorporating meteorological data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) models ERA-Interim and ERA5 and the Ground-to-Space (G2S) empirical model.
Validation with event reports from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) International Data Centre (IDC) has demonstrated the robustness of the method. The algorithm has successfully identified 50 of the 67 eruptions and 128 of the 186 distinct explosive events (with VEI ≥ 3) at 30 volcanoes, representing detection efficiencies of 75% and 69%, respectively.
The results highlight that the described method, joint to the IMS global infrasound network capability of provide a reliable tool for remote monitoring of explosive volcanic activities: this, enhances the global early warning potential, in particular in remote areas where local monitoring networks are not available.
How to cite: Matos, S., Campus, P., Ripepe, M., and Wallenstein, N.: Detection of Explosive Volcanic Activity through Infrasound: A Global Assessment Using the IMS Network (2011–2020), EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13766, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13766, 2026.
