A multi-purpose, multi-rotor drone system for long range and high-altitude volcanic gas plume measurements

Abstract

Abstract. A multi-copter drone has been adapted for studies of volcanic gas plumes. This adaptation includes improved capacity for high altitude and long range, real-time SO2 concentration monitoring, long range manual control, remotely-activated bag sampling, and plume speed measurement capability. The drone is capable of acting as a stable platform for various instrument configurations including: MultiGAS instruments for in-situ measurements of SO2, H2S, CO2 and H2O concentrations in the gas plume, MobileDOAS instruments for spectroscopic measurement of total SO2 emission rate, remotely-controlled gas sampling in bags and sampling with gas denuders for posterior analysis on the ground of isotopic composition and halogens. The platform we present has been field-tested during three campaigns in Papua New Guinea: in 2016 at Tavurvur, Bagana and Ulawun volcanoes, in 2018 at Tavurvur and Langila volcanoes and in 2019 at Tavurvur and Manam volcanoes; as well as in Mt. Etna in Italy in 2017. This paper describes the drone platform and the multiple payloads, the various measurement strategies, an algorithm to correct for different time-responses of MultiGAS sensors. Specifically, we emphasise the need for an adaptive flight path, together with live data transmission of a plume tracer (such as SO2 concentration) to the ground station, to ensure optimal plume interception when operating beyond visual line of sight. We present results from a comprehensive plume characterization obtained during a field deployment at Manam volcano in May 2019. The Papua New Guinea region, and particularly Manam volcano, has not been extensively studied for volcanic gases due to its remote location, inaccessible summit region and high level of volcanic activity. We demonstrate that the combination of a multi-rotor with modular payloads is a versatile solution to obtain the flux and composition of volcanic plumes, even for the case of a highly active volcano with a high-altitude plume such as Manam. Drone-based measurements offer a valuable solution to volcano research and monitoring applications, and provide an alternative and complementary method to ground-based and direct sampling of volcanic gases.

Multiscale Modeling of Convection and Pollutant Transport Associated with Volcanic Eruption and Lava Flow: Application to the April 2007 Eruption of the Piton de la Fournaise (Reunion Island)

“…In future simulations, more sensitivity tests must be carried out, in particular to better optimize the number and distribution of levels so that vertical resolution is not too degraded at the altitude reached by the strong convection. Verification of such simulations will also benefit from data collected with new instruments, such as a ground Multi-Gas sensor [44] or UAV spectrometers [45,46] deployed in later eruptions of Mount Etna and in Africa.…”

CO2 emissions during the 2023 eruption in Reykjanes, Iceland: δ13C tracks magma degassing

“…After collection the samples were analyzed by IR Isotope Ratio Spectroscopy on an instrument that we had temporarily installed at the University of Iceland. We obtained the d 13 C values and the CO2 concentrations of the samples using analytical techniques identical to those reported previously (Fischer and Lopez, 2016;Galle et al, 2021;Liu et al, 2020). The error on the d 13 C analyses is < 0.1 ‰ and for CO2 concentrations < 10 ppm.…”

“…This approach has been pioneered by Chiodini et al (2011) using aircraft-based plume sampling. Our UAV-based sampling system has previously been used at Manam volcano in Papua New Guinea for passively degassing plumes (Galle et al, 2021;Liu et al, 2020) and at Tajogaite volcano, La Palma, Spain during an eruption (Ericksen et al, in rev.). At Litli Hrútur, we mounted the sampling system on a DJI Phantom 3 or Phantom 4.…”