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Monitoring Etna volcanic plumes using a scanning LiDAR

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Abstract

In this paper, we use data obtained from LiDAR measurements during an ash emission event on 15 November 2010 at Mt. Etna, in Italy, in order to evaluate the spatial distribution of volcanic ash in the atmosphere. A scanning LiDAR system, located at 7 km distance from the summit craters, was directed toward the volcanic vents and moved in azimuth and elevation to analyse different volcanic plume sections. During the measurements, ash emission from the North East Crater and high degassing from the Bocca Nuova Crater were clearly visible. From our analysis we were able to: (1) evaluate the region affected by the volcanic plume presence; (2) distinguish volcanic plumes containing spherical aerosols from those having non-spherical ones; and (3) estimate the frequency of volcanic ash emissions. Moreover, the spatial distribution of ash mass concentration was evaluated with an uncertainty of about 50 %. We found that, even during ash emission episodes characterised by low intensity like the 15 November 2010 event, the region in proximity of the summit craters should be avoided by air traffic operations, the ash concentration being greater than 4 × 10−3 g/m3. The use of a scanning permanent LiDAR station may usefully monitor the volcanic activity and help to drastically reduce the risks to aviation operations during the frequent Etna eruptions.

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Acknowledgements

Volcanological information was obtained by INGV-OE reports of Etna activity. The authors thank Boris Behncke, who furnished information of the Etna activity. The authors also thank the native English speaker Stephen Conway. The authors are grateful to Emilio Biale, Francesco Ciancitto, Michele Prestifilippo and Emilio Pecora who maintain the video-surveillance system at INGV-OE. The authors thank the reviewer Adam Durant, the anonymous reviewer, the associate editor Jacopo Taddeucci and the executive editor James D.L. White for their useful suggestions. This work was funded by the VAMOS SEGURO project, Programma di Cooperazione Transfrontaliera Italia-Malta 2007–2013, A1.2.3-62, Obiettivo Specifico 2.3. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 262254.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo, Sezione di Catania, Piazza Roma 2, 95123, Catania, Italy

    Simona Scollo & Mauro Coltelli

  2. CNISM and IMAA-CNR, C.da S. Loja, 85050, Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy

    Antonella Boselli

  3. Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, INAF, Via Santa Sofia 78, I-95123, Catania, Italy

    Giuseppe Leto

  4. CNISM and Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, via Cintia 21, 80126, Napoli, Italy

    Gianluca Pisani & Nicola Spinelli

  5. CNISM and CNR-SPIN, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, via Cintia 21, 80126, Napoli, Italy

    Xuan Wang

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  1. Simona Scollo
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  2. Antonella Boselli
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Correspondence to Simona Scollo.

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Editorial responsibility: J. Taddeucci

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Scollo, S., Boselli, A., Coltelli, M. et al. Monitoring Etna volcanic plumes using a scanning LiDAR. Bull Volcanol 74, 2383–2395 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-012-0669-y

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