OP-FTIR
Open-Path Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Dr. Marie Edmonds has received the prestigious Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory for the two years 2004-2005. According to the 02/04/04 Volcano Watch, "Her work at Montserrat Volcano Observatory led her to develop state-of-the-art spectroscopic techniques to receive gas-emission rates every minute or so throughout the day, about as often as other modern geophysical data. This enables cross-correlations between gas emissions, and say, ground tilt or seismicity, at a time scale previously impossible." What makes the OP-FTIR unique is its ability to detect and measure several different components of volcanic gas (typically water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide) simultaneously.
AIMS OF RESEARCH PROJECT
1 Manufacture methods to collect FTIR spectra effectively, based on tried and tested techniques used at: Etna, Erebus, Stromboli and Vulcano, Soufriere Hills, White Island, etc.
2 Write customized software to retrieve gas concentrations for volcanic monitoring, which will integrate with SO2 mass flux algorithms to produce real-time ratios and fluxes of many different species.
3 Develop OP-FTIR so that it is part of the routine monitoring of Kilauea Volcano. This means installing instruments to get real-time, automated measurements of gas composition/fluxes that will contribute to understanding/predicting the volcano's behavior.
4 Develop generic models of volcanic degassing that can be taken from volcano to volcano.
Gas emissions from Kilauea can now be analyzed more precisely.
The instrument is aimed at vents (arrows) which provide infrared background.