Temperature, color and deformation monitoring of volcanic regions in New Zealand

There are many examples around the world where satellite based remote sensing has been used to successfully monitor different stages of volcanic activity. This paper describes some of the methods used and their results for monitoring two active volcanoes in New Zealand - Mt Ruapehu and Raoul Island. A time series of ASTER night-time thermal images has been successfully used to assess crater lake temperature variability; Hyperion hyperspectral imagery was tested for crater lake color monitoring with inconclusive results; and interferograms using ALOS PALSAR data were generated of Mt Ruapehu for the purpose of mapping deformation patterns. These data provide information for baseline monitoring, as no major volcanic activity was evidenced over the duration of the study.