Modeling of Remote Sensing Data: Common Practices, State of the Art, and Limitations

By measuring ground surface deformation, and thermal and gas anomalies, remote sensing techniques have become a critical tool for volcano studies and monitoring. Armed with analytic and numerical models, remote sensing products reveal the surface and subsurface dynamics of volcanic systems: ground surface deformation data are used to derive estimates of the location, geometry, and pressure change of magma storage, while thermal anomalies and gas emissions can provide information regarding the depth, location, and composition of magma sources. This chapter introduces remote sensing data processing, analytic and numerical models of volcanic deformation, as well as thermal and gas analysis and modeling of active volcanoes. The limitations, assumptions, and biases in remote sensing products and models call for an interdisciplinary study to construct physics-based models to improve our understanding of magmatic processes.