NH43C-1902
Integration and Testing of Miniaturized Volcanic Gas-Sensing Instruments on UAS Platforms

Thursday, 17 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Christoph Kern1, Taryn Michelle Lopez2, Jorge Andres Diaz3, Samuel J Vanderwaal4 and Adam Levy4, (1)Cascades Volcano Observatory - USGS, Vancouver, WA, United States, (2)University of Alaska Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute, Fairbanks, AK, United States, (3)University of Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica, (4)Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, Fairbanks, AK, United States
Abstract:
Volcanologists measure the concentrations and emission rates of gases emitted from active volcanoes to understand magmatic processes, which aids in eruption forecasting, and to evaluate air quality for human and environmental health. Both of these applications become particularly important during periods of unusually high volcanic unrest when it is typically hazardous to approach a given volcano. Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) represent a promising platform for continued gas measurements during unrest, while reducing the risk to volcanologists.

Two miniature gas-sensing instruments have been developed specifically for integration onto small UAS platforms. Both instruments weigh 1 kg or less, including integrated power. The microDOAS instrument is an upward-looking UV/vis spectrometer that measures the spectral absorption signature of SO2 and certain halogen oxides in scattered solar radiation. By flying beneath a volcanic plume, the instrument can measure the SO2 content in the plume cross-section which can be used to determine the SO2 emission rate. The miniGas instrument is flown within the volcanic plume and records in situ concentrations of CO2, SO2 and H2S, as well as atmospheric temperature, pressure, relative humidity and GPS location. All data are telemetered back to the base station to immediately alert the operator of potentially hazardous conditions.

Both instruments have been successfully tested at active volcanoes in Alaska and Costa Rica and were integrated onto small ACUASI Ptarmigan hexacopters. A test mission was conducted at the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. During this experiment both instruments were successfully flown in flight patterns typical of manned volcanic gas measurements and new UAV-specific measurement strategies were developed. Here we describe the instruments and platforms employed, our experimental results and observations, and make recommendations for application to volcanic settings.

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