Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2122/9194
Authors: Vita, F.* 
Kern, C.* 
Inguaggiato, S.* 
Title: Development of a portable active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy system for volcanic gas measurements
Journal: Journal of sensors and sensor systems 
Series/Report no.: /3(2014)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Issue Date: 2014
DOI: 10.5194/jsss-3-355-2014
Keywords: LP-DOAS
volcanic gas measurements
Vulcano Island
sulfur dioxide
Subject Classification01. Atmosphere::01.01. Atmosphere::01.01.07. Volcanic effects 
01. Atmosphere::01.01. Atmosphere::01.01.08. Instruments and techniques 
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.01. Gases 
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.06. Volcano monitoring 
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.07. Instruments and techniques 
Abstract: Active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (LP-DOAS) has been an effective tool for measuring atmospheric trace gases for several decades. However, instruments were large, heavy and powerinefficient, making their application to remote environments extremely challenging. Recent developments in fibre-coupling telescope technology and the availability of ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDS) have now allowed us to design and construct a lightweight, portable, low-power LP-DOAS instrument for use at remote locations and specifically for measuring degassing from active volcanic systems. The LP-DOAS was used to measure sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from La Fossa crater, Vulcano, Italy, where column densities of up to 1.2 1018 molec cm􀀀2 ( 500 ppmm) were detected along open paths of up to 400m in total length. The instrument’s SO2 detection limit was determined to be 2 1016 molec cm􀀀2 ( 8 ppmm), thereby making quantitative detection of even trace amounts of SO2 possible. The instrument is capable of measuring other volcanic volatile species as well. Though the spectral evaluation of the recorded data showed that chlorine monoxide (ClO) and carbon disulfide (CS2/ were both below the instrument’s detection limits during the experiment, the upper limits for the X/ SO2 ratio (XDClO, CS2/ could be derived, and yielded 2 10􀀀3 and 0.1, respectively. The robust design and versatility of the instrument make it a promising tool for monitoring of volcanic degassing and understanding processes in a range of volcanic systems.
Appears in Collections:Article published / in press

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat
Vita F. et al J Sens Sens Syst_2014.pdfMain article3.63 MBAdobe PDFView/Open
Show full item record

Page view(s) 10

433
checked on Mar 27, 2024

Download(s) 50

190
checked on Mar 27, 2024

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric