Interpretation of observed microwave signatures from ground dual polarization radar and space multi-frequency radiometer for the 2011 Grímsvötn volcanic eruption

摘要

The important role played by ground-based microwave weather radars for themonitoring of volcanic ash clouds has been recently demonstrated. Thepotential of microwaves from satellite passive and ground-based activesensors to estimate near-source volcanic ash cloud parameters has been alsoproposed, though with little investigation of their synergy and the role ofthe radar polarimetry. The goal of this work is to show the potentiality anddrawbacks of the X-band dual polarization (DPX) radar measurements throughthe data acquired during the latest Grímsvötn volcanic eruptionsthat took place in May 2011 in Iceland. The analysis is enriched by thecomparison between DPX data and the observations from the satellite SpecialSensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) and a C-band single polarization(SPC) radar. SPC, DPX, and SSMIS instruments cover a large range of themicrowave spectrum, operating respectively at 5.4, 3.2, and 0.16–1.6 cmwavelengths.