Modest volcanic SO2 emissions from the Indonesian archipelago

Indonesia hosts the largest number of active volcanoes, several of which are renowned for climate-changing historical eruptions. This pedigree might suggest a substantial fraction of global volcanic sulfur emissions from Indonesia and are intrinsically driven by sulfur-rich magmas. However, a paucity of observations has hampered evaluation of these points-many volcanoes have hitherto not been subject to emissions measurements. Here we report new gas measurements from Indonesian volcanoes. The combined SO2 output amounts to 1.15 ± 0.48 Tg/yr. We estimate an additional time-averaged SO2 yield of 0.12-0.54 Tg/yr for explosive eruptions, indicating a total SO2 inventory of 1.27-1.69 Tg/yr for Indonesian. This is comparatively modest-individual volcanoes such as Etna have sustained higher fluxes. To understand this paradox, we compare the geodynamic, petrologic, magma dynamical and shallow magmatic-hydrothermal processes that influence the sulfur transfer to the atmosphere. Results reinforce the idea that sulfur-rich eruptions reflect long-term accumulation of volatiles in the reservoirs.

Mie scattering from optically levitated mixed sulfuric acid-silica core-shell aerosols: observation of core-shell morphology for atmospheric science

Sulfuric acid is shown to form a core-shell particle on a micron-sized, optically-trapped spherical silica bead. The refractive indices of the silica and sulfuric acid, along with the shell thickness and bead radius were determined by reproducing Mie scattered optical white light as a function of wavelength in Mie spectroscopy. Micron-sized silica aerosols (silica beads were used as a proxy for atmospheric silica minerals) were levitated in a mist of sulfuric acid particles; continuous collection of Mie spectra throughout the collision of sulfuric acid aerosols with the optically trapped silica aerosol demonstrated that the resulting aerosol particle had a core-shell morphology. Contrastingly, the collision of aqueous sulfuric acid aerosols with optically trapped polystyrene aerosol resulted in a partially coated system. The light scattering from the optically levitated aerosols was successfully modelled to determine the diameter of the core aerosol (±0.003 μm), the shell thickness (±0.0003 μm) and the refractive index (±0.007). The experiment demonstrated that the presence of a thin film rapidly changed the light scattering of the original aerosol. When a 1.964 μm diameter silica aerosol was covered with a film of sulfuric acid 0.287 μm thick, the wavelength dependent Mie peak positions resembled sulfuric acid. Thus mineral aerosol advected into the stratosphere would likely be coated with sulfuric acid, with a core-shell morphology, and its light scattering properties would be effectively indistinguishable from a homogenous sulfuric acid aerosol if the film thickness was greater than a few 100 s of nm for UV-visible wavelengths.

Volcanic markers for dating the onset of the Anthropocene

Volcanic ash is dispersed over thousands of kilometres during large-scale eruptions, forming sedimentary layers. These ash (tephra) deposits are increasingly being used as unique marker layers in a variety of sedimentary archives including ice cores, and terrestrial and marine records. Tephra dispersed during large explosive eruptions that coincide with the defined beginning of the Anthropocene could therefore be used to help identify this event in various archives, and assess the relative spatial differences in marked anthropogenic change. The 1815 eruption of Tambora, Indonesia, was the largest in historical time and occurred in the middle of Europe's Industrial Revolution. Volatile emissions injected into the atmosphere during this eruption caused widespread effects including the ‘year without a summer’ during which there were anomalously cooler temperatures recorded across much of North America and Europe. Sulphate aerosols associated with the eruption were dispersed by stratospheric and tropospheric winds across the entire globe. Deposits of these are clearly recorded in the Earth's key palaeoclimatic records: polar ice cores. Significantly, the Tambora eruption occurred immediately prior to substantial increases in greenhouse gases, a defining feature of the Anthropocene.

Optical sensing of volcanic gas and aerosol emissions

Volcanic gas and aerosol surveillance yield important insights into magmatic, hydrothermal, and atmospheric processes. A range of optical sensing and sampling techniques has been applied to measurements of the composition and fluxes of volcanic emissions. In particular, the 30-year worldwide volcanological service record of the Correlation Spectrometer (COSPEC) illustrates the point that robust, reliable, straightforward optical techniques are of tremendous interest to the volcano observatory and research community. This chapter reviews the field, in particular the newer and more versatile instruments capable of augmenting or superseding COSPEC, with the aim of stimulating their rapid adoption by the volcanological community. It focuses on sensors that can be operated from the ground, since they generally offer the most flexibility and sensitivity. The success of COSPEC underlines the point, however, that such devices should be comparatively cheap, and easy to use and maintain, if they are to be widely used.