On October 22, our habilitation candidate and guest lecturer from DLR, Dr. Simon Plank gave an inspiring talk at the seminar of the department “Georisks and Civil Security (GZS)” at the Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The talk was titled “Submarine and Island forming Volcanism – Quantifying Eruption Dynamics and long-term Evolution through Multi-Sensor Satellite Observations and Geophysical Data Integration“.
Roughly 70-80% of all volcanic activity occurs underwater, however our understanding of the processes involved in shallow submarine volcanic eruptions is limited, as these eruptions are rarely observed directly. This talk summarizes the findings of two recently published studies focusing on submarine and island forming volcanism (Plank et al. 2026; Plank et al. in press). The first part focuses on the recent eruption of Titan Ridge Volcano in May 2026 in the Bismarck Sea in Papua New Guinea, which offered a rare opportunity to investigate the onset and early evolution of a shallow submarine eruption using complementary geophysical and satellite data-based observations. The joint analysis of regional seismic observations, long-range hydroacoustic recordings, and multi-sensor (thermal, optical, SAR) satellite data enabled us to determine the exact timing, seismic mechanism, and evolution of the source region. We demonstrated the potential of combined geophysical and satellite-based remote sensing observations for the detection and characterization of remote submarine eruptions in tectonically complex and sparsely monitored maritime environments.
Submarine volcanic eruptions can form new islands. While some islands remain intact for years or decades, others disappear within just weeks or months. The second part of the talk investigates what influences how long a newly formed volcanic island exists. To answer this question, we analyzed satellite data to determine growth and erosion rates of the volcanic edifices related to 24 islands that have appeared since the famous eruption of Surtsey (Iceland) in 1963. We combined multi-sensor satellite data time series with information from literature and databases. We developed a comprehensive dataset, including 19 parameters, on the islands’ lifetime, shape, area, volume, eruption style and duration, environmental conditions, development of sedimentary deposits, and the geomorphic evolution of the island over time. This database allows us to test eight hypotheses about factors influencing the islands’ lifetime. Our results show that instead of one single critical factor, a combination of different factors influences the life history of volcanic islands. For instance, we show that larger islands do not necessarily live longer. The mechanical properties of the eruption products affect the island’s structural integrity.
The talk was based on the following two papers:
Plank, S., Grapenthin, R., Dietterich, H.R., Kueppers, U., Marchese, F., Pergola, N., Ciancia, E., Genzano, N., Meyer, F.J., Martinis, S., Taubenböck, H., Ullmann, T. & Walter, T.R. (2026): Growth and erosion of volcanic islands since 1963 analyzed by multi-sensor satellite data and historical records. Bulletin of Volcanology, 88, 66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-026-01987-5
Plank, S., Rümpker, G., Limberger, F., Ciancia, E., Marchese, F., Genzano, N., Taubenböck, H., Martinis, S., Walter, T.R., Brandl, P.A., Swar, S., Olugboji, T. & Mittal, T. (in press): Multi-Disciplinary Constraints on the Onset and Early Evolution of the May 2026 Titan Ridge Submarine Eruption. Bulletin of Volcanology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-026-02056-7
