Trees can help detect volcano eruptions: Study

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(NewsNation) — A recent study says trees may now be able to help detect when a volcano is about to erupt.

The study by NASA and the Smithsonian Institution, looking at carbon dioxide levels around Mount Etna in Italy, compared data from sensors around the volcano with satellite imagery and discovered a strong relationship between more carbon dioxide and greener trees.

“There are plenty of satellites we can use to do this kind of analysis,” said Nicole Guinn, a volcanologist at the University of Houston.

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Across the course of two years, Guinn and a group of researchers found 16 clear spikes in carbon dioxide and the NDVI, matching magma movements underground.

The patterns of the spikes were even observed farther away from faults in the mountain.

When volcanoes become more active and near eruption, they push magma up closer to the surface while also releasing increased levels of carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide boosts the health of the surrounding trees and makes the leaves greener.

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