Since 2011, experts from IVS FEB RAS, SRI RAS, CC FEB RAS and FE Planeta RC are operating and developing the “Remote monitoring of Volcanic Activity in Kamchatka and the Kurile Islands” (VolSatView) information sys-tem that utilize all the available satellite data, weather and video observations to ensure continues monitoring and study of volcanic activity in Kamchatka and the Kurile Islands. This paper provides the capabilities of VolSatView for real-time monitoring of volcanoes, analysis of eruptions dynamics and their products, and forecasting of eruptive activity.

On 14-18 June 2017, three volcanoes of the Kamchatka Northern volcanic group produced eight explosive eruptions: six Sheveluch (two powerful and four moderate eruptions), one continuous ash emissions at Klyuchevskoy and one powerful eruption of Bezymianny. The most complete information about these eruptions was obtained during the analysis of satellite data in the information system “Monitoring of Volcanoes Activity in Kamchatka and the Kuriles" (VolSatView, http://volcanoes.smislab.ru). Thanks to the data from the Himawari-8 satellite, we managed to recover all events happened in the area of the volcanoes: the onset of their explosions and ash falls in nearby villages, the size of the ash clouds, direction of their movement, etc. For example, ash clouds from these eruptions moved more than 4500 km southeast from the volcanoes. Ash deposits covered about 47800 km2 of the territory of Kamchatka. In addition, based on the Himawari-8 satellite data, the animated picture of 14-18 June 2017 explosive events was created illustrating short duration of powerful explosive eruptions and long persistence of ash clouds in the atmosphere that represent a real danger for aerial transport: http://kamchatka.volcanoes.smislab.ru/animation/sample.gif

Вулканы – грандиозные создания Природы, никогда не оставляющие равнодушным человечество. Они существуют на всех планетах Солнечной системы. Возможно, именно благодаря вулканам появилась жизнь на планете Земля. Для одних вулканы – страх и ужас, для других – бесконечный восторг... Изучению вулканов на планете Земля наземными и космическими методами и необходимости ведения таких исследований посвящена эта статья.

The monograph presents various data about the volcanoes of Kamchatka and describes the possibilities of studying them based on the integrated use of remote sensing, ground-based observation and numerical simulation methods and technologies. Considerable attention is paid to the construction and application of the information systems that today provide operational monitoring and studies of volcanic activity, which have been jointly developed in the recent years by the experts from the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IVS FEB RAS) (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky), Space Research Institute RAS (Moscow), Computing Center FEB RAS (Khabarovsk) and the Far East Branch of the Research Center “Planetа” (Khabarovsk). The results of complex studies of explosive volcanic eruptions and the potential hazards of the Kamchatkan active volcanoes to the population and aviation are presented which are obtained by the scientists of IVS FEB RAS, particularly exploring the new methods, technologies and systems described in the monograph.

Sheveluch volcano is the most active volcano in Kamchatka. The paroxysmal explosive eruption of the volcano that destroyed the lava dome in the volcanic crater continued on April 10–13, 2023. According to various satellite data, the height of the separate eruptive clouds probably exceeded 15 km a. s. l. A powerful cyclone, which dominated the entire Kamchatka Peninsula, pulled the eruptive cloud to the west, turned it to the south, stretched it to the north and directed it to the east from the volcano. The dynamics of the development of ash and aerosol clouds of this eruption is reflected in the animations made from a series of Himawari-9 satellite images in the VolSatView IS from 08:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on April 10 to 07:50 UTC on April 14 (http://d33.infospace.ru/jr_d33/materials/2023v20n2/283-291/1683110898.webm) and of the Arctica-M1 satellite from 16:00 to 21:30 UTC April 10 (http://d33.infospace.ru/jr_d33/materials/2023v20n2/283-291/1683821166.webm). It was noted that the eruptive column was not vertical: for example, at the initial moment of the eruption on April 10 at 13:20 UTC, it deviated to the north-northeast, on April 11 at 12:00 UTC to the northwest, and on April 12 at 07:00 UTC to the southwest. During the paroxysmal eruption, sulfur dioxide continuously entered the atmosphere, the maximum amount of which was released on April 10–11, as a result of the explosive destruction of the lava dome of the Sheveluch volcano. Ash clouds along with aerosol clouds on April 10–13 were stretched into a strip more than 3500 km long from west to northeast. On April 21–22, the Sheveluch aerosol cloud was observed in the region of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The total area of the territory of Kamchatka and the Pacific Ocean where ash and aerosol plumes and clouds were observed during the April 10–13 eruption was about 3280 thousand km2. The paroxysmal eruption of Sheveluch volcano belongs to the sub-Plinian type because it is characterized by a big height of eruptive cloud and a long event duration. For this eruption, the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) is estimated to be 3–4. A detailed description of the paroxysmal explosive eruption of Sheveluch volcano and the spread of the eruptive cloud was performed based on data from various satellite systems (Himawari-9, NOAA-18/19, GOES-18, Terra, Aqua, JPSS-1, Suomi NPP, Arctica-M1 etc.) in the information system “Remote monitoring of the activity of the volcanoes of the Kamchatka and the Kuriles” (VolSatView, http://kamchatka.volcanoes.smislab.ru).