Drones for volcanic monitoring

Researchers at the University of Bristol are using fixed-wing drones to transform the way scientists monitor active volcanoes. By combining autonomous flight systems, advanced sensing technologies and artificial intelligence, they are enabling safer, more frequent and higher-resolution observations of some of the world's most hazardous environments.

The problem

How can scientists safely monitor active volcanoes?

Volcanoes provide important clues about the processes occurring beneath the Earth's surface, but collecting data from active volcanic environments is often dangerous, expensive and logistically challenging. Scientists need reliable measurements of volcanic ash, gases and plume behaviour to better understand eruptions and assess potential hazards to nearby communities and aviation.

Traditional observation methods can place researchers at risk, while manned aircraft operations are costly and may be unsuitable for flying close to volcanic plumes. As a result, obtaining regular, high-quality measurements from active volcanoes remains a significant challenge.

Our solution

Using autonomous drones to monitor volcanic activity

Professor Tom Richardson, working with Professor Matt Watson from Earth Sciences, has established the University of Bristol as a leading centre for the use of fixed-wing drones in hazardous volcanic environments. Their research focuses on enabling long-range Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations around active volcanoes, allowing aircraft to collect scientific data in locations that would otherwise be difficult or unsafe to access.

Two University of Bristol drones on lawn area
Image: University of Bristol Drones used for flights over Fuego Volcano in Guatemala

The team has developed drones capable of collecting atmospheric measurements, imaging volcanic craters and sampling volcanic ash directly from eruption plumes. These systems provide a practical and cost-effective alternative to conventional observation methods while significantly reducing risks to researchers.

A major strand of the research has focused on characterising volcanic plumes using fixed-wing UAVs. Working with international volcanology partners, Bristol researchers developed systems capable of repeatedly flying through the plume of Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala. These campaigns combined onboard sensors, remote imaging and autonomous flight operations to identify plume structure, collect ash samples and support measurements of volcanic gas emissions. Flights were conducted at distances of up to 9 km from the launch site and at altitudes exceeding 4,400 metres above mean sea level.

The research has also addressed the challenge of automating plume interception. Because volcanic plumes move and evolve continuously under changing atmospheric conditions, repeatedly locating and sampling them can be difficult. To overcome this challenge, the team developed Coordinated Plume Interception (CPI) algorithms that enable drones to autonomously identify, track and repeatedly traverse a volcanic plume while remaining within operational flight constraints. Developed using flight data gathered during more than sixty volcanic monitoring missions, these AI-enabled techniques improve the efficiency of ash and gas sampling and move volcano monitoring closer to fully autonomous operation.

Left: ash collector. Middle: arm sticking up from drone. Right; volcano ash plume.
Image: (a) The UAS ash collector designed and flown by the University of Bristol, with SEM stub not shown. (b) The lower structure is embedded in the vehicle, and only the arm rotates upwards to be exposed to airflow and plume. (c) An example plume that the UAS system may be flown through to gather samples, in this instance of Volcán de Fuego.

Results and outcomes

The research has demonstrated how autonomous aerial systems can support scientific observations in challenging and hazardous environments, including:

  • developing fixed-wing UAV systems capable of operating in active volcanic environments
  • conducting BVLOS monitoring missions around volcanoes at distances of up to 9 km from the launch site
  • collecting volcanic ash samples and supporting measurements of volcanic gas emissions directly from eruption plumes
  • creating Coordinated Plume Interception algorithms that enable autonomous plume tracking and sampling
  • generating valuable datasets that improve understanding of plume evolution and eruption dynamics
  • establishing international collaborations supporting volcano monitoring in Guatemala, Papua New Guinea and Montserrat.

The work has shown how autonomous aircraft can provide safer, more frequent and higher-resolution observations of active volcanoes while advancing the state of the art in UAV operations and environmental monitoring.

Graphic of equipment showing lines with directional arrows
Image: Surface skin friction lines shown to give an indication of flow direction close to the surface, with stagnation zones indicated by source points of the friction vectors. Indicated by the vectors is the presence of a central stagnation point for the clean geometry (a), that breaks into two separate points with the disruptor included (b), both using a steady SA simulation. For an unsteady simulation (c), using unsteady 𝑘−𝜔 SST-SAS, a singular, larger, stagnation area is recovered.

Looking ahead

Autonomous aerial systems are expected to play an increasingly important role in environmental monitoring and hazard assessment. The techniques developed at Bristol are helping to create the next generation of intelligent observation platforms, capable of operating in challenging environments and collecting critical scientific data with minimal risk to researchers. Continued advances in autonomous plume tracking and sensing technologies could support more persistent and responsive monitoring of active volcanoes around the world.