Hamburg 2009 – scientific programme

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UP: Fachverband Umweltphysik

UP 10: Poster: Umweltphysik

UP 10.23: Poster

Thursday, March 5, 2009, 17:48–19:00, VMP 9 Poster

Observations of volcanic SO₂ using GOME-2 measurements — •Andreas Richter, Folkard Wittrock, and John P. Burrows — Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Volcanic activity is a large source of emission of trace gases and aerosols into the atmosphere, both during explosive eruptions and through degassing. In particular volcanic eruptions can produce large plumes of SO₂ that, depending on injection altitude, can be transported over large distances. As the SO₂ plume is often close to ash and both are dangerous for air traffic, fast detection of SO₂ plumes is of interest for aviation control.

Using the strong UV absorption bands of SO₂, it can be detected in satellite measurements of the scattered solar flux. Using the well known DOAS technique, SO₂ emissions from several volcanic eruptions in 2007 and 2008 have been investigated using measurements from the GOME-2 instrument on board of MetOp. The emphasis is on estimating the total amount of SO₂ emitted and evaluating the applicability of the measurements for fast volcanic alerts to air traffic control.