0000000000265852
AUTHOR
R. Von Glasow
Ozone depletion in tropospheric volcanic plumes
We measured ozone (O3) concentrations in the atmospheric plumes of the volcanoes St. Augustine (1976), Mt. Etna (2004, 2009) and Eyjafjallajökull (2010) and found O3 to be strongly depleted compared to the background at each volcano. At Mt. Etna O3 was depleted within tens of seconds from the crater, the age of the St. Augustine plumes was on the order of hours, whereas the O3 destruction in the plume of Eyjafjallajökull was maintained in 1–9 day old plumes. The most likely cause for this O3 destruction are catalytic bromine reactions as suggested by a model that manages to reproduce the very early destruction of O3 but also shows that O3 destruction is ongoing for several days. Given the o…
Reactive halogen chemistry in volcanic plumes
[1] Bromine monoxide (BrO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) abundances as a function of the distance from the source were measured by ground-based scattered light Multiaxis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) in the volcanic plumes of Mt. Etna on Sicily, Italy, in August–October 2004 and May 2005 and Villarica in Chile in November 2004. BrO and SO2 spatial distributions in a cross section of Mt. Etna's plume were also determined by Imaging DOAS. We observed an increase in the BrO/SO2 ratio in the plume from below the detection limit near the vent to about 4.5 × 10−4 at 19 km (Mt. Etna) and to about 1.3 × 10−4 at 3 km (Villarica) distance, respectively. Additional attempts were …
Gas emission strength and evolution of the molar ratio of BrO/SO2in the plume of Nyiragongo in comparison to Etna
Airborne and ground-based differential optical absorption spectroscopy observations have been carried out at the volcano Nyiragongo (Democratic Republic of Congo) to measure SO2 and bromine monoxide (BrO) in the plume in March 2004 and June 2007, respectively. Additionally filter pack and multicomponent gas analyzer system (Multi-GAS) measurements were carried out in June 2007. Our measurements provide valuable information on the chemical composition of the volcanic plume emitted from the lava lake of Nyiragongo. The main interest of this study has been to investigate for the first time the bromine emission flux of Nyiragongo (a rift volcano) and the BrO formation in its volcanic plume. Mea…
The tropospheric processing of acidic gases and hydrogen sulphide in volcanic gas plumes as inferred from field and model investigations
Abstract. Improving the constraints on the atmospheric fate and depletion rates of acidic compounds persistently emitted by non-erupting (quiescent) volcanoes is important for quantitatively predicting the environmental impact of volcanic gas plumes. Here, we present new experimental data coupled with modelling studies to investigate the chemical processing of acidic volcanogenic species during tropospheric dispersion. Diffusive tube samplers were deployed at Mount Etna, a very active open-conduit basaltic volcano in eastern Sicily, and Vulcano Island, a closed-conduit quiescent volcano in the Aeolian Islands (northern Sicily). Sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), hydrogen chlori…
Quantification of the depletion of ozone in the plume of Mount Etna
Volcanoes are an important source of inorganic halogen species into the atmosphere. Chemical processing of these species generates oxidised, highly reactive, halogen species which catalyse considerable O3 destruction within volcanic plumes. A campaign of ground-based in situ O3, SO2 and meteorology measurements was undertaken at the summit of Mount Etna volcano in July/August 2012. At the same time, spectroscopic measurements were made of BrO and SO2 columns in the plume downwind. Depletions of ozone were seen at all in-plume measurement locations, with average O3 depletions ranging from 11–35 nmol mol−1 (15–45%). Atmospheric processing times of the plume were estimated to be between 1 and …