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Quantification of the Mass Flux of H2O Gas (Steam) at Three Active Volcanoes Using Thermal Infrared Imagery

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Abstract

We apply a measurement technique that utilizes thermal video of vapor-dominated volcanic plumes to estimate the H2O gas flux at three degassing volcanoes. Results are compared with H2O flux measurements obtained using other methods to verify the thermal camera-derived values. Our estimation of the H2O emission rate is based on the mass and energy conservation equations. H2O flux is quantified by extracting the temperature and width of the gas plume from the thermal images, calculating the transit velocity of the gas plume from the thermal video, and combining these results with atmospheric parameters measured on-site. These data are then input into the equations for conservation of mass and energy. Selected volcanoes for this study were Villarrica in Chile, Stromboli in Italy, and Santa Ana in El Salvador. H2O fluxes estimated from the thermal imagery were 38–250 kg s−1 at Villarrica, 4.5–14 kg s−1 for Stromboli’s Central Crater, and 168–219 kg s−1 at Santa Ana. These compare with H2O flux values estimated by other methods of 73–220, 3–70 and 266 kg s−1, at the three volcanoes, respectively. The good agreement between thermal image-derived results and those estimated by other methods seem to validate this method.

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Acknowledgments

Field work at Santa Ana volcano was carried out thanks to assistance of the Office of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) in El Salvador, the Spanish Embassy in El Salvador and the staff of the Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, University of El Salvador, especially to Francisco Barahona and Carlos Hernández. We are indebted to the GRP of El Salvador’s Civil National Police for providing security during our stay in El Salvador. Santa Ana field work research was mainly supported by the Spanish Aid Agency (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional—AECI), and additional financial-aid was provided by the Cabildo Insular de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. We thank Mike Burton for sharing the SO2 flux data he collected at Villarrica in November 2004. We also thank Matt Patrick for collecting the thermal imagery at Stromboli and Villarrica, where work was supported by NSF grants EAR-0207734 and EAR-0106349. We thank Y. Taran and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that improved the manuscript.

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  1. J. B. Witter

    Present address: SJ Geophysics, 11966 95A Avenue, Delta, BC, V4C 3W2, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hawai’i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, 1680 East–West Road, POST 602, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    J. B. Witter

  2. Environmental Research Division, Instituto Tecnologico y de Energias Renovables, ITER, Polígono Industrial de Granadilla S/N, Granadilla, 38611, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

    P. Hernandez & N. Pérez

  3. Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias, INVOLCAN, Antiguo Hotel Taoro, Parque Taoro, 22, 38400, Puerto de La Cruz, Tenerife, Spain

    P. Hernandez & N. Pérez

  4. Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, Université Blaise Pascal, 5 Rue Kessler, 63038, Clermont Ferrand, France

    A. J. L. Harris

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  1. J. B. Witter
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Correspondence to P. Hernandez.

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Witter, J.B., Hernandez, P., Harris, A.J.L. et al. Quantification of the Mass Flux of H2O Gas (Steam) at Three Active Volcanoes Using Thermal Infrared Imagery. Pure Appl. Geophys. 169, 1875–1889 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-011-0446-4

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