High temporal resolution SO2 flux measurements at Erebus volcano, Antarctica

The measurement of SO2 flux from volcanoes is of major importance for monitoring and hazard assessment purposes, and for evaluation of the environmental impact of volcanic emissions. We propose here a novel technique for accurate and high time resolution estimations of the gas flux. We use two wide field of view UV spectrometers capable of collecting, instantaneously, light from thin parallel cross-sections of the whole gas plume, obviating the need for either traversing, scanning or imaging. It enables tracking of inhomogeneities in the gas cloud from which accurate evaluation of the plume velocity can be made by correlation analysis. The method has been successfully applied on Mt. Erebus volcano (Antarctica). It yields estimations of the plume velocity and gas flux at unprecedented time resolution (1 Hz) and high accuracy (uncertainty of 33%). During a ∼ 2 h experiment on 26 December 2006, SO2 flux varied between 0.17 and 0.89 ± 0.2 kg s− 1 with a vertical plume velocity varying between 1 and 2.5 ± 0.1 m s− 1. These measurements provide insight into the short-term variations of the passive degassing of this volcano renowned for its active lava lake. A cyclicity in flux, ranging from about 11–24 min, is evident. We propose two physical mechanisms to explain this degassing pattern, associated to periodic supply of either gas-rich magma or gas alone into the lake. The dual-wide field of view DOAS technique promises better integration of geochemical and geophysical observations and new insights into gas and magma dynamics, as well as processes of magma storage and gas segregation at active volcanoes.