(Eagle News) — The sulfur dioxide from Taal volcano has reached Metro Manila and other nearby provinces, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
PHIVOLCS made the statement a day after it said the haze over Metro Manila as observed by the public was due to smog resulting from human activity.
Data released by web portals for NASA’s Ozone Mapping Instrument (OMI) on the Aura platform and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) on the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership Satellite on the sulfur dioxide plumes detected from Taal Volcano on June 28 and June 29, however, PHIVOLCS said, showed the plumes extend from the planetary boundary layer or PBL, “representing near-ground surface levels, to the upper troposphere at almost 20 kilometers above sea level” and mostly spread over the Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan and Zambales Provinces and the National Capital Region.
“Satellite detection on 29 June 2021, showed an even larger coverage of Luzon Island,” PHIVOLCS said.
In view of the scientific data, PHIVOLCS said it “stands to acknowledge evidence of the wider extents that volcanic SO2 have actually spread over the NCR and adjoining provinces and gives credence to the many observations that the public have communicated.”
It said as a scientific institution, “we have been reminded again of the value of uncertainty and the limitations of our data, the value of citizen observation and the need to constantly challenge our own perceptions, interpretations and ideas.”
“We would like to reassure the public that we are committed to provide the best and most current volcano monitoring data available, especially that these have important safety and health implications,” PHIVOLCS said.
“We hope that in putting forward the above information, the public is better guided and assured that accurate, responsive, transparent and honest information service by our Institute remains our top priority,” it added.