Dissemination Department - Oct 7th 2008
ITER´s Scientific Expedition to Etna volcano, Italy
Etna Volcano is the most active volcano in Europe.
The main goal is to evaluate Etna´s diffuse emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Since September the Technological Institute of Renewable Energy (ITER) is conducting a research on Etna Volcano (Sicily, Italy) to evaluate, the diffuse emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by Europe´s most active volcano of the Decade. To complete the goal of this scientific mission, a group of researchers of ITER and of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (IGNV; Sections of Palermo and Catania) from Italy, will be making thousands of diffuse flow measurements of carbon dioxide in Etna volcano until the end of October 2008.
ITER´s researches in Mount Etna are part of an ambitious project which aims to assess the overall rate of diffuse emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by subaerial volcanic activity. The purpose of this project, funded by the National R & D 2004-2007 of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, is to help quantify the contribution of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by subaerial volcanoes, since this parameter is currently undervalued (about 250 million tons / year).
The active volcanoes emit significant quantities of gases into the atmosphere through visible manifestations such as plumes and smoke, but numerous research papers during the past 20 years show that significant levels of emission of volcanic gases can also take place through the surface of the volcanoes in a diffuse and scattered way. This type of manifestations is also known as volcanic diffuse fumes that are primarily characterized because of their carbon dioxide (CO2) main composition, the second largest volcanic gas component after water vapour.
Most of the studies conducted so far on the global emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by subaerial volcanic activity have not considered this type of diffuse emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, the objective of this project is to conduct a larger study on diffuse emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by active volcanoes located in different volcanic environments and climates, in order to have a better description of the global dioxide emission of Carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by subaerial volcanic activity.
Mount Etna is located in the southern coast of Sicily, (Italy), and is the most active volcano in Europe. It is about 3.322 meters high and has a base circumference of 140 kilometres. Due to its volcanic activity and to the population density that lives in its out outskirts, Mount Etna has been designated by United Nations as one of the 16 volcanoes of the decade.
Another of the objectives of this scientific campaign is to evaluate the emission of the main components of the volcanic gases (water vapour, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide) emitted into the atmosphere by Etna volcano through its plume. The emission of gases by Etna volcano´s plume will be evaluated through the combined use of remote optical sensors type miniDOAS and other portable sensors that allow a chemical description of the volcanic plume. The purpose of this other goal is to know the ratio plume / diffuse of Etna volcano´s emission of carbon dioxide.