scholarly journals Detection of Volcanic Plumes by GPS: the 23 November 2013 Episode on Mt. Etna

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Aranzulla ◽  
Flavio Cannavò ◽  
Simona Scollo
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Explosive Eruptions ◽  
Volcanic Plume ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Volcanic Plumes ◽  
Gps Network ◽  
Mt Etna ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Aviation Operations

<p>The detection of volcanic plumes produced during explosive eruptions is important to improve our understanding on dispersal processes and reduce risks to aviation operations. The ability of Global Position-ing System (GPS) to retrieve volcanic plumes is one of the new challenges of the last years in volcanic plume detection. In this work, we analyze the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) data from 21 permanent stations of the GPS network of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo, that are located on the Mt. Etna (Italy) flanks. Being one of the most explosive events since 2011, the eruption of November 23, 2013 was chosen as a test-case. Results show some variations in the SNR data that can be correlated with the presence of an ash-laden plume in the atmosphere. Benefits and limitations of the method are highlighted.</p>

scholarly journals Quantized Constant-Q Gabor Atoms for Sparse Binary Representations of Cyber-Physical Signatures

Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 936
Author(s):  
Milton A. Garcés
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Wavelet Transforms ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Continuous Wavelet ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Weighting Functions ◽  
Signal Characteristics ◽  
Multiple Sensor ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Physical Signal

Increased data acquisition by uncalibrated, heterogeneous digital sensor systems such as smartphones present new challenges. Binary metrics are proposed for the quantification of cyber-physical signal characteristics and features, and a standardized constant-Q variation of the Gabor atom is developed for use with wavelet transforms. Two different continuous wavelet transform (CWT) reconstruction formulas are presented and tested under different signal to noise ratio (SNR) conditions. A sparse superposition of Nth order Gabor atoms worked well against a synthetic blast transient using the wavelet entropy and an entropy-like parametrization of the SNR as the CWT coefficient-weighting functions. The proposed methods should be well suited for sparse feature extraction and dictionary-based machine learning across multiple sensor modalities.

Solubility of metals in aerosol samples from Mount Etna during the EPL-REFLECT campaign

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Giorio ◽  
Sara D'Aronco ◽  
Lidia Soldà ◽  
Salvatore Giammanco ◽  
Alessandro La Spina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Ligand ◽  
Mount Etna ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Explosive Eruptions ◽  
Chemical Components ◽  
Volcanic Plume ◽  
Volcanic Plumes

&lt;p&gt;Volcanoes emit a chemically complex cocktail of gases and aerosols into the atmosphere, which can affect Earth&amp;#8217;s climate (1) and human health. The vast majority of volcanogenic fatalities involve the obvious thermal and physical injuries resulting from an eruption, but many of the emissions from volcanoes are toxic and include compounds such as sulfates and metals, which are known to disrupt biological systems (2). Yet, there is a lack of knowledge on the toxicity of compounds found in volcanic plumes and their fate in the atmosphere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Research has focussed on the impacts of large-magnitude explosive eruptions. While emissions from many non-explosive eruptions are continuous and prolonged, their climatic and potential effects on human health have not been studied extensively. Once the plume disperses in the atmosphere, the aerosol particle components can mix and interact with oxidants and organic compounds present in the atmosphere. How these chemical components interact and how the interactions affect the Earth&amp;#8217;s climate, particle toxicity and human health is largely unknown especially for trace metals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the framework of the EPL-REFLECT (Etna Plume Lab &amp;#8211; near-source estimations of Radiative EFfects of voLcanic aErosols for Climate and air quality sTudies), a field campaign on Mount Etna was done in July 2019 in which samples of atmospheric aerosol were collected during non-explosive degassing activity. Samples were collected both at the crater and in a transect following the volcanic plume down slope to the closest inhabited areas. Samples were analysed for trace metals and organic compounds, including solubility tests (3) to assess how tropospheric processing of the aerosol affects metal bioavailability and potentially the toxicity of the aerosol.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;(1)&lt;/strong&gt; von Glasow, R. 2010. Atmospheric chemistry in volcanic plumes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 107, pp. 6594&amp;#8211;6599., DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0913164107&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;(2)&lt;/strong&gt; Weinstein, P., Horwell, C.J., Cook, A. 2013. Volcanic Emissions and Health. In: Essentials of Medical Geology, Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp. 217&amp;#8211;238., DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-4375-5_10&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;(3)&lt;/strong&gt; Tapparo, A., Di Marco, V., Badocco, D., D&amp;#8217;Aronco, S., Sold&amp;#224;, L., Pastore, P., Mahon, B.M., Kalberer, M., Giorio, C. 2019. Formation of metal-organic ligand complexes affects solubility of metals in airborne particles at an urban site in the Po Valley. Chemosphere, in press., DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125025&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals OClO and BrO observations in the volcanic plume of Mt. Etna – implications on the chemistry of chlorine and bromine species in volcanic plumes

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 25213-25280
Author(s):  
J. Gliß ◽  
N. Bobrowski ◽  
L. Vogel ◽  
U. Platt
Keyword(s):  
Early Morning ◽  
Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Volcanic Plume ◽  
Plume Dispersion ◽  
Strong Indication ◽  
Volcanic Plumes ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Mt Etna ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Spatial and temporal profiles of chlorine dioxide (OClO), bromine monoxide (BrO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) were measured in the plume of Mt. Etna, Italy, in September 2012 using Multi-Axis-Differential-Optical-Absorption-Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS). OClO (BrO) was detected in 119 (452) individual measurements covering plume ages up to 6 (23) minutes. The retrieved slant column densities (SCDs) reached values up to 2.0 × 1014 molecules cm−2 (OClO) and 1.1 × 1015 molecules cm−2 (BrO). In addition, the spectra were analysed for signatures of IO, OIO and OBrO, none of these species could be detected. The corresponding detection limits for IO / SO2, OIO / SO2 and OBrO / SO2 were 1.8 × 10−6, 2.0 × 10−5 and 1.1 × 10−5 respectively. The measurements were performed at plume ages (τ) from zero to 23 min downwind the emission source. The chemical variability of BrO and OClO in the plume was studied analysing the OClO / SO2 and BrO / SO2-ratio. A marked increase of both ratios was observed in the young plume (τ < 3 min) and a levelling off at larger plume ages (τ > 3 min) with mean abundances of 3.17 × 10−5 (OClO / SO2), 1.55 × 10−4 (BrO / SO2) and 0.16 (OClO / BrO). Furthermore, enhanced BrO/SO2-ratios were found at the plume edges (by ~30–37%) and a strong indication of enhanced OClO / SO2-ratios as well (~10–250%). A measurement performed in the early morning (05:20–06:20 UTC, sunrise: 04:40 UTC) showed an BrO / SO2-ratio increasing with time until 05:35 UTC and a constant ratio afterwards. Observing this increase was only possible due to a correction for stratospheric BrO signals in the plume spectra. The corresponding OClO / SO2-ratio showed a similar trend stabilising around 06:13 UTC, approximately 40 min later than BrO. This is another strong indication for the photochemical nature of the reactions involved in the formation of oxidised halogens in volcanic plumes. In particular, these findings support the current understanding of the underlying chemistry, namely, that BrO is formed in an autocatalytic reaction mechanism in literature often referred to as "bromine explosion" and that OClO is formed in the "BrO + ClO"-reaction. BrO and OClO concentrations were estimated from the measured SCDs assuming a circular plume shape. In addition, mixing ratios of ClO were determined from the retrieved OClO and BrO-SCDs assuming chemical equilibrium between formation of OClO (BrO + ClO) and its destruction (photolysis). Mean abundances in the young plume (τ<4 min) were BrO = 1.35 ppb, OClO = 300 ppt and ClO = 139 ppt with peak values of 600 ppt (OClO), 2.7 ppb (BrO) and 235 ppt (ClO) respectively. The prevailing Cl-atom concentrations in the plume could be estimated from the rate of increase of OClO and BrO in the young plume and the determined ClO and OClO concentrations. Values between 5.1 × 106 cm−3 (at 40 ppb O3) and 2.1 × 108 cm−3 (at 1 ppb O3) were found. Based on that, a potential – chlorine induced – depletion of tropospheric methane (CH4) in the plume was investigated. CH4-lifetimes between 13 h (at 1 ppb O3) and 23 days (at 40 ppb O3) were found. These are considerably small compared to the atmospheric lifetime of CH4. However, the impact of gaseous chlorine on the CH4-budget in the plume environment was assessed to be relatively small, mainly due to plume dispersion (decrease of Cl number densities) and permanent mixing of the plume with the surrounding atmosphere (net supply of O3 and CH4).

scholarly journals OClO and BrO observations in the volcanic plume of Mt. Etna – implications on the chemistry of chlorine and bromine species in volcanic plumes

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 5659-5681 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gliß ◽  
N. Bobrowski ◽  
L. Vogel ◽  
D. Pöhler ◽  
U. Platt
Keyword(s):  
Heterogeneous Reaction ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Volcanic Plume ◽  
Plume Dispersion ◽  
Volcanic Plumes ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Mt Etna ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Spatial and temporal profiles of chlorine dioxide (OClO), bromine monoxide (BrO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) of the volcanic plume at Mt. Etna, Italy, were investigated in September 2012 using Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS). OClO was detected in 119 individual measurements covering plume ages up to 6 min. BrO could be detected in 452 spectra up to 23 min downwind. The retrieved slant column densities (SCDs) reached maximum values of 2.0 × 1014 molecules cm-2 (OClO) and 1.1 × 1015 molecules cm-2 (BrO). Mean mixing ratios of BrO and OClO were estimated assuming a circular plume cross section. Furthermore, ClO mixing ratios were derived directly from the BrO and OClO-SCDs. Average abundances of BrO = 1.35 ppb, OClO = 300 ppt and ClO = 139 ppt were found in the young plume (plume age τ < 4 min) with peak values of 2.7 ppb (BrO), 600 ppt (OClO) and 235 ppt (ClO) respectively. The chemical evolution of BrO and OClO in the plume was investigated in great detail by analysing the OClO/SO2 and BrO/SO2 ratios as a function of plume age τ. A marked increase of both ratios was observed in the young plume (τ < 142 s) and a levelling off at larger plume ages showing mean SO2 ratios of 3.17 × 10-5 (OClO/SO2) and 1.65 × 10-4 (BrO/SO2). OClO was less abundant in the plume compared to BrO with a mean OClO/BrO ratio of 0.16 at plume ages exceeding 3 min. A measurement performed in the early morning at low solar radiances revealed BrO/SO2 and OClO/SO2 ratios increasing with time. This observation substantiates the importance of photochemistry regarding the formation of BrO and OClO in volcanic plumes. These findings support the current understanding of the underlying chemistry, namely, that BrO is formed in an autocatalytic, heterogeneous reaction mechanism (in literature often referred to as "bromine explosion") and that OClO is formed in the reaction of OClO with BrO. These new findings, especially the very detailed observation of the BrO and OClO formation in the young plume, were used to infer the prevailing Cl-atom concentrations in the plume. Relatively small values ranging from [Cl] = 2.5 × 106 cm-3 (assuming 80 ppb background O3) to [Cl] = 2.0 × 108 cm-3 (at 1 ppb O3) were calculated at plume ages of about 2 min. Based on these Cl abundances, a potential – chlorine-induced – depletion of tropospheric methane (CH4) in the plume was investigated. CH4 lifetimes between 14 h (at 1 ppb O3) and 47 days (at 80 ppb O3) were derived. While these lifetimes are considerably shorter than the atmospheric lifetime of CH4, the impact of gaseous chlorine on the CH4 budget in the plume environment should nevertheless be relatively small due to plume dispersion (decreasing Cl concentrations) and ongoing mixing of the plume with the surrounding atmosphere (replenishing O3 and CH4). In addition, all spectra were analysed for signatures of IO, OIO and BrO. None of these species could be detected. Upper limits for IO/SO2, OIO/SO2 and OBrO/SO2 are 1.8 × 10-6, 2.0 × 10-5 and 1.1 × 10-5 respectively.

scholarly journals Infrared Hyperspectral and Ultraviolet Remote Measurements of Volcanic Gas Plume at MT Etna during IMAGETNA Campaign

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Huret ◽  
Charlotte Segonne ◽  
Sébastien Payan ◽  
Giuseppe Salerno ◽  
Valéry Catoire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Plume ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Volcanic Gas ◽  
Volcanic Plumes ◽  
Emission Fluxes ◽  
Mt Etna ◽  
Remote Measurements ◽  
Natural Emissions ◽  
Infrared Spectrometer ◽  
Gas Measurements

Quantification of gaseous emission fluxes from volcanoes can yield valuable insights on processes occurring in the Earth’s interior as part of hazard monitoring. It is also an important task in the framework of climate change, in order to refine estimates of natural emissions. Passive open-path UltraViolet (UV) scattered observation by UV camera allows the imaging of volcanic plumes and evaluation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) fluxes at high temporal resolution during daytime. Another technique of imaging is now available in the InfraRed (IR) spectral domain. Infrared hyperspectral imagers have the potential to overcome the boundary of daytime sampling of the UV, providing measurements also during the night and giving access simultaneously to additional relevant gas species. In this context the IMAGETNA campaign of measurements took place at Mt Etna (Italy) in June 2015. Three different IR imagers (commercial and under developments) were deployed, together with a Fourier Transform InfraRed spectrometer (FTIR) instrument, a UV camera, a Long Wavelength InfraRed (LWIR) camera and a radiometer. We present preliminary results obtained by the two IR cameras under development, and then the IR hyperspectral imager results, coming from full physics retrieval, are compared to those of the UV camera. The comparison points out an underestimation of the SO2 Slant Column Densities (SCD) of the UV camera by a factor of 3.6. The detailed study of the retrieved SO2 SCD highlights the promising application of IR imaging in volcanology for remotely volcanic plume gas measurements. It also provides a way to investigate uncertainties in the SO2 SCD imaging in the UV and the IR.

scholarly journals Multi-Sensor Analysis of a Weak and Long-Lasting Volcanic Plume Emission

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 3866
Author(s):  
Simona Scollo ◽  
Antonella Boselli ◽  
Stefano Corradini ◽  
Giuseppe Leto ◽  
Lorenzo Guerrieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fine Particles ◽  
Volcanic Plume ◽  
Volcanic Emissions ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Double Stratification ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Volcanic Source ◽  
Mt Etna ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
Aviation Operations

Volcanic emissions are a well-known hazard that can have serious impacts on local populations and aviation operations. Whereas several remote sensing observations detect high-intensity explosive eruptions, few studies focus on low intensity and long-lasting volcanic emissions. In this work, we have managed to fully characterize those events by analyzing the volcanic plume produced on the last day of the 2018 Christmas eruption at Mt. Etna, in Italy. We combined data from a visible calibrated camera, a multi-wavelength elastic/Raman Lidar system, from SEVIRI (EUMETSAT-MSG) and MODIS (NASA-Terra/Aqua) satellites and, for the first time, data from an automatic sun-photometer of the aerosol robotic network (AERONET). Results show that the volcanic plume height, ranging between 4.5 and 6 km at the source, decreased by about 0.5 km after 25 km. Moreover, the volcanic plume was detectable by the satellites up to a distance of about 400 km and contained very fine particles with a mean effective radius of about 7 µm. In some time intervals, volcanic ash mass concentration values were around the aviation safety thresholds of 2 × 10−3 g m−3. Of note, Lidar observations show two main stratifications of about 0.25 km, which were not observed at the volcanic source. The presence of the double stratification could have important implications on satellite retrievals, which usually consider only one plume layer. This work gives new details on the main features of volcanic plumes produced during low intensity and long-lasting volcanic plume emissions.

scholarly journals iFit: An intensity-based retrieval for SO<sub>2</sub> and BrO from scattered sunlight ultraviolet volcanic plume absorption spectra

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Burton ◽  
G. M. Sawyer
Keyword(s):  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Automated Analysis ◽  
Uv Spectra ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
Volcanic Plume ◽  
Volcanic Plumes ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Mt Etna ◽  
Mass Factor ◽  
Detailed Presentation

Abstract. iFit is a new intensity-based retrieval algorithm for direct fitting of measured UV spectra, specifically developed for use in volcanology. It has been designed with a focus on minimising processing of the measured spectra prior to analysis. Here, we report a detailed presentation of the iFit algorithm, and test it in 4 case studies, examining clear sky spectra, SO2 calibration cell experiments and volcanic SO2 and BrO retrievals from traverse measurements performed on Mt. Etna volcano, Italy. We show that the major source of fit error in the intensity fitting come from air mass factor independent solar spectrum errors, which are, however, easily characterised and removed by dividing the measured spectrum by a pre-calculated solar spectrum residual. Furthermore, we have quantified the magnitude of the flat spectrum in two spectrometers, and shown that this spectrum is strongly spectrometer dependent but temperature independent, opening the possibility for robust analysis and and BrO without the need for temperature stabilisation of quantification of both SO2 the spectrometer. We find that iFit can be robustly and easily applied to traverse measurements of volcanic plumes, producing bias-free profiles of SO2 , and high quality SO2 /BrO ratios without the need for clear sky background spectra. Fit residuals are typically pure instrumental noise when the residual solar spectrum is removed. We believe that the iFit approach, which avoids the need for a clear sky spectrum and which achieves noise-limited fits, is ideally suited to the automated analysis of spectra produced by networks of scanning UV spectrometers around volcanoes.

Determination of the Best Emulsion for the Microscopy of Crystals

1981 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 32-33
Author(s):  
David A. Grano ◽  
Kenneth H. Downing
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Frequency ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Experimental Situation ◽  
Photographic Emulsion ◽  
Modulation Transfer ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Frequency Space ◽  
Noise Ratio

The retrieval of high-resolution information from images of biological crystals depends, in part, on the use of the correct photographic emulsion. We have been investigating the information transfer properties of twelve emulsions with a view toward 1) characterizing the emulsions by a few, measurable quantities, and 2) identifying the “best” emulsion of those we have studied for use in any given experimental situation. Because our interests lie in the examination of crystalline specimens, we've chosen to evaluate an emulsion's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as a function of spatial frequency and use this as our critereon for determining the best emulsion.The signal-to-noise ratio in frequency space depends on several factors. First, the signal depends on the speed of the emulsion and its modulation transfer function (MTF). By procedures outlined in, MTF's have been found for all the emulsions tested and can be fit by an analytic expression 1/(1+(S/S0)2). Figure 1 shows the experimental data and fitted curve for an emulsion with a better than average MTF. A single parameter, the spatial frequency at which the transfer falls to 50% (S0), characterizes this curve.

Experiments in Bright-Field Imaging with Hollow-Cone Illumination

1981 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 226-227
Author(s):  
W. Kunath ◽  
K. Weiss ◽  
E. Zeitler
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Carbon Support ◽  
Electronic System ◽  
Optic Axis ◽  
Hollow Cone ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Bright Field ◽  
Noise Ratio ◽  
Single Field ◽  
Field Imaging

Bright-field images taken with axial illumination show spurious high contrast patterns which obscure details smaller than 15 ° Hollow-cone illumination (HCI), however, reduces this disturbing granulation by statistical superposition and thus improves the signal-to-noise ratio. In this presentation we report on experiments aimed at selecting the proper amount of tilt and defocus for improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio by means of direct observation of the electron images on a TV monitor.Hollow-cone illumination is implemented in our microscope (single field condenser objective, Cs = .5 mm) by an electronic system which rotates the tilted beam about the optic axis. At low rates of revolution (one turn per second or so) a circular motion of the usual granulation in the image of a carbon support film can be observed on the TV monitor. The size of the granular structures and the radius of their orbits depend on both the conical tilt and defocus.

Correlation averaging of two-dimensional crystals: basic strategy and refinements

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 136-139
Author(s):  
W. Baumeister ◽  
R. Rachel ◽  
R. Guckenberger ◽  
R. Hegerl
Keyword(s):  
Low Dose ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Real Space ◽  
Fourier Domain ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Unit Cells ◽  
Lateral Displacements ◽  
Established Technique ◽  
Crystalline Array

IntroductionCorrelation averaging (CAV) is meanwhile an established technique in image processing of two-dimensional crystals /1,2/. The basic idea is to detect the real positions of unit cells in a crystalline array by means of correlation functions and to average them by real space superposition of the aligned motifs. The signal-to-noise ratio improves in proportion to the number of motifs included in the average. Unlike filtering in the Fourier domain, CAV corrects for lateral displacements of the unit cells; thus it avoids the loss of resolution entailed by these distortions in the conventional approach. Here we report on some variants of the method, aimed at retrieving a maximum of information from images with very low signal-to-noise ratios (low dose microscopy of unstained or lightly stained specimens) while keeping the procedure economical.

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