Search results for "etna"

Camera trapping the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) in Sicily (Southern Italy): preliminary results

2009

The wildcat is an elusive species that is threatened with extinction in many parts of its range. In Sicily it still lives in a wide range of habitats. During 2006, camera traps were used to investigate the distribution of the wildcat over a 660 ha wide area on the south-western slope of Mount Etna (NE Sicily). Twelve out of 18 trapping stations provided a total of 24 photographs. Nine different individuals were identified using morphological criteria. Our work confirms the suitability of camera trapping for monitoring elusive carnivores.

Contemporary performance art by Helena Walsh: embodiment as empowerment in an Irish context

2016

Ever since the 1970s, performance artists have used their bodies as a means to question the patriarchal control of women. In Ireland, where the body is at the center of debates over contraception, abortion and divorce, feminist performance art has proved particularly pertinent to substitute the real experiential body to the allegorical or fetishized female body. Through her performances, Helena Walsh incites the viewers to respond to the effect of ideology on the physical body. Embodiment, impersonation and incorporation make the body explicit and reopen historical wounds.

Variation of H2O/CO2 and CO2/SO2 ratios of volcanic gases discharged by continuous degassing of Mount Etna volcano, Italy

2008

Radon measurements in the SE and NE flank of Mt. Etna (Italy)

2007

Abstract Soil Radon has been monitored at two fixed sites located in the northeastern and southeastern flank of Mt. Etna. In this study we report the comparison between in-soil Radon concentration trend recorded in the SE flank and that one recorded in the NE one, where an in-soil Radon detection system is operating since 2001. The aim of this work was to implement the investigation area finding a suitable radon detection site, in the south-east flank of Mt. Etna, in order to better understand possible links between Radon anomalies and volcano dynamic. Radon data collected in NE and SE sites were compared with the volcanic tremor, frequency of occurrence of earthquakes and seismic strain-re…

Mapping lava flows at Etna Volcano using Google Earth Engine, open-access satellite data, and machine learning

2021

Estimating eruptive parameters is fundamental to assess the volcanic hazards posed to the community living at the edge of active volcanoes. Here, we analyzed satellite remote sensing data by using machine learning unsupervised and supervised techniques and analytical approaches, i.e., mathematical-physics and statistics formulations, to map lava flows emitted during the long sequences of short-lived, violent eruptions occurred at Etna volcano between December 2020 and March 2021. Satellite observations allowed to follow the evolution of eruptions thanks to their capability to survey large areas with frequent revisit time and accurate spatial resolution. We quantified the areal coverage of l…

Cognate xenoliths in Mt. Etna lavas: witnesses of the high-velocity body beneath the volcano

2013

Various xenoliths have been found in lavas of the 1763 (“La Montagnola”), 2001, and 2002–03 eruptions at Mt. Etna whose petrographic evidence and mineral chemistry exclude a mantle origin and clearly point to a cognate nature. Consequently, cognate xenoliths might represent a proxy to infer the nature of the high-velocity body (HVB) imaged beneath the volcano by seismic tomography. Petrography allows us to group the cognate xenoliths as follows: i) gabbros with amphibole and amphibole-bearing mela-gabbros, ii) olivine-bearing leuco-gabbros, iii) leuco-gabbros with amphibole, and iv) Plg-rich leuco gabbros. Geobarometry estimates the crystallization pressure of the cognate xenoliths between …

Application and evaluation of biomagnetic and biochemical monitoring of the dispersion and deposition of volcanically-derived particles at Mt. Etna, …

2010

article i nfo Article history: Received 6 August 2009 Accepted 4 January 2010 Available online xxxx Biomagnetic monitoring, using tree leaves as passive surfaces for particle collection, has been shown to be a promising technique for assessing the dispersion and deposition of particles in the context of anthropogenic pollution. By comparing leaves' magnetic properties with trace metal levels measured in the leaves, we here assess the utility of the biomagnetic technique as a sensitive, fast and inexpensive method for assessment of volcanic plume deposition. Samples of sweet chestnut leaves (Castanea sativa) were collected from the area surrounding Mt. Etna volcano in Sicily during the 2008 …

Continuous monitoring of hydrogen and carbon dioxide at Mt Etna

2013

article i nfo This study assessed the use of an H2 fuel cell as an H2-selective sensor for volcano monitoring. The resolution, repeatability, and cross-sensitivity of the sensor were investigated and evaluated under known laboratory conditions. A tailor-made device was developed and used for continuously monitoring H2 and CO2 at Mt Etna throughout 2009 and 2010. The temporal variations of both parameters were strongly correlated with the evolution of the volcanic activity during the monitoring period. In particular, the CO2 flux exhibited long-term variations, while H2 exhibited pulses immediately before the explosive activity that occurred at Mt Etna during 2010.

Major-ion bulk deposition around an active volcano (Mt. Etna, Italy)

2005

Bulk atmospheric deposition of major cations (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and anions (Cl, F, SO4) were measured at 15 sites around an active volcano, Mount Etna, from 2001 to 2003. Their composition indicates several natural sources, among which deposition of plume-derived volcanogenic gas compounds is prevalent for F, Cl and S. Plume-derived acidic compounds are also responsible for the prevailing acidic composition of the samples collected on the summit of the volcano (pH in the 2.45–5.57 range). Cation species have complex origin, including deposition of plume volcanogenic ash and aerosols and soil-dust wind re-suspension of either volcanic or carbonate sedimentary rocks. Variation of the deposition …

Rapid oxidation of mercury (Hg) at volcanic vents: Insights from high temperature thermodynamic models of Mt Etna's emissions

2011

A major uncertainty regarding the environmental impacts of volcanic Hg is the extent to which Hg is deposited locally or transported globally. An important control on dispersion and deposition is the oxidation state of Hg compounds: Hg(0) is an inert, insoluble gas, while Hg(II) occurs as reactive gases or in particles, which deposit rapidly and proximally, near the volcanic vent. Using a new high temperature thermodynamic model, we show that although Hg in Etna's magmatic gases is almost entirely Hg(0) (i.e., gaseous elemental mercury), significant quantities of Hg(II) are likely formed at Etna's vents as gaseous HgCl2, when magmatic gases are cooled and oxidised by atmospheric gases. Thes…