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Volcanic activity is an important source of atmospheric sulfur dioxide (SO2), which, after conversion into sulfuric acid, induces impacts on rain acidity, human health, meteorology and the radiative balance of the atmosphere, among others. This work focuses on the conversion of SO2 into sulfates (SO4(p)2-, S(+VI)) in the mid-tropospheric volcanic plume emitted by the explosive eruption of Mount Etna (Italy) on 12 April 2012, using the CHIMERE chemistry transport model. As the volcanic plume location and composition depend on several often poorly constrained parameters, using a chemistry transport model allows us to study the sensitivity of SO2 oxidation to multiple aspects, such as volcanic water emissions, transition metal emissions, plume diffusion and plume altitude. Our results show that two pathways contribute to sulfate production in the mid-troposphere: (1) the oxidation of SO2 by OH in the gaseous phase (70 %) and (2) aqueous oxidation by O2 catalysed by Mn2+ and Fe3+ ions (25 %). Oxidation in the aqueous phase is the faster process, but liquid water is scarce in the mid-troposphere; therefore, the relative share of gaseous oxidation can be important. After 1 d in the mid-troposphere, about 0.5 % of the volcanic SO2 was converted to sulfates via the gaseous process. Because of the nonlinear dependency of the kinetics in the aqueous phase on the amount of volcanic water emitted and on the availability of transition metals in the aqueous phase, several experiments have been designed to determine the prominence of different parameters. Our simulations show that, during the short time that liquid water remains in the plume, around 0.4 % of sulfates manage to quickly enter the liquid phase. Sensitivity tests regarding the advection scheme have shown that this scheme must be chosen wisely, as dispersion will impact both of the oxidation pathways explained above.

During the summer of 2019, both Mt. Etna and Stromboli volcanoes in Sicily were in the stage of no ordinary activity. Mt. Etna was featured by mild strombolian activity from the summit South East Crater producing a moderate SO2–ash rich plume 4 km above sea level (asl). Meanwhile, at 120 km far from Etna, on 3 July and 28August, the ordinary and typical mild explosive eruptive activity of Stromboli was interrupted by two paroxysms. Both events were characterized by pyroclastic flows and consistent emission of ash–SO2 rich plume, which spread up to height of 5–6 km asl.In this work, we explored the spatial dispersion of the volcanic plumes released by both Mt. Etna and Stromboli on August 28 by employing the Weather Research and Forecasting Chemistry (WRF–Chem) model. The simulation was specifically configured and run by considering the time-variable Eruptive Source Parameters (ESPs) related to the SO2 flux data for Stromboli and Mount Etna observed from ground by the FLAME DOAS scanning spectrometers network.In order to assess the predictive performance of the WRF–Chem model, the simulated SO2 dispersion maps were compared with data retrieved on 28 August from TROPOMI and OMI sensors onboard Sentinel–5p and Aura satellites. The results show a good agreement between WRF–Chem and satellite data. In fact, the simulated total mass of the emitted SO2 from the two volcanoes has the same order of magnitude as the satellite data. However, for the case of Stromboli, the total SO2 mass predicted by the WRF–Chem simulation is underestimated; this is likely due to inhibition of the real syn-eruptive SO2 detection by FLAME due to the extreme ash–rich volcanic plume released during the paroxysm.In conclusion, the results of these two test–cases demonstrate the feasibility of WRF–Chem model with a time-variable ESPs in reproducing different levels of volcanic SO2 and their dispersion into the atmosphere. For these reasons, our approach could represent an effective support for the assessment of local–to-regional air quality and flight security and, in case of particularly intense events, also on a global scale.

During the 14th IAVCEI Field Workshop held in Peru from 6 to 14 November 2022, SO2 plume measurements were carried out remotely in the volcanic plume of Sabancaya volcano. Sabancaya is an active stratovolcano located in southern Peru (15.787°S, 71.857°W), Sabancaya’s first historical record of an eruption dates to 1750 and the most recent eruption began in November 2016. Volcanic activity consist of rhythm vulcanian explosions, which produce a gas-ash rich plumes which rose few km above the summit terrace. On 10 and 11 November 2022, side-by-side observation by UV and TIR ground-based cameras were remotely carried out with the object to observe the passive and active SO2 burden from the volcanic plume of Sambacaya. Two UV cameras systems were employed observing the volcanic plume at 2- and 5-seconds time steps and calibrating SO2 amounts by coupling SO2 DOAS inverted column densities ad and SO2-quartz cell amounts. The TIR camera (named VIRSO2) is a novel system developed for the detection of volcanic plumes, the estimation of the height and the determination of columnar content and the SO2 flux. It allows acquisition of high frequency data both during the day and at night. It is equipped with 3 cameras, two broadband TIR (7-14 micron) and a VIS, capable of acquiring data simultaneously. For the quantitative estimation of SO2, an 8.7 μm filter is installed in front of one of the TIR camera. Retrieved cameras products were cross-compared and validated in order to determinate limit an uncertainty of both methods and results were also compared with those obtained by S5p-TROPOMI instrument.Preliminary results show a feasible strength between the three ground and space-based techniques. Within the uncertainties of each method, differences between inverted SO2 column densities and emission rates arise from field of view geometrical sampling set-up and radiative transfer. Results gathered in this study prove the promising application of ground-based TIR in volcanic plume SO2 observation.

During the extended activity of Mount Etna volcano in February-April 2021, three distinct paroxysmal events took place from 21 to 26 February, which were associated with a very uncommon transport of the injected upper-tropospheric plumes towards the north. A major Saharan dust outbreak to central Europe occurred in the same period. Using a synergy of observations and modelling, we characterise the three-dimensional dispersion of these volcanic plumes and we disentangle their optical and radiative signature from the simultaneous Saharan dust transport. In the region of interest for our study, the volcanic and the dust plumes remain completely vertically-separated, thus facilitating the detection and spatiotemporal characterisation of the dispersion, properties and radiative impacts of these two different aerosol plumes, using vertically-resolved observations. With a satellite-based source inversion, we estimate the emitted sulphur dioxide (SO2) mass at an integrated value of 55 kt and plumes injections at up to 12 km altitudes, which qualifies this series as an extreme event for Mount Etna activity spectrum. Then, we combine Lagrangian dispersion modelling, initialised with measured temporally-resolved SO2 emission fluxes and altitudes, with satellite observations to track the dispersion of the individual volcanic and dust plumes. The general transport towards the north allowed the height-resolved downwind monitoring of the volcanic and dust plumes at selected observatories in France, Italy and Israel, using LiDARs and photometric aerosol observations. A specific effort has been dedicated to the characterisation of the volcanic aerosol plumes. Volcanic-specific aerosol optical depths in the visible spectral range ranging from about 0.004 to 0.03 and local daily average shortwave radiative forcing ranging from about -0.2 to -1.2 W/m2 (at the top of atmosphere) and from about -0.2 to -3.0 W/m2 (at the surface) are found. The composition (possible presence of ash), aerosol optical depth and radiative forcing of the volcanic plumes has a large inter- and intra-plume variability and thus depend strongly on the position of the sampled section of the plumes. The dust optical depth and radiative impact largely outweigh volcanic aerosols when the two plumes are co-located, for this event. This case study points at the complexity of the Mediterranean aerosol environment and pave the way to future studies at longer timescales, exploiting the available observational and modelling capabilities and their synergies.

soumis a JGR Atmospheres - First posted online: Fri, 8 Oct 2021; International audience; During the extended activity of Mount Etna volcano in February-April 2021, three distinct paroxysmal events took place from 21 to 26 February, which were associated with a very uncommon transport of the injected upper-tropospheric plumes towards the north. Using a synergy of observations and modelling, we characterised the emissions and three-dimensional dispersion for these three plumes, we monitor their downwind distribution and optical properties, and we estimate their radiative impacts at selected locations. With a satellite-based source inversion, we estimate the emitted sulphur dioxide (SO2) mass at an integrated value of 55 kt and plumes injections at up to 12 km altitudes, which qualifies this series as an extreme event for Mount Etna. Then, we combine Lagrangian dispersion modelling, initialised with measured temporally-resolved SO2 emission fluxes and altitudes, with satellite observations to track the dispersion of the three individual plumes. The transport towards the north allowed the height-resolved downwind monitoring of the plumes at selected observatories in France, Italy and Israel, using LiDARs and photometric aerosol observations. Volcanic-specific aerosol optical depths in the visible spectral range ranging from about 0.004 to 0.03 and local daily average shortwave radiative forcing ranging from about -0.2 to -1.2 W/m2 (at the top of atmosphere) and from about -0.2 to -3.0 W/m2 (at the surface) are found. The composition (possible presence of ash), aerosol optical depth and radiative forcing of the plume has a large inter- and intra-plume variability and thus depend strongly on the position of the sampled section of the plumes.

Volcanoes are known to be important emitters of atmospheric gases and aerosols, which for certain volcanoes can include halogen gases and in particular HBr. HBr emitted in this way can undergo rapid atmospheric oxidation chemistry (known as the bromine-explosion) within the volcanic emission plume leading to the production of bromine oxide (BrO) and ozone depletion. In this work, we present the results of a modelling study of a volcanic eruption from Mt Etna that occurred around Christmas 2018 that lasted 6 days. The aims of this study are to demonstrate and evaluate the ability of the regional 3D Chemistry Transport Model MOCAGE to simulate the volcanic halogen chemistry in this case study, to analyse the variability of the chemical processes during the plume transport, and to quantify its impact on the composition of the troposphere at a regional scale over the Mediterranean basin. The comparison of the tropospheric SO2 and BrO columns from 25 to 30 December 2018 from the MOCAGE simulation with the columns derived from the TROPOMI satellite measurements shows a very good agreement for the transport of the plumeand a good consistency for the concentrations if considering the uncertainties in the flux estimates and the TROPOMI columns. The analysis of the bromine species’ partitioning and of the associated chemical reaction rates provides a detailed picture of the simulated bromine chemistry throughout the diurnal cycle and at different stages of the volcanic plume’s evolution. The partitioning of the bromine species is modulated by the time evolution of the emissions during the 6 days of the eruption, by the meteorological conditions, and by the distance of the plume from the vent/the time since the emission. As the plume travels further from the vent, the halogen source gas HBr becomes depleted, BrO production in the plume becomes less efficient, and ozone depletion (proceeding via the Br + O3 reaction followed by the BrO self-reaction) decreases. The depletion of HBr relative to the other prevalent hydracid HCl leads to a shift in the relative concentrations of the Br− and Cl− ions, which in turn leads to reduced production of Br2 relative to BrCl. The MOCAGE simulations show a regional impact of the volcanic eruption on the oxidants OH and O3 with a reduced burden of both gases that is caused by the chemistry in the volcanic plume. This reduction in atmospheric oxidation capacity results in a reduced CH4 burden. Finally, sensitivity tests on the composition of the emissions carried out in this work show that the production of BrO is higher when the volcanic emissions of sulfate aerosols are increased but occurs very slowly when no sulfate and Br radicals are assumed to be in the emissions. Both sensitivity tests highlight a significant impact on the oxidants in the troposphere at the regional scale of these assumptions. All the results of this modelling study are consistent with the previous studies carried out on the volcanic halogens modelling.

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. Published version Initial implementation of the network was funded by the EU FP6 NOVAC project (https://cordis.europa.eu/ project/rcn/75513/factsheet/en, last access: 1 October 2020). Recent funding for this work was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Deep Carbon Observatory programme (https://deepcarbon. net/, last access: 1 October 2020), Chalmers University of Technology, the Swedish National Space Agency (career grant no. 149/18), and the ECMWF CAMS_81 Global and Regional Emissions project. The authors are thankful for the valuable support from the USGS–USAID Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (https: //volcanoes.usgs.gov/vdap/, last access: 1 October 2020) provided to NOVAC since 2015.

Volcanic activity is an important source of atmospheric sulphur dioxide (SO2), which, after conversion into sulphuric acid, induces impacts on, among others, rain acidity, human health, meteorology and the radiative balance of the atmosphere. This work focuses on the conversion of SO2 into sulphates (, S(+VI)) in the mid-tropospheric volcanic plume emitted by the explosive eruption of Mount Etna (Italy) on Apr. 12, 2012, using the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model. Since volcanic plume location and composition depend on several often poorly constrained parameters, using a chemistry-transport model allows us to study the sensitivity of SO2 oxidation to multiple aspects such as volcanic water emissions, transition metal emissions, plume diffusion and plume altitude. Our results show that in the mid-troposphere, two pathways contribute to sulphate production, the oxidation of SO2 by OH in the gaseous phase (70 %), and the aqueous oxidation by O2 catalyzed by Mn2+ and Fe3+ ions (25 %). The oxidation in aqueous phase is the faster process, but in the mid-troposphere, liquid water is scarce, therefore the relative share of gaseous oxidation can be important. After one day in the mid-troposphere, about 0.5 % of the volcanic SO2 was converted to sulphates through the gaseous process. Because of the nonlinear dependency of the kinetics in the aqueous phase to the amount of volcanic water emitted and on the availability of transition metals in the aqueous phase, several experiments have been designed to determine the prominence of different parameters. Our simulations show that during the short time that liquid water remains in the plume, around 0.4 % of sulphates manage to quickly enter the liquid phase. Sensitivity tests regarding the advection scheme have shown that this scheme must be chosen wisely, as dispersion will impact both oxidation pathways explained above.

The characterisation of aerosol emissions from volcanoes is a crucial step towards the assessment of their importance for regional air quality and regional-to-global climate. In this paper we present, for the first time, the characterisation of aerosol emissions of the Stromboli volcano, in terms of their optical properties and emission flux rates, carried out during the PEACETIME oceanographic campaign. Using sun-photometric observations realised during a near-ideal full plume crossing, a plume-isolated aerosol optical depth of 0.07–0.08 in the shorter-wavelength visible range, decreasing to about 0.02 in the near infrared range, was found. An Ångström exponent of 1.40 ± 0.40 was also derived. This value may suggest the dominant presence of sulphate aerosols with a minor presence of ash. During the crossing, two separate plume sections were identified, one possibly slightly affected by ash coming from a mild explosion, and the other more likely composed of pure sulphate aerosols. Exploiting the full crossing scan of the plume, an aerosol emission flux rate of 9–13 kg/s was estimated. This value was 50% larger than for typical passively degassing volcanoes, thus pointing to the importance of mild explosions for aerosol emissions in the atmosphere.

The balance between the amount of gas coexisting with mantle-derived magmas at depth and that emitted during intereruptive phases may play a key role in the eruptive potential of volcanoes. Taking the December 2018 eruption at Mt. Etna volcano as a case study, we discuss the geochemical data streams observed. The signals indicate a long-lasting prelude stage to eruption, starting in 2017 and involving magma-fluid accumulation in the deep (7 km bsl) reservoir, followed by pressure buildup in the system at intermediate depth (5 to 2 km bsl), 6 to 7 months before the eruption. A brief preeruptive phase marks the pressurization at 2 to 3 km below the craters. By comparing the magma and fluid recharge at depth to the measured volcanic degassing from the plume, we provide evidence that Mt. Etna was in a state of extreme overpressurization in the weeks before the onset of the eruption.

We developed a new retrieval algorithm based on the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) observations, called AEROIASI-H2SO4, to measure the extinction and mass concentration of sulphate aerosols (binary solution droplets of sulphuric acid and water), with moderate random uncertainties (typically ∼35% total uncertainty for column mass concentration estimations). The algorithm is based on a self-adapting Tikhonov–Phillips regularization method. It is here tested over a moderate-intensity eruption of Mount Etna volcano (18 March 2012), Italy, and is used to characterise this event in terms of the spatial distribution of the retrieved plume. Comparisons with simultaneous and independent aerosol optical depth observations from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), SO2 plume observations from IASI and simulations with the CHIMERE chemistry/transport model show that AEROIASI-H2SO4 correctly identifies the volcanic plume horizontal morphology, thus providing crucial new information towards the study of volcanic emissions, volcanic sulphur cycle in the atmosphere, plume evolution processes, and their impacts. Insights are given on the possible spectroscopic evidence of the presence in the plume of larger-sized particles than previously reported for secondary sulphate aerosols from volcanic eruptions.

The EPL-RADIO (Etna Plume Lab - Radioactive Aerosols and other source parameters for better atmospheric Dispersion and Impact estimatiOns) and EPL-REFLECT (near-source estimations of Radiative EFfects of voLcanic aErosols for Climate and air quality sTudies) projects, funded by the EC Horizon2020 ENVRIplus and EUROVOLC Transnational Access to European Observatories programmes, aim to advance the understanding of Mount Etna as a persistent source of atmospheric aerosols and its impact on the radiative budget at proximal to regional spatial scales. Research was tackled by carrying out three campaigns in the summers of 2016, 2017 and 2019 to observe the volcanic plume produced by passive degassing, proximally and distally from the summit craters, using a wide array of remote sensing and in situ instruments. Diverse data are collected to explore the link of inner degassing mechanisms to the characterisation of near-source aerosol physicochemical properties and subsequent impacts on the atmosphere, environment and regional climate system.The results of the three campaigns have shown that the volcanic plume emitted by Mount Etna often mixes with aerosols of different origins generating a complex layered pattern. Frequent mineral dust transport events were observed by both LiDAR observations located at Serra La Nave (~7 km south-west from summit craters) and at a medium-term radiometric station, equipped with a Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR), and other instruments located at Milo (~10 km eastwards from the craters). LiDAR observations also allowed to study the coexistence of volcanic aerosols and biomass burning particles from local to more distal smoke plumes transports (like for the well-documented large fires from continental southern Italy in July 2017). In situ filter and optical particles counter measurements confirmed the presence of dust at Milo. The interaction/mixing among volcanic, wildfire, and dust aerosols occurs in an overall dynamical regime which appears to be dominated by sea breeze, which is strengthened by the presence of the dark volcanic lava flanks. Photolysis process also possibly play a role in determining the daily evolution of the aerosol plume.The sources of these different aerosol types are studied in detail using Lagrangian trajectories and meteorological data. Off-line radiative transfer calculations, using EPL-RADIO/REFLECT observations as input data, are used to estimate the relative radiative impact of the different aerosol types with respect to the background passive-degassing aerosols coming from Mount Etna.

Volcanic eruptions are events that can eject several tons of material into the atmosphere. Among these emissions, sulfur dioxide is the main sulfurous volcanic gas. It can form sulfate aerosols that are harmful to health or, being highly soluble, it can condense in water particles and form acid rain. Thus, volcanic eruptions can have an environmental impact on a regional scale.The Mediterranean region is very interesting from this point of view because it is a densely populated region with a strong anthropogenic activity, therefore polluted, in which Mount Etna is also located. Mount Etna is the largest passive SO2 emitter in Europe, but it can also sporadically produce strong eruptive events. It is then likely that the additional input of sulfur compounds into the atmosphere by volcanic emissions may have effects on the regional atmospheric sulfur composition.We are particularly investigating the eruption of Mount Etna on December 24, 2018 [Corradini et al, 2020]. This eruption took place along a 2 km long breach on the side of the volcano, thus at a lower altitude than its main crater. About 100 kt of SO2 and 35 kt of ash were released in total, between December 24 and 30. With the exception of the 24th, the quantities of ash were always lower than the SO2.The availability of the TROPOMI SO2column estimates, at fine spatial resolution (7 km x 3.5 km at nadir) and associated averaging kernels, during this eruptive period made it also an excellent case study. It allows us to follow the evolution of SO2 in the volcanic plume over several days.Using the CNRM MOCAGE chemistry-transport model (CTM), we aim to quantify the impact of this volcanic eruption on atmospheric composition, sulfur deposition and air quality at the regional scale. The comparison of the model with the TROPOMI observation data allows us to assess the ability of the model to properly represent the plume. In spite of a particular meteorological situation, leading to a complex plume transport, MOCAGE shows a good agreement with TROPOMI observations. Thus, from the MOCAGE simulation, we can evaluate the impact of the eruption on the regional concentrations of SO2 and sulfate aerosols, but also analyse the quantities of dry and wet deposition, and compare it to surface measurement stations.

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 sulphur 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 spectrometers (ScanDOAS) 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 on 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 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-sensors validation, and improved quantification of the prevalent tropospheric component of global volcanic emission. Data sets for each volcano are made available at https://novac.chalmers.se, under license CC-BY 4, or through the DOI-links provided in Table 1.

High precision and accuracy in volcanic SO2 emission rate quantification is critical for eruption forecasting and, in combination with in-plume gas ratios, quantifying global volcanic emission inventories. Light dilution, where scattering of ultraviolet light dilutes plume SO2 absorbance signals, has been recognized for more than 50 years, but is still not routinely corrected for during gas flux quantification. Here we use modeling and empirical observations from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, to show that light dilution produces: i) underestimates in SO2 that can reach a factor of 5 and, at low column densities, cause little impact on standard retrieval fit quality, even for heavily diluted spectra; ii) retrieved SO2 amounts that are capped by a maximum value regardless of the true amount of SO2, with this maximum amount being reduced as light dilution increases. Global volcanic volatile emission rates may therefore be significantly underestimated. An easily implementable dual-waveband analysis provides a means to detect, and in clear sky conditions, correct dilution effects directly from the spectra, opening a path to more accurate SO2 quantifications.

Magma transfer in an open-conduit volcano is a complex process that is still open to debate and not entirely understood. For this reason, a multidisciplinary monitoring of active volcanoes is not only welcome, but also necessary for a correct comprehension of how volcanoes work. Mt. Etna is probably one of the best test sites for doing this, because of the large multidisciplinary monitoring network setup by the Osservatorio Etneo of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV-OE), the high frequency of eruptions and the relatively easy access to most of its surface.We present new data on integrated monitoring of volcanic tremor, plume sulphur dioxide (SO2) flux and soil hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration from Mt. Etna. The RMS amplitude of volcanic tremor was measured by seismic stations at various distances from the summit craters, plume SO2 flux was measured from nine stations around the volcano and soil gases were measured in a station located in a low-temperature (T ∼ 85 °C) fumarole field on the upper north side of the volcano.During our monitoring period, we observed clear and marked anomalous changes in all parameters, with a nice temporal sequence that started with a soil CO2 and SO2 flux increase, followed a few days later by a soil H2 spike-like increase and finally with sharp spike-like increases in RMS amplitude (about 24 h after the onset of the anomaly in H2) at all seismic stations.After the initial spikes, all parameters returned more or less slowly to their background levels. Geochemical data, however, showed persistence of slight anomalous degassing for some more weeks, even in the apparent absence of RMS amplitude triggers. This suggests that the conditions of slight instability in the degassing magma column inside the volcano conduits lasted for a long period, probably until return to some sort of balance with the “normal” pressure conditions.The RMS amplitude increase accompanied the onset of strong Strombolian activity at the Northeast Crater, one of the four summit craters of Mt. Etna, which continued during the following period of moderate geochemical anomalies. This suggests a cause-effect relationship between the anomalies observed in all parameters and magma migration inside the central conduits of the volcano. Volcanic tremor is a well-established key parameter in the assessment of the probability of eruptive activity at Etna and it is actually used as a basis for a multistation system for detection of volcanic anomalies that has been developed by INGV-OE at Etna. Adding the information provided by our geochemical parameters gave us more solid support to this system, helping us understand better the mechanisms of magma migration inside of an active, open-conduit basaltic volcano.

Volcanic ash and gas is, like sulphur dioxide (SO2), a major risk for air traffic. To mitigate this risk and to improve situational awareness for air traffic management (ATM), we describe a new service using the SWIM (System Wide Information System Management) Yellow Profile – see https://www.eurocontrol.int/publication/eurocontrol-specifications-system-wide-information-management-swim – and aligned with the ATM Information Reference Model (AIRM) as required.This new service provides early warnings of volcanic SO2 layer height (SO2LH) retrievals from 3 satellite instruments (TROPOMI on board S5P, and IASI-A&-B on board MetOp-A&B). The implementation of this service is enveloped in the framework of OPAS – Operational alert Products for ATM via SWIM – project, a KTN (Knowledge Transfer Network) Engage Catalyst funded project (Thematic Challenge 3; https://engagektn.com) of SESAR JU (Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking; https://www.sesarju.eu).We present the TROPOMI SO2LH algorithm and the uses of inverse modelling and external observations from satellites and ground-based DOAS-FLAME instruments to validate TROPOMI SO2LH products for recent eruptions (i.e. Etna in Dec. 2018, Raikoke in June 2019, Ubinas in July 2019, Taal in January 2020). Cross-comparison with the satellite instruments CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization), IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounder Interferometer) and with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) radio-occultations, is shown. This study will describe the specification of our SWIM service and highlight the point of view of an engine constructor (Rolls-Royce) directly in relation with airlines and ATM, with regard to the objectives of the APOS project. Note that due to engine susceptibility to aerosols, the avoidance of flights through volcanic plumes and SO2 clouds is critical.The development of our new SO2LH products from TROPOMI contributes to an existing early warning system, so called SACS (Support to Aviation Control Service; http://sacs.aeronomie.be). This system is dedicated to support aviation and ATM, and was recently upgraded in the frame of EUNADICS-AV project (European Natural Airborne Disaster Information and Coordination System for Aviation; http://www.eunadics.eu), with many other alert products related to natural airborne hazard affecting air traffic (e.g. volcanic ash column and layer height, smoke from forest fires and desert dust).

The Etna flank eruption started on 24 December 2018 lasted a few days and involved the opening of an eruptive fissure, accompanied by a seismic swarm and shallow earthquakes, and by large and widespread ground deformation especially on the eastern flank of the volcano. Lava fountains and ash plume from the uppermost eruptive fissure have accompanied the opening stage causing disruption of Catania international airport, and have been followed by a quiet lava effusion within the barren Valle del Bove depression until 27 December. This is the first flank eruption occurring at Etna in the last decade, during which eruptive activity was confined to the summit craters and resulted in lava fountains and lava flow output from the crater rims. In this paper we use ground and satellite remote sensing techniques to describe the sequence of events, quantify the erupted volumes of lava, gas and tephra, and assess volcanic hazard.

Atmospheric modelling allows to study large spatial scale events such as volcanic eruptions, which can emit large amounts of plume-confined particulate matter and gases, to evaluate their transport in the atmosphere and their subsequent impacts. However, to study more precisely these events, different issues have to be addressed. One notable example of these issues is the well-known excessive numerical diffusion in the atmospheric column in Eulerian models leading to excessive plume dispersion misrepresentation of the plume three-dimensional morphology and subsequent geographical extent of its impacts. Mount Etna volcano’s moderate eruption of March 18, 2012, which released about 3kT of sulphure dioxide in the atmosphere, has been simulated in this study with the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model. The simulated plume has been observed and tracked with satellite instruments (OMI and IASI) for several days during its transport over the Mediterranean Sea in order to compare with model outputs.Sensitivity tests have been performed to evaluate the impact of injection altitude and profile shape on the subsequent trajectory of the plume. It was shown that altitude is the most sensitive parameter when results remain weakly sensitive to the vertical shape of injection.In order to effectively address the problem of excessive numerical diffusion, we have included a new antidiffusive transport scheme in the vertical direction and a new strategy to use directly the vertical wind field provided by the forcing meteorological model. We show that both these improvements permit a substantial reduction in numerical diffusion. The use of the new antidiffusive vertical scheme has brought the strongest improvement in our model outputs. To a lesser extent, a more realistic representation of the vertical wind field has also been shown to reduce volcanic plume spreading. In summary, we show that these two improvements bring an improvement in the representation of the plume which is as strong as the improvement brought by increasing the number of vertical levels, but without an additional burden in computational power.This study has been supported by AID (Agence de l'Innovation de Défense) under grant TROMPET.

The aerosol properties of Mount Etna’s passive degassing plume and its short-term processes and radiative impact were studied in detail during the EPL-RADIO/REFLECT campaigns (summer 2016, 17 and 19), using a synergistic combination of remote-sensing and in situ observations, and radiative transfer modelling. Summit observations show extremely high particulate matter concentrations, with no evidence of secondary sulphate aerosols (SA) formation. Marked indications of secondary SA formation, i.e. by the conversion of volcanic SO2 emissions, are found at larger spatial scales (