A Compact Ultraviolet Spectrometer System(COMPUSS) for Monitoring Volcanic SO₂ Emission : Validation and Preliminary Observation

Abstract

A compact and handy system for measuring SO₂ fluxes from volcanoes is newly built using a miniature UV spectrometer. This COMPact Ultraviolet Spectrometer System (Hereafter referred as “COMPUSS”) is much smaller and lighter than a correlation spectrometer (COSPEC), which has been used for SO₂ flux measurements from volcanoes over 30years. Validation of the COMPUSS was carried out comparing COMPUSS and COSPEC instruments at Sakurajima and Miyakejima volcanoes by car and heliborne traverse method, respectively. Our results show that agreement of the SO₂ flux between the COSPEC and the COMPUSS data is vouched for traverse measurements. The COMPUSS has much advantage compared to the COSPEC for volcanic SO₂ flux measurements, because of its portability and possibility for further improvement of the system.