On Friday 9th April 2021, the volcano La Soufrière on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Carribean started erupting. Since then, periodic eruptions have covered the island in ash, and volcanic flows of molten rock and gas have gushed down the mountainside. Residents have been displaced as approximately 30 villages on the northern portion of the island were forced to evacuate.
The repeated eruptions have spewed an enormous amount of ash and hot gas into the air, reaching neighbour islands and even Africa. To help with monitoring and prevention, we have decided to make one of our premium features, Trajectories, freely available.
Trajectories show the air movement from the selected place over the course of the following hours, for the selected altitude levels. The trajectory is calculated by simulating the air movement from the selected location on the different levels. The ash clouds can from time to time also be seen on our high-resolution satellite images .
Besides tracking the pollution caused by volcanic eruptions and other sources, trajectories are frequently used for a wide variety of purposes, ranging from planning of ballon flights to tracking of pollen and of desert dust or for detecting wind shear and examining the movement of air currents at different altitudes.
We hope you find this useful and appreciate, as always, your feedback .
