Modeling Volcanic Eruption Parameters by Near-Source Internal Gravity Waves.
Volcanic explosions release large amounts of hot gas and ash into the atmosphere to form plumes rising several kilometers above eruptive vents, which can pose serious risk on human health and aviation also at several thousands of kilometers from the volcanic source. However the most sophisticate atmospheric models and eruptive plume dynamics require input parameters such as duration of the ejection phase and total mass erupted to constrain the quantity of ash dispersed in the atmosphere and to efficiently evaluate the related hazard. The sudden ejection of this large quantity of ash can perturb the equilibrium of the whole atmosphere triggering oscillations well below the frequencies of acoustic waves, down to much longer periods typical of gravity waves. We show that atmospheric gravity oscillations induced by volcanic eruptions and recorded by pressure sensors can be modeled as a compact source representing the rate of erupted volcanic mass. We demonstrate the feasibility of using gravity waves to derive eruption source parameters such as duration of the injection and total erupted mass with direct application in constraining plume and ash dispersal models.
Dipartimento Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, via LaPira, 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy.
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Ripepe
Dipartimento Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, via LaPira, 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy.
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Barfucci
School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, J. Herdman Building, University of Liverpool, 4 Brownlow Street, L69 3GP, Liverpool, UK.
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De Angelis
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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Delle Donne
Dipartimento Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, via LaPira, 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy.
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Lacanna
Dipartimento Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, via LaPira, 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy.
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Marchetti