In late April 2016, satellite sensors detected signs of a volcanic eruption on Bristol Island in the far South Atlantic Ocean. Mount Sourabaya appeared to be erupting for the first time in 60 years. More than a month later, the eruption continues.
On May 28, 2016, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this natural-color image of a volcanic plume streaming northeast from Bristol Island. The plume casts a shadow on the sea ice below. Most of the white in the image is likely ice, rather than clouds.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Mike Carlowicz.
