Analysis of spectroscopic long-term volcanic emissions of SO2 and BrO data with respect to underlying geophysical processes.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ulrich Platt
• Subject Area: Atmospheric Science ; Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: from 2014 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 249475438

Composition and total gas fluxes emitted by volcanoes provide indications for processes in the interior of volcanoes. Changes in emitted gas fluxes can be an additional (besides, e.g. seismic, deformation) tool for forecasting eruptions. Beyond the total amount of gas released also the relative abundance of different gases can be indicative of certain types of volcanic activity. This proposal is centered on the improved evaluation of volcanic BrO and SO2 using spectroscopic data from the comprehensive database of the "Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change", which at present encompasses more than 60 instruments at 24 volcanoes, with the following objectives: 1. Improved spectroscopic evaluation of SO2 and BrO, application of simplified radiative transfer corrections, and use of the large statistics for improved determination of SO2-fluxes, BrO/SO2-ratios, and the global atmospheric emission of volcanic BrO and SO2 into the atmosphere.2. Analysis of SO2-fluxes, BrO/SO2-ratios with respect to their correlation with volcanic processes and thus laying the foundation for improved predictions of volcanic eruptions. The large amount of data available from the NOVAC network allows to perform time series analyses and - in close collaboration with local observatories (Colombia and Equador) - to correlate the time series of degassing data with other data sets (e.g. seismic and deformation as well as meteorology), and to identify links between the different time series.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants