This preprint was under review for the journal AMT but the revision was not accepted.
Sulphur mass balance and radiative forcing estimation for a moderate volcanic eruption using new sulphate aerosols retrievals based on IASI observations
1Laboratoire Inter-universitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques, UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Créteil, France
2Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, UMR CNRS 8539, École Normale Supérieure, PSL research University, École Polytechnique, Sorbonne Universités, École des Ponts PARISTECH, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Paris, France
3National School of Engineers of Sfax, Water, Energy and Environment Laboratory L3E, University of Sfax, Tunisia
4COMET, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, United Kingdom
5UK Research and Innovation, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, United Kingdom
6Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo, Catania, Italy
1Laboratoire Inter-universitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques, UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Créteil, France
2Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, UMR CNRS 8539, École Normale Supérieure, PSL research University, École Polytechnique, Sorbonne Universités, École des Ponts PARISTECH, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Paris, France
3National School of Engineers of Sfax, Water, Energy and Environment Laboratory L3E, University of Sfax, Tunisia
4COMET, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, United Kingdom
5UK Research and Innovation, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, United Kingdom
6Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo, Catania, Italy
Abstract. We developed a new retrieval algorithm based on the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) observations, called AEROIASI-Sulphates, to measure vertically-resolved sulphate aerosols (SA) extinction and mass concentration profiles, with limited theoretical uncertainties (typically ~25 % total uncertainty for SA mass column estimations). The algorithm, based on a self-adapting Tikhonov-Phillips regularization method, is applied to a medium-sized-intensity eruption of Mount Etna volcano (18 March 2012). Comparisons with simultaneous and independent SO2 plume observations and simulations show that AEROIASI-Sulphates correctly identifies the volcanic plume morphology both horizontally and vertically. This method provided, for the first time, crucial information pieces to describe the gaseous-to-particulate volcanic sulphur mass balance (60 % of the injected sulphur mass is converted to particulate matter, after ~24 hours) and to estimate the regional shortwave direct radiative forcing (a regional forcing of −0.8 W/m2 is exerted in the eastern Mediterranean) for moderate volcanic eruptions.
- Printer-friendly version
- Supplement
