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| Titel |
Behaviour of volcanogenic S-bearing compounds (H2S and SO2) in air at Vulcano Island (Aeolian Archipelago, southern Italy) |
| VerfasserIn |
Chiara Caponi, Franco Tassi, Andrea Ricci, Francesco Capecchiacci, Stefania Venturi, Jacopo Cabassi, Orlando Vaselli |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2017
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
en
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 19 (2017) |
| Datensatznummer |
250146143
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2017-10145.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The main sources of SO2 and H2S in air consist of both natural fluid emissions related to
active/quiescent volcanoes and hydrothermal systems, and anthropogenic activities (e.g. gas
and oil refineries, steel industries, urban traffic). These gas compounds have a strong impact
on air quality, since they are strong toxic and climate forcing agents. Notwithstanding, the
behaviour of these S-compounds in air once they are released from the contaminant
source(s) is poorly known, due to the scarce available data from thermodynamics and
direct measurements. Hydrogen sulfide is considered to be relatively reactive in the
atmosphere, being easily oxidized to SO2 by photochemical reactions, even though the
efficiency of the H2S to SO2 conversion is significantly lowered under dark, dry and
relatively cold conditions, leading to a residence time of H2S in air up to 42 days in
winter.
In this work, H2S and SO2 measurements in air carried out at the Levante beach (Vulcano
Island, Aeolian Archipelago), where a number of hydrothermal fluid discharges consisting of
fumaroles and submarine emissions occur, are presented and discussed. These volcanic fluids,
characterized by an H2S-rich chemical composition, are released in a close proximity to the
touristic village of Vulcano Porto. The measurements were carried out using a Thermo
Scientific™ Model 450i Analyzer coupled with a Davis® Vantage Vue weather
station (air humidity and temperature, wind direction and speed) in 34 fixed spots
and along 8 pathways, selected according to: (i) distance from the contaminant
source, (ii) wind direction and (iii) accessibility by car (where the instrument was
installed). The main aim was to provide empirical insights on the behavior of these air
pollutants in relation to the physical and chemical processes controlling their spatial
distribution. The measured data were elaborated using a statistical approach to construct
spatial distribution maps and conceptual models able to forecast the dispersion of the
S-compounds at different environmental conditions to define the potential hazard to human
health. |
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