Possibility of using satellite-based monitoring for large-scale mapping and research of dynamics of mud volcanic landscapes

Abstract

Currently Earth remote probing to study vegetation dynamics and monitor volcanic activity is of great scientific interest. The purpose of this study is to create a large-scale outline map of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk mud volcano which will include the topography objects, mud fields of eruptions of various years and gryphons, and to perform semi-automatic classification of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk mud volcano. Work was performed with QGIS software using the following modules: «QuickMapServices», «Freehandrastergeoreference», «LatLanTools», and «Semi-AutomaticClassificationPlugin». We developed an outline map of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk mud volcano on a scale of 1:10000, which shows how the mud flows have changed directions over the last 70 years, as well as mud fields have been formed over the last 20 years. Using semi-automatic classification of satellite images from Sentinel-2A satellite in various color channel sets, we obtained two premaps of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk mud volcano vegetation on a scale of 1:50 000. Satellite monitoring of YuSMV activity allows us to track the eruptive activity of the volcano, and assess its impact on vegetation.

Assessing the activity of mud volcanism using boron isotope ratios in pore water from surface sediments of mud volcanoes off Tanegashima (SW Japan)

“…To investigate causal relationships, it is essential to monitor MV activity. On land, detailed topographical changes can be monitored using satellites (Kopanina and Shvidskaya, 2021). However, seafloor monitoring is difficult.…”