Satellite Monitoring of Mt. Etna eruption of May 2008 using MSG-SEVIRI data

Among the satellite techniques developed to study active volcanoes, a multi-temporal approach named RST (Robust Satellite Technique) has shown high performances in detecting and monitoring hotspots. This approach has been recently implemented on MSG-SEVIRI data that, providing information on the same areas every 15 minutes in the MIR spectral region (the most suitable to identify high temperature surfaces), offers a unique opportunity to monitor volcanoes in real time. In this paper, RST performances in promptly identifying hotspots by means of SEVIRI data have been analyzed, comparing the results obtained during the Mount Etna eruption of May 2008 with the ones automatically provided by the satellite monitoring system operational at IMAA (Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis), which use both AVHRR and MODIS data. The RST potential in monitoring hotspots in real time, in view of the development of an efficient early warning system devoted to volcanic hazard mitigation, will also be analyzed.