Search results for "volcanic emission"
showing 10 items of 31 documents
Using mosses as biomonitors to study trace element emissions and their distribution in six different volcanic areas
2017
Volcanoes emit SO2, CO2, and H2S, but also trace elements gases and particles such as As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Sb. Active moss bag biomonitoring, an easy to apply and low budget method, was used to determine trace element release from volcanic areas of different geological context and climates. Exposure height variations (0.7â1.6 m above ground) due to different availability of natural tie points did not affect the results. Accumulation was linear for exposure durations from three days to nine weeks, so values were comparable by normalization to moss exposure time. Uncovered moss bags showed higher accumulation than co-exposed covered ones because of additional dust and wet deposit…
Atmospheric sources and sinks of volcanogenic elements in a basaltic volcano (Etna, Italy)
2011
Abstract This study reports on the first quantitative assessment of the geochemical cycling of volcanogenic elements, from their atmospheric release to their deposition back to the ground. Etna’s emissions and atmospheric depositions were characterised for more than 2 years, providing data on major and trace element abundance in both volcanic aerosols and bulk depositions. Volcanic aerosols were collected from 2004 to 2007, at the summit vents by conventional filtration techniques. Precipitation was collected, from 2006 to 2007, in five rain gauges, at various altitudes around the summit craters. Analytical results for volcanic aerosols showed that the dominant anions were S, Cl, and F, and…
FIRST APPLICATION OF ACTIVE BIOMONITORING TECHNIQUES (MOSS-BAGS) TO MAP THE DISPERSION OF VOLCANIC EMISSIONS
2011
Biomonitoring may be defined as the use of organisms and biomaterials (biomonitors) to obtain informations on certain characteristics of a particular medium (atmosphere, hydrosphere etc.). In particular, mosses accumulate large amounts of trace metals, making them good bioaccumulators to estimate atmospheric pollution. The moss-bags technique, introduced in the early 1970’, has become very popular. Such active biomonitoring technique is particularly useful in highly polluted areas and has been extensively used in industrial and/or urban areas to examine deposition patterns and to recognize point sources of pollution. The main objective of this study, which represents the first application o…
A biomonitoring study using endemic plants for the evaluation of volcanogenic deposition on Mt. Etna (Italy)
2010
8. A biomonitoring survey using leaves of tree (Betulla aethnensis, Pinus nigra and Populus tremula) and two endemic species (Senecio aethnensis and Rumex aethnensis) above treeline level, was performed on Mt. Etna, in order to evaluate the dispersion and the impact of volcanic emissions. Samples of leaves were collected in summer 2008 from 30 sites in the upper part of the volcano (800-3000 m a.s.l). Acid digestion of samples was carried out with a microwave oven, and 44 elements were analyzed by using plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS and ICP-OES). The highest concentrations of all investigated elements were found in the samples collected closest to the degassing craters, and in the downwind se…
Experimental studies on BrO/Br ratios at Stromboli, Etna, Masaya, Gorely and Nyiragongo
2014
Environmental effects and potential impact on human health caused by the recent Nyiragongo eruption (Democratic Republic of Congo)
2022
Volcanic activity emits large amounts of gases and particles to the atmosphere subsequently spreading contaminants to rain, surface waters and soils, negatively impacting on the environment and the human health. The recent eruption of Nyiragongo occurred on 22nd of May, injected large quantities of ash affecting the environment of the Virunga area, and more than 2 million people living between 18-25 km far from the main crater of Nyiragongo. Several studies demonstrated that drinking waters and plants may contain high contents of natural pollutants, and when ingested they become harmful to human health causing acute or chronic diseases. In this study, we investigated the impact of the recen…
Multi O- and S-isotopes as tracers of black crusts formation under volcanic and non-volcanic atmospheric conditions in Sicily (Italy)
2020
International audience; The deterioration of monument or building stone materials is mostly due to the growth of black crusts that cause blackening and disaggregation of the exposed surface. This study reports on new oxygen (δ17O, δ18O and Δ17O) and sulphur (δ33S, δ34S, δ36S, Δ33S and Δ36S) isotopic analyses of black crust sulphates formed on building stones in Sicily (Southern Italy). The measurements are used to identify the possible influence of volcanic emissions on black crust formation. Black crusts were mostly sampled on carbonate stone substrate in different locations subject to various sulphur emission sources (marine, anthropogenic and volcanic). Unlike atmospheric sulphate aeroso…
Forecasting Etnean eruptions by real-time observations of volcanic gas composition.
2007
It is generally accepted but not experimentally proven that a quantitative prediction of volcanic eruptions is possible from the evaluation of volcanic gas data. By discussing the results of two years of real-time observation of H2O, CO2 and SO2 in volcanic gases from Mt. Etna volcano, we unambiguously demonstrate that increasing CO2/SO2 ratios can allow detecting the pre-eruptive degassing of uprising magmas. Quantitative modeling by the use of a saturation model allows us to relate the pre-eruptive increases of the CO2/SO2 ratio to the refilling of Etna’s shallow conduits with CO2-rich deep-reservoir magmas, leading to pressurization and eruption triggering. The advent of real-time observ…
Volcanic plume monitoring at mount Etna by diffusive(passive)sampling
2004
This paper reports the use of diffusive tubes in determining HF, HCI, and SO2 in the volcanic plume of Mount Etna in an attempt to highlight the potential of this method in studying volcanoes. In a first application a network of 18 diffusive tubes was installed on Etna's flanks, aimed at evaluating the atmospheric dispersion of the volcanic plume on a local scale. Results showed a monotonic decrease in volatile air concentrations with distance from the craters (HF from 0.15 to <0.003 μmol m-3 , HCl from 2 to <0.01 μmol m -3, and SO2 from 11 to 0.04 μmol m -3 ), revealing the prevalently volcanic contribution. Matching of SO2/HCl and HCl/HF volatile ratios with contemporaneous measurements a…