Synoptic analysis of a decade of daily measurements of SO2 emission in the troposphere from volcanoes of the global ground-based Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change
Journal article, 2021
Volcanic plumes are common and far-reaching manifestations of volcanic activity during and between eruptions. Observations of the rate of emission and composition of volcanic plumes are essential to recognize and, in some cases, predict the state of volcanic activity. Measurements of the size and location of the plumes are important to assess the impact of the emission from sporadic or localized events to persistent or widespread processes of climatic and environmental importance. These observations provide information on volatile budgets on Earth, chemical evolution of magmas, and atmospheric circulation and dynamics. Space-based observations during the last decades have given us a global view of Earth's volcanic emission, particularly of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Although none of the satellite missions were intended to be used for measurement of volcanic gas emission, specially adapted algorithms have produced time-averaged global emission budgets. These have confirmed that tropospheric plumes, produced from persistent degassing of weak sources, dominate the total emission of volcanic SO2. Although space-based observations have provided this global insight into some aspects of Earth's volcanism, it still has important limitations. The magnitude and short-term variability of lower-atmosphere emissions, historically less accessible from space, remain largely uncertain. Operational monitoring of volcanic plumes, at scales relevant for adequate surveillance, has been facilitated through the use of ground-based scanning differential optical absorption spectrometer (ScanDOAS) instruments since the beginning of this century, largely due to the coordinated effort of the Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change (NOVAC). In this study, we present a compilation of results of homogenized post-analysis of measurements of SO2 flux and plume parameters obtained during the period March 2005 to January 2017 of 32 volcanoes in NOVAC. This inventory opens a window into the short-term emission patterns of a diverse set of volcanoes in terms of magma composition, geographical location, magnitude of emission, and style of eruptive activity. We find that passive volcanic degassing is by no means a stationary process in time and that large sub-daily variability is observed in the flux of volcanic gases, which has implications for emission budgets produced using short-term, sporadic observations. The use of a standard evaluation method allows for intercomparison between different volcanoes and between ground- and space-based measurements of the same volcanoes. The emission of several weakly degassing volcanoes, undetected by satellites, is presented for the first time. We also compare our results with those reported in the literature, providing ranges of variability in emission not accessible in the past. The open-access data repository introduced in this article will enable further exploitation of this unique dataset, with a focus on volcanological research, risk assessment, satellite-sensor validation, and improved quantification of the prevalent tropospheric component of global volcanic emission.
Datasets for each volcano are made available at https://novac.chalmers.se (last access: 1 October 2020) under the CC-BY 4 license or through the DOI (digital object identifier) links provided in Table 1.
Author
Santiago Arellano
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing
Bo Galle
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing
Fredy Apaza
Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET)
G. Avard
Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica (OVSICORI)
Charlotte Barrington
Earth Observatory of Singapore
N. Bobrowski
Heidelberg University
Claudia Bucarey
National Geology and Mining Service
V. Burbano
Colombian Geological Survey
Mike Burton
University of Manchester
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
Z. Chacón
Colombian Geological Survey
Gustavo Chigna
Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología (INSIVUMEH)
Christian Joseph Clarito
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)
Alexander Vladimir Conde Jacobo
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing
Fidel Costa
Earth Observatory of Singapore
Maarten De Moor
Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica (OVSICORI)
H. D. Granados
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
A. Di Muro
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
D. Fernandez
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)
Gustavo Garzón
Colombian Geological Survey
Hendra Gunawan
Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation
Nia Haerani
Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation
T. H. Hansteen
Helmholtz
Silvana Hidalgo
Escuela Politécnica Nacional
S. Inguaggiato
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
Mattias Johansson
Christoph Kern
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
Manne Kihlman
Philipp Kowalski
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
Pablo Masias
Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET)
Francisco Montalvo
Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET)
Joakim Möller
Möller Data Workflow Systems
Ulrich Platt
Heidelberg University
Claudia Rivera
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Armando Saballos
Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales
Giuseppe Salerno
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
B. Taisne
Earth Observatory of Singapore
Freddie Vásconez
Escuela Politécnica Nacional
Gabriela Velásquez
National Geology and Mining Service
F. Vita
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
M. Yalire
Observatoire Volcanologique de Goma
Earth System Science Data
1866-3508 (ISSN) 1866-3516 (eISSN)
Vol. 13 3 1167-1188Subject Categories
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Physical Geography
DOI
10.5194/essd-13-1167-2021