Real-time simultaneous detection of volcanic Hg and SO2 at La Fossa Crater Vulcano (Aeolian Islands, Sicily)

Abstract

Measuring Hg/SO2 ratios in volcanic emissions is essential for better apportioning the volcanic contribution to the global Hg atmospheric cycle. Here, we report the first real-time simultaneous measurement Hg and SO2 in a volcanic plume, based on Lumex and MultiGAS techniques, respectively. We demonstrate that the use of these novel techniques allows the measurements of Hg/SO2 ratios with a far better time resolution than possible with more conventional methods. The Hg/SO2 ratios in the plume of F0 fumarole on La Fossa Crater, Vulcano Island spanned an order of magnitude over a 30 minute monitoring period, but was on average in qualitative agreement with the Hg/SO2 ratio directly measured in the fumarole (mean plume and fumarole ratios being 1.09 x 10-6 and 2.9 x 10-6, respectively). The factor 2 difference between plume and fumarole compositions provides evidence for fast Hg chemical processing the plume.