Trees they can become natural sentries of volcanoesand today the scientists are able to listen to them better than never thanks to new satellite technologies. When a volcano prepares to erupt, the magma that dates back to the surface releases into the environment carbon dioxide (CO₂).
This invisible gas is absorbed by the trees that grow nearby, causing physiological alterations in their leaves. The leaves become more green and reflectivethin changes but visible from space.
A recent joint study between the NASA and Smithsonianconducted in Chile and Costa Ricahas shown that it is possible to detect these changes thanks to thesatellite observation of the vegetation. This new approach represents an important innovation in monitoring of volcanoesespecially in remote or difficult areas, where millions of people could be at risk. Although it is not an infallible system, the analysis of the plants effectively integrates the Seismic measurements and volcanic gasesimproving early alert systems.
Trees as scientific forecast tools
To strengthen this strategy is the scientific campaign Avueloan NASA initiative for the Hyperspettral data calibration obtained from satellite. In February 2025, Avuelo collected data in Panama and Costa Ricausing the Aviris-3 tool mounted on a King Air plane. The device captured Hyperspectral images of terrestrial and marine ecosystems with a resolution up to 1 meterdocumenting forest areas of all kinds: managed, secondary, old and coastal.
In Costa Rica, the countryside focused on Vulcano Streette de la Viejawhere the high natural concentration of Co₂ has made it possible to study the behavior of the vegetation in stress conditions. In parallel, the researchers collected Over 900 samples of leaves belonging to more than 400 plant speciesanalyzing it The reflective spectra he is functional traits. These measurements help to connect air images with theidentity of the arboreal speciesmapping accurately beyond 150 hectares of forest.
Thanks to these synergies between technology and nature, the trees are becoming tools of scientific forecast. Not only do they tell us about the health of the environment, but they could also save human lives announcing, well in advance, the fury of a volcano.
