Persistent volcanic signature observed around Barren Island, Andaman Sea, India

Abstract

This study delineates the formation of a warm pool (> 33°C) of air to the west (downwind) of the active volcano of the Barren Island during October-November 2005. Barren Island is located in the Sumatra-Andaman region, about 135 km east of Port Blair, and lies within the Burma microplate, the southern tip of which experienced a submarine earthquake (Mw 9.3) causing a tsunami in December 2004. Barren Island is the only volcano, which has shown sustained eruptive activity since shortly after the Great Sumatran Earthquake of December 2004. Our observations require further corroboration to relate how submarine earthquakes activate volcanoes and how far these thermal emissions influence climate changes. Because it links global warming and climate changes to the frequent emissions from a volcano activated by submarine earthquakes, this case study is of special interest to the earth-ocean-atmosphere sciences community.