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Unmanned aerial vehicle measurements of volcanic carbon dioxide fluxes
Author(s) -
McGonigle A. J. S.,
Aiuppa A.,
Giudice G.,
Tamburello G.,
Hodson A. J.,
Gurrieri S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2007gl032508
Subject(s) - volcano , plume , impact crater , carbon dioxide , flux (metallurgy) , spectrometer , volcanic gases , environmental science , remote sensing , volcanism , geology , payload (computing) , hydrothermal circulation , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , astrobiology , materials science , geochemistry , physics , seismology , chemistry , tectonics , optics , computer network , organic chemistry , network packet , computer science , metallurgy
We report the first measurements of volcanic gases with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The data were collected at La Fossa crater, Vulcano, Italy, during April 2007, with a helicopter UAV of 3 kg payload, carrying an ultraviolet spectrometer for remotely sensing the SO 2 flux (8.5 Mg d −1 ), and an infrared spectrometer, and electrochemical sensor assembly for measuring the plume CO 2 /SO 2 ratio; by multiplying these data we compute a CO 2 flux of 170 Mg d −1 . Given the deeper exsolution of carbon dioxide from magma, and its lower solubility in hydrothermal systems, relative to SO 2 , the ability to remotely measure CO 2 fluxes is significant, with promise to provide more profound geochemical insights, and earlier eruption forecasts, than possible with SO 2 fluxes alone: the most ubiquitous current source of remotely sensed volcanic gas data.