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Dispersion of SO2 during the 2021 Tajogaite eruption, la Palma and associated health-relevant population exposure assessment

David E. Jessop 1, Julia Eychenne1,2, Séverine Moune1, Raphaël Paris1, Agnès Borbon3, Rebecca Biagi4, Ben Esse5, Mike Burton5

  • Affiliations: 1Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, IRD, OPGC, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, F- 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France. 2Université Clermont Auvergne,CNRS, INSERM, Institut Génétique, Reproduction et Développement, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France. 3Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, OPGC, Laboratoire de Météorologie Physique, Clermont-Ferrand, France. 4Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Firenze, Italia. 5COMET, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Friday 16:30 - 18:00, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 93

  • Programme No: 6.7.8

  • Theme 6 > Session 7

Abstract

The 86-day-long Tajogaite eruption, la Palma (2021) caused widespread disruption. The eruption emitted around 203x106 m³ of basaltic lava, and. approximately 1.6 Mt of SO2.  Whereas much of this gas was injected into the upper atmosphere, the numerous and voluminous lava flows also introduced SO2 at much lower altitudes where it could be dispersed by the wind.  This highly noxious gas therefore had the potential to be transported to towns and villages over considerable periods.  SO2 is hazardous to human health and the World Health Organisation has recommended that the 24-hour mean ambient air concentration should not exceed 40 µg/m3.  It is therefore important to quantify the concentrations and exposure durations of the populations in order to anticipate and combat future health issues.  Whilst air-quality stations were installed before and during the eruption, the data from these instruments are point measurements and the time-varying global distribution of gas would provide highly sought-after information.  We provide an estimation by performing numerical simulations of the dispersion of SO2 from (mainly) lava flows using the DISGAS software.  Source SO2 fluxes were estimated using the PlumeTraj software using TROPOMI data.  Wind data at near-ground level were obtained from several weather stations around La Palma and combined with atmospheric information from the ERA5 climate model reanalysis provided by Copernicus.  We show preliminary results of how SO2 concentrations vary over time for a variety of locations, which compare well with the air-quality data.