POSTER SESSION 3
15:30–17:30, Wednesday, September 16
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
ABSTRACT 1415 | POSTER 67
SPECTRAL DISCRIMINATION OF VOLCANIC AND NON-VOLCANIC OCEAN-COLOUR ANOMALIES: THE 2026 TITAN RIDGE ERUPTION
The detection and monitoring of submarine volcanic eruptions remain challenging due to their remote location, limited opportunities for direct observation, and the difficulty of distinguishing volcanic signals from other oceanographic phenomena. Satellite ocean-colour observations provide a valuable means of identifying surface manifestations of submarine activity, but similar anomalies may also result from non-volcanic processes.
The recent ongoing eruption of Titan Ridge in the Bismarck Sea, which began on 8 May 2026, generated extensive ocean-colour anomalies visible in Sentinel-2 imagery. This study investigates whether volcanic discolouration plumes exhibit spectral characteristics distinct from other optically complex water types. Spectral signatures were extracted from Sentinel-2 surface reflectance imagery for volcanic discolouration plumes, river-discharge plumes, and background ocean waters within the Bismarck Sea. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to assess spectral variability and separability between classes.
Preliminary results indicate distinct spectral behaviours among the investigated water types. Background waters display a consistent and compact spectral response, whereas volcanic products and river-influenced waters exhibit greater variability and enhanced reflectance across visible wavelengths. Volcanic discolouration plumes, river-discharge plumes, and background waters are characterised by different spectral shapes, including contrasting reflectance peaks, slopes, and band-to-band transitions. The first two principal components account for approximately 96% of the total spectral variance, supporting the differentiation of these water types based on their spectral characteristics.
These findings demonstrate the potential of satellite-derived spectral analysis for characterisation, detection and monitoring of submarine volcanic plumes, while providing a replicable framework for investigating submarine eruptions in diverse geological and oceanographic settings.
Joana Domingues*, University of the Azores, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3310-5039
Susanna Ebmeier, University of Leeds, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5454-2652
Issah Suleiman, Memorial University of Newfoundland, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7787-1224
Ana M. Martins, Okeanos, University of Azores, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4169-8201
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
