title: Long-term continuous monitoring of the dissolved CO2 performed by using a new device in groundwater of the Mt. Etna (southern Italy).
abstract: We present a new device for continuous monitoring of the concentration of CO(2) dissolved in water. The device consists of a tube made of a polymeric semi-permeable membrane connected to an infrared gas analyser (IRGA) and a pump. Several laboratory experiments were performed to set the best operating condition and test the accuracy of measurements. We used the device for performing 20 months of continuous monitoring of dissolved CO(2) concentration (DCC) in groundwater within a drainage gallery at Mt. Etna. The monitored groundwater intercepts the Pernicana Fault, along which degassing is observed related to volcano-tectonic activity. The acquired data were compared with continuous and discrete data obtained using existing methods. The measurements of DCC resulted in some period of the year well correlated with air temperature. We also found that long-term trends, as well as short-term variations, are probably linked to the dynamics of volcanic activity and/or perturbations in the local or regional stress fields.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, sezione di Palermo, Palermo, Italy. s.degregorio@pa.ingv.it
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Gregorio
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camarda
authors.forename: Manfredi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: Santo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cappuzzo
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giudice
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gurrieri
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D007558:Italy; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D018707:Volcanic Eruptions; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002245:Carbon Dioxide