Biggs, J., Anantrasirichai, N., Anderson, K.R. et al. (13 more authors) (2026) Advances in volcano monitoring driven by the first decade of Sentinel-1 observations. Remote Sensing of Environment, 339. 115377. ISSN: 0034-4257
Abstract
Sentinel-1 has transformed how satellite radar data (SAR and InSAR) are used in volcanology. The systematic, long-term archive and open-access policy means that volcano observatories and research organisations have invested in integrating Sentinel-1 datasets into their monitoring systems. We identify 233 high priority volcanoes and estimate that Sentinel-1 data has been used in peer-reviewed publications for 90 of them. We examine a global archive of 3.3 million automatically processed Sentinel-1 interferograms of volcanoes and use machine learning methods to identify eruptions and periods of unrest. We then review the ways in which InSAR data are being used in different contexts. At frequently erupting basaltic systems in Iceland, Hawaiʻi, the Galápagos, and Piton de la Fournaise, InSAR has become an effective monitoring tool and is integrated with other datasets and models to forecast magma pathways. For large explosive eruptions, deformation measurements often remain challenging, but SAR backscatter is increasingly used to map damaging flows and measure the changing shape of ocean islands. Sentinel-1's long archive provides critical baseline measurements that are vital for measuring slow deformation, capturing new periods of unrest and providing fresh insights into subsurface dynamics. Understanding the drivers of deformation remains challenging and typically relies on integration with external datasets. Future European Space Agency missions have the potential to improve both resolution and coverage providing an even richer dataset to further enhance global volcano monitoring.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Authors/Creators: |
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| Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2026 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Sentinel-1; SAR; InSAR; Volcano; Magma; Deformation |
| Dates: |
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| Institution: | The University of Leeds |
| Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) |
| Date Deposited: | 13 May 2026 10:00 |
| Last Modified: | 13 May 2026 10:00 |
| Status: | Published |
| Publisher: | Elsevier |
| Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.rse.2026.115377 |
| Related URLs: | |
| Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:241031 |
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