A. Jeff Sutton

Bio: A. Jeff Sutton is an academic researcher from United States Geological Survey. The author has contributed to research in topics: Lava & Volcano. The author has an hindex of 13, co-authored 16 publications receiving 734 citations.

A mantle-driven surge in magma supply to Kīlauea Volcano during 2003–2007

Abstract: The supply of magma to Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, was thought to have been steady over the past decades. Measurements of deformation, gas emissions, seismicity and lava composition and temperatures show that instead magma supply from the mantle doubled in 2003–2007, implying that hotspots can provide varying amounts of magma over just a few years.

Real-time measurement of volcanic SO 2 emissions: validation of a new UV correlation spectrometer (FLYSPEC)

Abstract: A miniaturized, lightweight and low-cost UV correlation spectrometer, the FLYSPEC, has been devel- oped as an alternative for the COSPEC, which has long been the mainstay for monitoring volcanic sulfur dioxide fluxes. Field experiments have been conducted with the FLYSPEC at diverse volcanic systems, including Masaya (Nicaragua), Po´ as (Costa Rica), Stromboli, Etna and Vulcano (Italy), Villarica (Chile) and Kilauea (USA). We present here those validation measurements that were made simultaneously with COSPEC at Kilauea between March 2002 and February 2003. These experiments, with source emission rates that ranged from 95 to 1,560 t d −1 , showed statistically identical results from both instruments. SO2 path-concentrations ranged from 0 to >1,000 ppm-m with average correlation coefficients greater than r 2 =0.946. The small size and low cost create the opportunity for FLYSPEC to be used in novel deployment modes that have the potential to revolutionize the manner in which volcanic and industrial monitoring is performed.

Accurately measuring volcanic plume velocity with multiple UV spectrometers

Abstract: A fundamental problem with all ground-based remotely sensed measurements of volcanic gas flux is the difficulty in accurately measuring the velocity of the gas plume. Since a representative wind speed and direction are used as proxies for the actual plume velocity, there can be considerable uncertainty in reported gas flux values. Here we present a method that uses at least two time-synchronized simultaneously recording UV spectrometers (FLYSPECs) placed a known distance apart. By analyzing the time varying structure of SO2 concentration signals at each instrument, the plume velocity can accurately be determined. Experiments were conducted on Kīlauea (USA) and Masaya (Nicaragua) volcanoes in March and August 2003 at plume velocities between 1 and 10 m s−1. Concurrent ground-based anemometer measurements differed from FLYSPEC-measured plume speeds by up to 320%. This multi-spectrometer method allows for the accurate remote measurement of plume velocity and can therefore greatly improve the precision of volcanic or industrial gas flux measurements.

Sun photometer and lidar measurements of the plume from the Hawaii Kilauea Volcano Pu'u O'o vent: Aerosol flux and SO2 lifetime

Abstract: [1] Aerosol optical depths and lidar measurements were obtained under the plume of Hawaii Kilauea Volcano on August 17, 2001, ∼9 km downwind from the erupting Pu'u O'o vent. Measured aerosol optical depths (at 500 nm) were between 0.2–0.4. Aerosol size distributions inverted from the spectral sun photometer measurements suggest the volcanic aerosol is present in the accumulation mode (0.1–0.5 micron diameter), which is consistent with past in situ optical counter measurements. The aerosol dry mass flux rate was calculated to be 53 Mg d−1. The estimated SO2 emission rate during the aerosol measurements was ∼1450 Mg d−1. Assuming the sulfur emissions at Pu'u O'o vent are mainly SO2 (not aerosol), this corresponds to a SO2 half-life of 6.0 hours in the atmosphere.

Magma degassing triggered by static decompression at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

Abstract: [1] During mid-June 2007, the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, deflated rapidly as magma drained from the subsurface to feed an east rift zone intrusion and eruption Coincident with the deflation, summit SO2 emission rates rose by a factor of four before decaying to background levels over several weeks We propose that SO2 release was triggered by static decompression caused by magma withdrawal from Kīlauea's shallow summit reservoir Models of the deflation suggest a pressure drop of 05–3 MPa, which is sufficient to trigger exsolution of the observed excess SO2 from a relatively small volume of magma at the modeled source depth beneath Kīlauea's summit Static decompression may also explain other episodes of deflation accompanied by heightened gas emission, including the precursory phases of Kīlauea's 2008 summit eruption Hazards associated with unexpected volcanic gas emission argue for increased awareness of magma reservoir pressure fluctuations

The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano

Abstract: In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 km. A 4 May earthquake (M6.9) produced ~5 m of fault slip. Lava erupted at rates exceeding 100 m 3 /s, eventually covering 35.5 km 2 . The summit magma system partially drained, producing minor explosions and near-daily collapses releasing energy equivalent to M4.7-M5.4 earthquakes. Activity declined rapidly on 4 August. Summit collapse and lava flow volume estimates are roughly equivalent—about 0.8 km 3 . Careful historical observation and monitoring of Kīlauea enabled successful forecasting of hazardous events.

Deep Carbon Emissions from Volcanoes

Abstract: Over long periods of time (~Ma), we may consider the oceans, atmosphere and biosphere as a single exospheric reservoir for CO2. The geological carbon cycle describes the inputs to this exosphere from mantle degassing, metamorphism of subducted carbonates and outputs from weathering of aluminosilicate rocks (Walker et al. 1981). A feedback mechanism relates the weathering rate with the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere via the greenhouse effect (e.g., Wang et al. 1976). An increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations induces higher temperatures, leading to higher rates of weathering, which draw down atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Berner 1991). Atmospheric CO2 concentrations are therefore stabilized over long timescales by this feedback mechanism (Zeebe and Caldeira 2008). This process may have played a role (Feulner et al. 2012) in stabilizing temperatures on Earth while solar radiation steadily increased due to stellar evolution (Bahcall et al. 2001). In this context the role of CO2 degassing from the Earth is clearly fundamental to the stability of the climate, and therefore to life on Earth. Notwithstanding this importance, the flux of CO2 from the Earth is poorly constrained. The uncertainty in our knowledge of this critical input into the geological carbon cycle led Berner and Lagasa (1989) to state that it is the most vexing problem facing us in understanding that cycle. Notwithstanding the uncertainties in our understanding of CO2 degassing from Earth, it is clear that these natural emissions were recently dwarfed by anthropogenic emissions, which have rapidly increased since industrialization began on a large scale in the 18th century, leading to a rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. While atmospheric CO2 concentrations have varied between 190–280 ppm for the last 400,000 years (Zeebe and Caldeira 2008), human activity has produced a remarkable increase …

Lava effusion rate definition and measurement: a review

Abstract: Measurement of effusion rate is a primary objective for studies that model lava flow and magma system dynamics, as well as for monitoring efforts during on-going eruptions. However, its exact definition remains a source of confusion, and problems occur when comparing volume flux values that are averaged over different time periods or spatial scales, or measured using different approaches. Thus our aims are to: (1) define effusion rate terminology; and (2) assess the various measurement methods and their results. We first distinguish between instantaneous effusion rate, and time-averaged discharge rate. Eruption rate is next defined as the total volume of lava emplaced since the beginning of the eruption divided by the time since the eruption began. The ultimate extension of this is mean output rate, this being the final volume of erupted lava divided by total eruption duration. Whether these values are total values, i.e. the flux feeding all flow units across the entire flow field, or local, i.e. the flux feeding a single active unit within a flow field across which many units are active, also needs to be specified. No approach is without its problems, and all can have large error (up to ∼50%). However, good agreement between diverse approaches shows that reliable estimates can be made if each approach is applied carefully and takes into account the caveats we detail here. There are three important factors to consider and state when measuring, giving or using an effusion rate. First, the time-period over which the value was averaged; second, whether the measurement applies to the entire active flow field, or a single lava flow within that field; and third, the measurement technique and its accompanying assumptions.

A decade of global volcanic SO 2 emissions measured from space.

Abstract: The global flux of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted by passive volcanic degassing is a key parameter that constrains the fluxes of other volcanic gases (including carbon dioxide, CO2) and toxic trace metals (e.g., mercury). It is also a required input for atmospheric chemistry and climate models, since it impacts the tropospheric burden of sulfate aerosol, a major climate-forcing species. Despite its significance, an inventory of passive volcanic degassing is very difficult to produce, due largely to the patchy spatial and temporal coverage of ground-based SO2 measurements. We report here the first volcanic SO2 emissions inventory derived from global, coincident satellite measurements, made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite in 2005–2015. The OMI measurements permit estimation of SO2 emissions from over 90 volcanoes, including new constraints on fluxes from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Aleutian Islands, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. On average over the past decade, the volcanic SO2 sources consistently detected from space have discharged a total of ~63 kt/day SO2 during passive degassing, or ~23 ± 2 Tg/yr. We find that ~30% of the sources show significant decadal trends in SO2 emissions, with positive trends observed at multiple volcanoes in some regions including Vanuatu, southern Japan, Peru and Chile.