Search Results (2)

The Fangaia mud pool provides a “window” into the hydrothermal system underlying the degassing Solfatara crater, which is the most active volcanic centre inside the restless Campi Flegrei caldera, Southern Italy. The present study aimed at unravelling the degassing dynamics of CO₂ and H₂S flushing through the pH 1.2 steam-heated Fangaia mud pool, an ideal field laboratory as a proxy of an active crater lake. Our results from MultiGAS measurements above Fangaia’s surface show that H₂S scrubbing, demonstrated by high CO₂/H₂S ratios, was most efficient in the portions of the basin affected by diffusive degassing. Convective bubbling degassing instead was the most effective mechanism to release gas in quantitative terms, with lower CO₂/H₂S ratios, similar to the Solfatara crater fumaroles, the high-T end member of the hydrothermal system. Unsurprisingly, total estimated CO₂ and H₂S fluxes from the small Fangaia pool (~184 m² in June 2017) were at least two orders of magnitude lower (CO₂ flux < 64 t/d, H₂S flux < 0.5 t/d) than the total CO₂ flux of the Campi Flegrei caldera (up to 3000 t/d for CO₂), too low to affect the gas budget for the caldera, and hence volcano monitoring routines. Given the role of the rising gas as “sediment stirrer”, the physical and chemical processes behind gas migration through a mud pool are arguably the creating processes giving origin to Fangaia. Follow-up studies of this so far unique campaign will help to better understand the fast dynamics of this peculiar degassing feature. Full article

Surface temperatures derived by 208 ASTER and L8 satellite imagery were analysed to test multiscale and multitemporal capability through available sets of thermal data to support the volcanic monitoring of Vulcano Island in Italy. The analysis of thermal historical series derived by ASTER and L8 shows that two are the main thermally active areas: La Fossa crater and the mud pool of Fangaia. In this work we aimed to assess the correlation between the satellite-retrieved temperatures with those measured during the daytime ground field campaign conducted within the same time period and, in particular cases, simultaneously. Moreover, nighttime data acquired by an airborne and field campaign were processed with the same methodology applied to satellite data for a multiscale approach verification. Historical meteorological data acquired from a weather station were also considered. Statistically significant correlations were observed between nighttime acquisitions and meteorological data. Correlations were also significant for temperature measured during the airborne campaign, while differences up to 50% with daytime acquisition during the ground field campaigns were observed. The analysis of the results suggests that within nighttime data acquisition, differences between satellite-derived temperatures and ground temperature measurements are considerably reduced; therefore nighttime data acquisition is recommended to detect thermal anomalies. Full article