Drones to monitor volcanoes

The main gases released by volcanoes are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Analysis of these gases is one of the best ways to obtain information about volcanic systems and ongoing magmatic processes. The relationship between carbon dioxide levels and sulfur dioxide levels can even reveal the probability of an imminent eruption.

Unfortunately, the practical aspect of collecting a continuous time series of gaseous compositions represents a great challenge. Direct manual sampling by climbing the volcano is arduous and time consuming, not to mention the potential dangers in the event of a sudden eruption. On the other hand, stationary monitoring instruments do not usually record representative data on the composition of gases, mainly due to changes in wind direction.

For some time, drones have been used to transport the necessary analytical systems to the place of activity. However, since the size of the drones capable of doing this job is large, transporting them to the sites from which they fly has been complicated and expensive up to now.

Thorsten Hoffmann and Nicole Bobrowski from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz as well as Nicole Bobrowski from the University of Heidelberg, both institutions in Germany, have carried out a study on the feasibility of using small and portable drones to carry out observations in volcanic areas.

The research team has been testing a tiny commercial drone that weighs about 900 grams and is equipped with lightweight, miniaturized sensors. Such a drone can be easily transported to the takeoff site on foot by one person, inside a backpack. This allows a drone to take off from places that would be too difficult to reach by other means. In addition, the drone only requires minimal preparation to function as an aerial observation platform.

A drone used in the study tests, flying in an active volcanic area. (Photo: © Hoffmann group. CC BY-NC-ND)

The tests show that miniaturized sensor systems carried by small and light drones are a viable option for the measurement of gases in volcanic emissions. In the case of this 900-gram drone model, its sensors were able to determine well the concentrations of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, as well as the values ​​of other parameters, including temperature, pressure, and relative humidity of the air.

The study is titled “Observing volcanoes with drones: studies of volcanic plume chemistry with ultralight sensor systems”. And it has been published in the academic journal Scientific Reports. (Fountain: NCYT by Amazings)