Issues

On 12 January 2020, an eruption started on Taal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines. The activity increased during the day, producing a sustained 16–17 km high plume, intense volcanic lightning, and widespread ashfall. The lightning streaks over the city of Batangas, located at the shores of Main Crater Lake, dramatically illuminating the ashcloud of the eruption. The range of data collected during the eruption allows investigating how the combination of different remote sensing methods may complement local observations and monitoring. The paper by Perttu et al., “Remote Characterization of the 12 January 2020 Eruption of Taal Volcano, Philippines, Using Seismo-Acoustic, Volcanic Lightning, and Satellite Observations,” which is part of the featured Special Section “Seismoacoustics and Seismoacoustic Data Fusion,” presents a post-event analysis of the 12 January activity. The authors combine data from long-range lightning, infrasound, and seismic arrays located up to thousands of kilometers away to identify five phases of activity, including a major shift in eruption behavior around 12:00 (UTC) on 12 January.

Image credit: Domcar C. Lagto/Pacific Press/Shutterstock