First results of the Piton de la Fournaise STRAP 2015 experiment: multidisciplinary tracking of a volcanic gas and aerosol plume

The STRAP 2015 campaign revealed that volcanic plumes from Piton de la Fournaise, even during weak eruptions, interact significantly with the island's surface, leading to strong concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and aerosols up to 20 km away. The study, conducted through a multidisciplinary collaboration between volcanologists and meteorologists, measured SO2, CO2, and H2O emissions, plume altitude, aerosol size distribution, and extinction profiles over four eruptive periods. It also documented cases of sulfuric acid nucleation within the plume and at distal sites like the Maïdo observatory. This comprehensive dataset provides critical insights for improving numerical models of volcanic plume behavior.

Tulet, P., Di Muro, A., Colomb, A., Denjean, C., Duflot, V., Arellano, S., Foucart, B., Brioude, J., Sellegri, K., Peltier, A., Aiuppa, A., Barthe, C., Bhugwant, C., Bielli, S., Boissier, P., Boudoire, G., Bourrianne, T., Brunet, C., Burnet, F., et al. (2017). First results of the Piton de la Fournaise STRAP 2015 experiment: multidisciplinary tracking of a volcanic gas and aerosol plume. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 17(8), 5355–5378. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5355-2017