BoM-Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre

The current eruption of Manam began in October 2004. From October to December, at least five high level (cloud height greater than 10 km) occurred, and the eruption continued into 2005. These pages show a very small selection of the many images of interest collected during the event.

Image Source: NASA Terra/MODIS, October 2004, 1:05 UTC

Comments: The magnificant NASA images above and below show the development of an umbrella cloud to approximately 18 km above mean sea-level, posssibly as the pyroclastic flow from the eruption reached the sea. This ash-bearing, ice-rich cloud then spread out to the north and west, well above the ash-rich plume that continued from the eruption. In the image below, 'hot-spots' detected from the flow coming down the south-east valley of the island into the sea are marked on the image in red.

Aqua/MODIS image

Image Source: NASA Aqua/MODIS, October 24 2004, 3:55 UTC

NOAA/AVHRR image

Image Source: NOAA-15/AVHRR split-window (dark is negative), October 24 2004, 0805 UTC

Comments: The high level cloud started moving north-northwest quite rapidly, and was tracked well north of the equator before fading from view about 36 hours after the eruption. The low-level plume continued in the vicinity of the volcano.

Comments: The java loop above show the sulphur dioxide from the eruption moving to the north, co-inciding with the observed ice-rich cloud. NASA AIRS images, processed and kindly provided by Dr Fred Prata, CSIRO Atmospheric Research Australia.

Dispersion of ash

Comments: The graphic above shows the extent of the cloud as it was fading from view on our operational systems.

October 31

Image Source: Terra/MODIS true-colour, October 31 2004, 0110 UTC (data courtesy NASA, remapped using HDFLook)

Comments: Another extraordinary MODIS image - the image is taken from a 45 degree angle, and shows the side of the eruption column, spreading out in another ice-rich cloud near the tropopause.

Pilot Photo

Image Source: Pilot photograph, by David Innes of Air Niugini, 11 November 2004, taken from the south. Used by permission.

Pilot Photo

Image Source: Pilot photograph, by David Innes of Air Niugini, 13 November 2004. Used by permission.

Manam Eruption

Image: OMI sulphur dioxide, 21 December 2004, courtesy Dr Simon Carn (Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology / University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA).

Comments: This OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) image shows the sulphur dioxide clouds from an eruption on 20 December drifting over the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land and over Cape York Peninsula, northern Australia, at altitudes of approximately 9-11 km. The Ozone Measuring Instrument is a new generation instrument, contributed by the Netherlands's Agency for Aerospace Programs (NIVR) in collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) to the NASA EOS Aura satellite.

The Manam eruption continued into 2005. See also our publications page for discussion on these eruptions.

Manam, Papua New Guinea, October-December 2004