Authors: Daniela Lacatus (HAO | NCAR)

Solar filaments are structures of cool and dense material suspended at coronal heights by the magnetic field. We present a detailed exploration of filament emission line characteristics using data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). We investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of chromospheric and transition region emission lines characteristics in a number of filaments, identifying morphological and spectral signatures of their evolution. When seen at the limb as prominences, we further investigate their vertical structure and explore flows free from unwanted contributions. Multiple flow patterns can be identified within the larger structure as corresponding to individually evolving strands. Despite being long-lived structures in the solar atmosphere, changes in their confinement or anchoring can lead to their destabilization and to total or partial eruption as Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).