The spatial and temporal influence of cloud cover on satellite-based emergency mapping of earthquake disasters

Robinson, TR; Rosser, NJ; Walters, RJ

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-49008-0

The spatial and temporal influence of cloud cover on satellite-based emergency mapping of earthquake disasters

Robinson, TR; Rosser, NJ; Walters, RJ

Authors

TR Robinson

Professor Nick Rosser n.j.rosser@durham.ac.uk
Professor

RJ Walters

Abstract

The ability to rapidly access optical satellite imagery is now an intrinsic component of managing the disaster response that follows a major earthquake. These images provide synoptic data on the impacts, extent, and intensity of damage, which is essential for mitigating further losses by feeding into the response coordination. However, whilst the efficiency of the response can be hampered when cloud cover limits image availability, spatio-temporal variations in cloud cover have never been considered as part of the design of effective disaster mapping. Here we show how annual variations in cloud cover may affect our capacity to respond rapidly throughout the year and consequently contribute to overall earthquake risk. We find that on a global scale when accounting for cloud, the worst time of year for an earthquake disaster is between June and August. During these months, 40% of the global population at risk from earthquakes are obscured from optical satellite view for >3 consecutive days. Southeastern Asia is particularly strongly affected, accounting for the majority of the population at risk from earthquakes that could be obscured by cloud in every month. Our results demonstrate the importance of the timing of earthquakes in terms of our capacity to respond effectively, highlighting the need for more intelligent design of disaster response that is not overly reliant on optical satellite imagery.

Citation

Robinson, T., Rosser, N., & Walters, R. (2019). The spatial and temporal influence of cloud cover on satellite-based emergency mapping of earthquake disasters. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 12455. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49008-0

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Aug 9, 2019
Online Publication Date	Aug 28, 2019
Publication Date	Aug 28, 2019
Deposit Date	Aug 9, 2019
Publicly Available Date	Aug 29, 2019
Journal	Scientific Reports
Electronic ISSN	2045-2322
Publisher	Nature Research
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	9
Article Number	12455
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49008-0
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1325657

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