Satellite images offer aircraft protection from volcanic ash clouds
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1996
Department
Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Abstract
When airplanes meet clouds of volcanic ash thousands of feet above Earth's surface, the combination can be potentially deadly. Of the more than 80 jet aircraft that encountered volcanic ash clouds during the past 15 years, seven lost engine power as a result. The problem is also expensive. Repair costs from encounters with volcanic clouds through mid-1994 are estimated at more than $200 million [Casadevall, 1994]. Many pilots never know they are flying through volcanic ash because the radar onboard their planes cannot detect the small (1–15 μm in radius) particles that cause the hazard. With onboard radar systems unable to detect volcanic clouds, mitigating the hazard is a challenge.
Publication Title
Eos
Recommended Citation
Rose, W.,
&
Schneider, D.
(1996).
Satellite images offer aircraft protection from volcanic ash clouds.
Eos,
77(52), 529-532.
http://doi.org/10.1029/96EO00345
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/8375