Exploring Volcanic Activity Through Open Data in Mount Ruang's 2024 Eruption

Mount Ruang underwent a significant eruption between April and May 2024, prompting the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) to issue hazard warnings and elevate the alert level based on data from volcanic observation posts. This study examines the eruption dynamics using data from Sentinel-1 (radar sensors) and Sentinel-2 (optical sensors) satellites. Enabled by the Copernicus Program, which facilitates Earth observation through the Sentinel satellite series, the study leverages cloud-based, on-demand data processing to analyze surface deformation and land cover changes. Time-series Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques, applied to Sentinel-1 SAR data processed via HyP3, were used to monitor surface deformation before and after the eruption. Additionally, Sentinel-2 imagery was employed to assess land cover changes. The results reveal ground inflation and deflation of approximately 15 cm preceding and following the eruption, respectively. Furthermore, vegetated land cover was reduced by approximately 866 hectares due to volcanic materials. This study demonstrates the value of freely available satellite data and open-source processing tools for understanding volcanic activity and its environmental impacts.