Airborne detection of SO2 gas using an FTIR spectrometer
The volcanic gas plume from the Pu`u `O`o cinder-and-spatter cone (right) provided the ideal testing ground for measuring SO2 with a prototype Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) made to USGS specifications. The FTIR was mounted in an airplane configured for sampling outside air and then flown through the plume about 1 km downwind from the Pu`u `O`o vent. Eight traverses were made through the plume at different elevations. A COSPEC was used simultaneously to check the FTIR results.
Reference
McGee, K.A., and Gerlach, T.M., 1998, Airborne volcanic plume measurements using a FTIR spectrometer, Kilauea volcano, Hawaii: Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 25, n. 5, p. 615-618.
Methods of monitoring volcanic gases
- Measuring gas-emission rates in volcanic plumes
- Direct gas sampling and laboratory analysis
- Continuous on-site gas monitoring
- Soil-efflux measurements