Peluso, Rosario

The volcanic island of Ischia has shown to have an important seismogenic potential, being the location of several destructive earthquakes, e.g. 1881, 1883 and 2017. The damage caused by these earthquakes was more connected to the proximity of the source to the surface than to their magnitude (Mw < 5.2). The need to monitor and model this seismicity required the installation of a dense and modern seismic network. The first modern seismic station on the island was installed in 1993, and the network was successively increased with time. A meaningful improvement to the network was made after the earthquake that occurred on the 21 of August 2017. The network currently has 11 sites with velocimeters and some of them with accelerometers installed too. We analysed the seismic network configuration in comparison with the seismicity that characterizes the area to mark a starting point for future seismological analysis. The network is currently able to locate shallow earthquakes with duration magnitude greater or equal to 0 in the whole island.

The aim of this study is to analyse problems related to thermal mapping obtained from thermal data acquired from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) equipped with thermal cameras. We focused on an accurate analysis of uncertainties introduced by the PIX4D Mapper software version 4.4.12 used to obtain the surface temperature maps of thermal images acquired using the UAS. To achieve this aim, we used artificial thermal references during the surveys, as well as natural hot targets, i.e., thermal anomalies in the Pisciarelli hydrothermal system in Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc). Artificial thermal targets, expressly created and designed for this goal, are a prototype here called “developed thermal target” (DTT) created by the drone laboratory at Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia—Osservatorio Vesuviano (INGV-OV).We show the results obtained through three surveys, and during the last two, thermal targets were positioned on land at different flight heights of the UAS. Different heights were also necessary to test the spatial resolution of the DTT with the used thermal camera as well as possible temperature differences between the raw images acquired via UAS with the thermal mapping obtained from the PIX4D Mapper software. In this work, we estimate the uncertainty that may be introduced by the mosaic procedure, and furthermore we find an attenuation of the measured temperatures introduced by the different distances between the thermal anomaly and sensor. These results appear to be of great importance for the subsequent calibration phase of the thermal maps, especially in cases where these methodologies are applied for the purposes of monitoring volcanic/geothermal areas.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano (Pacific Ocean) generated a cataclysmic explosion on 15 January 2022, triggering several atmospheric disturbances at a global scale, as a huge increase in the total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere, and a pressure wave travelling in the troposphere. We collected and analysed data over the Mediterranean to study these disturbances, and in particular, (i) data from the barometric and infrasonic stations installed on Italian active volcanoes by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) for investigating the tropospheric pressure waves; (ii) barometric data from the INGV-TROPOMAG and SIAS (Sicilian Agro-meteorological Information System) networks, for investigating the interaction between the orography and pressure waves; (iii) ionograms from the Advanced Ionospheric Sounder-INGV ionosonde at Gibilmanna (Sicily, Italy); (iv) data from the RING (Rete Italiana Integrata GNSS) network, to retrieve the ionospheric TEC; (v) soil CO2 flux data from the INGV surveillance network of Vulcano Island. The analysis of the ground-level barometric data highlights that pressure waves were reflected and diffracted by the topographic surface, creating a complex space–time dynamic of the atmospheric disturbances travelling over Sicily, driven by the interference among the different wavefronts. The ionograms show that a medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbance (MSTID), with a horizontal wavelength of about 220 km and a period of about 35 min, propagated through the ionospheric plasma in the correspondence of the first barometric variations. Moreover, comparing detrended TEC and barometric data, we further confirmed the presence of the aforementioned MSTID together with its close relation to the tropospheric disturbance.

The eruption of the volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai on Jan 15, 2022, 04:14:54 UTC, was such energetic that instruments observed different physical phenomena all over the globe. In Italy, the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), who is continuously operating different kinds of monitoring networks, as e.g., the Italian Seismic Network (ISN), micro-barometric and infrasonic stations for monitoring the active volcanoes, ionospheric monitoring network (GNSS and ionosonde), recorded seismic, acoustic and electromagnetic signals originated by this exceptional event. The blast wave generated by the volcanic explosion of Hunga Tunga was recorded by the micro-barometric and infrasound stations installed at Phlegrean Fields (PF), at Stromboli volcano and on Mt. Etna. The first arrival was recorded at ~20:00 UTC, after travelling along the “short” great circle (17600 km), was succeeded by a second onset, about 3:40 h later, arriving at PF from the opposite direction. The mean propagation velocity in both directions was calculated as 310 m/s. The stations of the Etna Radio Observatory (ERO) are also equipped with micro-barometers, measuring the atmospheric pressure at a sampling rate of 5 min. The first group of atmospheric shock waves was recorded in the evening of Jan 15, 2022, while 36 hours later the ERO-stations observed a second signal after having completed the second orbit. The magnitude of M5.7 of the Hunga Tonga eruption was strong enough to record core phases (PKIKP, PKP), surface reflection of mantle phases (PP, SS), as well as Rayleigh and Love waves, at many stations of the ISN. The atmospheric waves generated by the eruption generated Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances in the ionosphere detected as disturbances in the Total Electron Content calculated by using GNSS data acquired by the GNSS network of INGV and variations of the ionospheric peak layer parameters (foF2, hmF2), recorded by the ionosonde installed on the Italian territory by INGV.

Two paroxysmal explosions occurred at Stromboli on July 3 and August 28, 2019, the first of which caused the death of a young tourist. After the first paroxysm an effusive activity began from the summit vents and affected the NW flank of the island for the entire period between the two paroxysms. We carried out an unsupervised analysis of seismic and infrasonic data of Strombolian explosions over 10 months (15 November 2018–15 September 2019) using a Self- Organizing Map (SOM) neural network to recognize changes in the eruptive patterns of Stromboli that preceded the paroxysms. We used a dataset of 14,289 events. The SOM analysis identified three main clusters that showed different occurrences with time indicating a clear change in Stromboli’s eruptive style before the paroxysm of 3 July 2019. We compared the main clusters with the recordings of the fixed monitoring cameras and with the Ground-Based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar measurements, and found that the clusters are associated with different types of Strombolian explosions and different deformation patterns of the summit area. Our findings provide new insights into Strombolian eruptive mechanisms and new perspectives to improve the monitoring of Stromboli and other open conduit volcanoes.

In the context of recent developments in volcanic muography, we describe an experiment at Vesuvius, the volcano near Naples that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum (Italy) in 79 AD. This volcano is about 1200\,m high with a typical summit caldera formed by Mount Somma. Vesuvius is among the highest-risk volcanoes in the world due to its highly explosive eruptive style and the high population density of the area where it is located. Volcanoes are generally fragile geological structures, prone to produce partial collapse and large landslides that can affect the style of eruptions. Moreover, the knowledge of the internal structure is fundamental for understanding past eruption activity and for constraining eruption models. For these reasons, studying the internal structure of the ``Gran Cono'' (great cone) of Vesuvius and the physical characteristics of its rock is important and led us to design a muography experiment at Vesuvius. This experiment, which is currently in progress, is based on three scintillator detectors with a surface of 1\,m$^2$ each. These detector features have been implemented to overcome the problems related to the large thickness of rock that form the ``Gran Cono'' of Vesuvius and the effects that can be a source of error in data processing. These aspects represent an open challenge for the muography of large volcanoes, which today constitutes the frontier of research in the field of volcanic muography.

The MURAVES experiment aims at the muographic imaging of the internal structure of the summit of Mt. Vesuvius, exploiting muons produced by cosmic rays. Though presently quiescent, the volcano carries a dramatic hazard in its highly populated surroundings. The challenging measurement of the rock density distribution in its summit by muography, in conjunction with data from other geophysical techniques, can help the modeling of possible eruptive dynamics. The MURAVES apparatus consists of an array of three independent and identical muon trackers, with a total sensitive area of 3 square meters. In each tracker, a sequence of 4 XY tracking planes made of plastic scintillators is complemented by a 60 cm thick lead wall inserted between the two downstream planes to improve rejection of background from low-energy muons. The apparatus is currently acquiring data. Preliminary results from the analysis of the first data sample are presented.

L'Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) è componente del Servizio Nazionale di Protezione Civile, ex articolo 6 della legge 24 febbraio 1992 n. 225 ed è Centro di Competenza per i fenomeni sismici, vulcanici e i maremoti per il Dipartimento della Protezione Civile Nazionale (DPC). L’Osservatorio Vesuviano, Sezione di Napoli dell’INGV, ha nei suoi compiti il monitoraggio e la sorveglianza H24/7 delle aree vulcaniche attive campane (Vesuvio, Campi Flegrei e Ischia). Tali attività sono disciplinate dall’Accordo-Quadro (AQ) sottoscritto tra il DPC e l’INGV per il decennio 2012-2021 e sono dettagliate negli Allegati A e B del suddetto AQ. Il presente Rapporto sul Monitoraggio dei Vulcani Campani rappresenta l’attività svolta dall’Osservatorio Vesuviano e dalle altre Sezioni INGV impegnate nel monitoraggio dell’area vulcanica campana nel secondo semestre 2019.

In aree di vulcanismo attivo e recente, oltre all’emissione di vapore e gas dai crateri centrali, si possono verificare emissioni di gas dal suolo che vengono rilasciati in modo diffuso o in mofete, o ancora che si disciolgono in acquiferi superficiali. Generalmente il gas più abbondante (fino al 99 vol.%) è l’anidride carbonica (CO2), ma in alcuni casi può essere anche il metano (CH4). La CO2 è un gas incolore e inodore che tende ad accumularsi in depressioni o scantinati dove ristagna in assenza di vento. Respirare aria con una concentrazione di anidride carbonica maggiore di 8 vol.% può condurre all’incoscienza o alla morte. Un esempio di quello che potrebbe accadere, anche se si tratta di un caso estremo, è rappresentato dal tragico evento avvenuto presso il lago Nyos in Camerun (un lago ospitato in un cratere vulcanico). Durante la notte del 21 agosto 1986 le acque del lago, sature di CO2, si rovesciarono improvvisamente e per decompressione si liberò una enorme quantità di gas che scese lungo i fianchi del cratere fino a raggiungere la valle sottostante dove vi era un villaggio. La nube di CO2, silenziosa e inodore, colse nel sonno gli abitanti e uccise circa 1700 persone e circa 3000 capi di bestiame [Barberi et al., 1986]. Numerosi incidenti dovuti all’inalazione di gas vulcanici sono avvenuti in varie altre parti del mondo, in particolare in Italia, Giappone, Nuova Zelanda [Hansell and Oppenheimer, 2004; Durand and Wilson, 2005] e nelle Isole Azzorre (Portogallo) [Viveiros et al., 2015]. Anche in Italia, purtroppo sono avvenuti diversi incidenti letali dovuti ad inalazione di CO2; si ricorda ad esempio che alla fine degli anni ’80 due bambini persero la vita nell’isola di Vulcano [Baubron et al., 1990] e ancora nel complesso vulcanico dei Colli Albani due uomini persero la vita, il primo a Cava dei Selci (frazione di Marino) nel 2000 e il secondo a Lavinio nel 2011 [Carapezza et al., 2003; Barberi et al., 2019]. Sempre in provincia di Roma, numerosi casi di intossicazione da CO2, che hanno altresì comportato l’evacuazione temporanea di alcune abitazioni, sono avvenuti per blowout (emissione incontrollata) di gas da pozzi d’acqua [Barberi et al., 2007; Carapezza et al., 2020]. La Campania ospita due dei vulcani quiescenti considerati tra i più pericolosi al mondo proprio per l’alta densità di popolazione che vive nelle zone esposte al pericolo: il Vesuvio e i Campi Flegrei. Anche in queste aree vulcaniche si hanno emissioni di gas endogeni e falde d’acqua ricche in CO2 e in caso di riattivazione del vulcano c’è da aspettarsi anche un forte incremento del rilascio del gas endogeno [Barberi et al., 2005]. Al fine di far conoscere tale problematica alla popolazione, si è ritenuto opportuno di agire sui ragazzi e di farlo in modo stimolante e divertente attraverso un Videogioco che catturi la loro attenzione in modo da portarli a scoprire le soluzioni più adeguate da adottare per individuare/evitare/gestire i pericoli legati a quello che spesso viene definito anche “carburante delle eruzioni”, i gas vulcanici. Le attività che hanno portato alla realizzazione di questo lavoro (e nello specifico del videogioco) sono state svolte nell’ambito del Progetto Europeo RESPIRE – Radon rEal time monitoring System and proactive Indoor Remediation (LIFE16ENV/IT/000553) e con la collaborazione di un Tirocinante del Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione ed Elettrica e Matematica Applicata dell’Università degli Studi di Salerno. Il lavoro è stato descritto e sintetizzato in questo Report attraverso varie sezioni. La prima in cui si descrive la problematica dei Gas Vulcanici e della loro pericolosità; l’importanza e i vantaggi derivati dall’utilizzo di un videogioco come strumento di apprendimento; l’obiettivo che il videogioco si prefigge di raggiungere. Una seconda sezione in cui, in prima istanza, si evidenzia l’importanza di sviluppare un videogioco a partire da un Motore Grafico che consente di tralasciare i dettagli hardware e software di basso livello e di concentrarsi maggiormente sull’interattività e sulle regole del gioco, e in seconda istanza si descrivono le caratteristiche principali del motore grafico alla base del gioco (RPG Maker MV).Una terza sezione in cui viene presentato il videogioco sviluppato denominato “GioGas”; nello specifico, la sua trama, l’interfaccia grafica che lo caratterizza e alcuni sui dettagli implementativi. Infine, una sezione in cui vengono descritti gli sviluppi futuri come ad esempio la divulgazione presso le scuole e in occasione di eventi, l’implementazione di una versione multiplayer del gioco al fine di aggiungere ulteriori elementi di stimolo e di coinvolgimento per lo studente.

The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) has developed an interactive application, for educational purposes, in order to make schools aware of the dangers deriving from radon, and in general from harmful gases (gas hazards), near volcanic areas. To raise children awareness on the dangers related to an invisible enemy, often odorless “gases”, is not a simple task. Since our target are children between 11 and 13 years of age, we decided to develop a videogame with the scope of enabling them to learn the most appropriate solutions for identifying/avoiding/managing hazards. The use of a videogame for spreading information on gas hazards makes learning fun and, at the same time, feasible in a historic moment where Covid-19 does not allow for lessons to be physically partaken in a classroom. Furthermore, this type of learning known as “edutainment” is more effective, captivating and meaningful, allowing students to acquire a more concrete and longer remembered knowledge. The videogame, called GioGas, is a single player game running on both Android mobile phone and personal computers. GioGas has been developed using the Role Playing Game Maker MV graphic engine. The engine provides a map editor and several characters allowing for the creation of various biomes, also including the possibility to insert music. From the technical point of view the engine is based on javascript for the events creation and triggers management simplifying porting on mobile and desktop operating systems. The game characters are a INGV researcher, staying in a rented house during his vacation, and an elderly lady that asks for help to understand if her grandchild’s health issues are related to the recent digging of a well nearby the house. The characters move around in the virtual environment in different locations organized in several levels. Through the game, the student will learn the symptoms caused by gases, the instruments and the techniques to identify/measure them and the solutions to adopt to solve the problem. During the game, the researcher will hand out information and the student will choose which solution to apply: this will also stimulate student inclination to problem solving and overview capacities. Each solution will return a result in terms of risk mitigation and a score, from 1 to 3, based on the effectiveness of the identified solution. In the future, to add more stimulating and engaging elements for the student, a multiplayer mode will be developed, giving the students the possibility to challenge themselves.