Insights into the 9 December 2019 eruption of Whakaari/White Island from analysis of TROPOMI SO₂ imagery.

From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: ppub 2021-06-01, epub 2021-06-18Publication status: PublishedSmall, phreatic explosions from volcanic hydrothermal systems pose a substantial proximal hazard on volcanoes, which can be popular tourist sites, creating casualty risks in case of eruption. Volcano monitoring of gas emissions provides insights into when explosions are likely to happen and unravel processes driving eruptions. Here, we report SO2 flux and plume height data retrieved from TROPOMI satellite imagery before, during, and after the 9 December 2019 eruption of Whakaari/White Island volcano, New Zealand, which resulted in 22 fatalities and numerous injuries. We show that SO2 was detected without explosive activity on separate days before and after the explosion, and that fluxes increased from 10 to 45 kg/s ~40 min before the explosion itself. High temporal resolution gas monitoring from space can provide key insights into magmatic degassing processes globally, aiding understanding of eruption precursors and complementing ground-based monitoring

A demographic decomposition of elderly living arrangements with a Mexican example

Population trends in developing countries raise concern about support for the elderly. The proportion of elderly living with extended kin is an indicator of support. This paper considers the analytic utility of a demographic decomposition of living arrangements of elderly Mexicans into population components which include weights for age and marital composition and corresponding rates or propensities. Separate decompositions for elderly males and females demonstrate the importance of population composition to the makeup of the elderly population who are living with extended kin. The utility of the decomposition for comparative analysis is demonstrated by decomposing gender differences in living arrangements. The higher proportion of women living with extended kin is primarily the result of gender differences in age-specific marital status and only secondarily the results of actual differences in propensities toward this type of living arrangement. The utility and limitations of this analytic tool for comparative research are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42990/1/10823_2004_Article_BF00116824.pd

CP violation in J/ψ→ΛΛˉJ/\psi \rightarrow \Lambda \bar \Lambda

We study CP violation in $J/\psi \rightarrow \Lambda \bar{\Lambda}$ decay. This decay provides a good place to look for CP violation. Some observables are very sensitive to the $\Lambda$ electric dipole moment $d_\Lambda$ and therefore can be used to improve the experimental upper bound on $d_\Lambda$. CP violations in the lepton pair decays of $J/\psi$ and $\Upsilon$ are also discussed.Comment: 8 pages, RevTex, UM-P-92/113, OZ-92/3

Alteration-related minerals from fluid-rock interactions: implications for new clues assessing volcanic hazards

Magmatic heat and fluids can interact with a volcanic host rock to form secondary minerals, such as phyllosilicates, zeolites, sulfates, sulfides and oxides. The water-rock reactions, inducing alteration of the primary volcanic material, strongly depend on the magma chemistry and volatile flux, and the nature of the aquatic environment (i.e., sea/ocean and meteoric) and its properties such as temperature, salinity, redox and pH. The newly-grown alteration minerals result from the chemical reaction between the host rock and they can indicate particular physico-chemical conditions. Hence, the mechanisms controlling the formation of secondary mineral associations can be critical, not only for assessing the role of hydrothermally altered host rocks in moderating eruptions styles but also for volcano flank instabilities. In this study, we applied mass balance calculations and thermodynamic modelling to establish the formation and equilibria environments of alteration minerals and hydrothermal fluids at three active volcanic suites: Ruapehu (New Zealand), Mt. Zao (Japan) and Deception Island (Antarctica). Results indicate that the secondary minerals follow different precipitation sequences as a function of the magma composition and the primary mineral assemblage (basalt-andesitic to dacitic for Ruapehu, andesitic for Mt. Zao, and basaltic for Deception Island). Temporal variations in composition and abundances of the hydrothermal paragenesis in Ruapehu and Mt. Zao determinate the evolution of acid¿sulfate alteration zones. We conclude that the combination of the proposed petrologic-geochemical approach, the regional and local tectonic features, and the spatial distribution of the alteration minerals within the volcanic edifices can be used for the assessment of future hydrovolcanic eruptions (including multiple eruption phases) and/or instability flanks episodes. In addition, the biological submarine and global change communities can also benefit from this geochemical procedure in other worldwide submarine volcanoes as the water-rock chemical reaction has direct implication in the oceanic productivity

Order-disorder criticality, wetting, and morphological phase transitions in the irreversible growth of far-from-equilibrium magnetic films

An exhaustive numerical investigation of the growth of magnetic films in confined $(d+1)$-dimensional stripped geometries ($d=1,2$) is carried out by means of extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Thin films in contact with a thermal bath are grown by adding spins with two possible orientations and considering ferromagnetic (nearest-neighbor) interactions. At low temperatures, it is observed that the films exhibit ``spontaneous magnetization reversals'' during the growth process. Furthermore, it is found that for $d=1$ the system is non-critical, while a continuous order-disorder phase transition at finite temperature takes place in the $d=2$ case. Using standard finite-size scaling procedures, the critical temperature and some relevant critical exponents are determined. Finally, the growth of magnetic films in $(2+1)$ dimensions with competing short-range magnetic fields acting along the confinement walls is studied. Due to the antisymmetric condition considered, an interface between domains with spins having opposite orientation develops along the growing direction. Such an interface undergoes a localization-delocalization transition that is the precursor of a wetting transition in the thermodynamic limit. Furthermore, the growing interface also undergoes morphological transitions in the growth mode. A comparison between the well-studied equilibrium Ising model and the studied irreversible magnetic growth model is performed throughout. Although valuable analogies are encountered, it is found that the nonequilibrium nature of the latter introduces new and rich physical features of interest.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure

Non-dispersive UV Absorption Spectroscopy: A Promising New Approach for in-situ Detection of Sulfur Dioxide

A new type of instrument for in-situ detection of volcanic sulfur dioxide is presented on the basis of non-dispersive UV absorption spectroscopy. It is a promising alternative to presently used compact and low-cost SO2 monitoring techniques, over which it has a series of advantages, including an inherent calibration, fast response times (< 2 s to reach 90 % of the applied concentration), a measurement range spanning about 5 orders of magnitude and small, well-known cross sensitivities to other gases. Compactness, cost-efficiency and detection limit (< 1 ppm, few ppb under favorable conditions) are comparable to other presently used in-situ instruments. Our instrument prototype has been extensively tested in comparison studies with established methods. In autumn 2015, diverse volcanic applications were investigated such as fumarole sampling, proximal plume measurements and airborne measurements several kilometers downwind from the vent on Mt. Etna and White Island. General capabilities and limitations of the measurement principle are discussed, considering different instrument configurations and future applications

CP Violation in Fermion Pair Decays of Neutral Boson Particles

We study CP violation in fermion pair decays of neutral boson particles with spin 0 or 1. We study a new asymmetry to measure CP violation in $\eta, K_L \rightarrow \mu^+\mu^-$ decays and discuss the possibility of measuring it experimentally. For the spin-1 particles case, we study CP violation in the decays of $J/\psi$ to $SU(3)$ octet baryon pairs. We show that these decays can be used to put stringent constraints on the electric dipole moments of $\Lambda$, $\Sigma$ and $\Xi$.Comment: 14p, OZ-93/22, UM-93/89, OITS 51

Halogen (Cl, F) release during explosive, effusive, and intrusive phases of the 2011 rhyolitic eruption at Cordón Caulle volcano (Chile)

We investigate sulphur, chlorine and fluorine release during explosive, effusive and intrusive phases the 2011 Cordón Caulle eruption, with a focus on halogen devolatilization. Petrological analysis shows halogen release to have been promoted by isobaric crystallization in slowly-cooled magma that was emplaced in a lava flow and sub-vent intrusion. Fluorine in particular mobilized only after extensive groundmass crystallization and incipient devitrification. By 2017, the gas emitted from vent-proximal fumaroles had hydrothermal compositions, with HCl/HF ratios decreasing with decreasing temperature. We estimate that the eruption could eventually emit up to 0.84 Mt of SO2, 6.3 Mt of HCl, and 1.9 Mt of HF, but only ~7% and ~2% of total HCl and HF were emitted during explosive phases, and significant halogens are yet to be released from the intrusion. Halogen devolatilization and its associated hazards can persist long after the cessation of rhyolite eruptions with complex magma emplacement mechanisms

Peroxidase-mediated mucin cross-linking drives pathologic mucus gel formation in IL-13-stimulated airway epithelial cells

Mucus plugs occlude airways to obstruct airflow in asthma. Studies in patients and in mouse models show that mucus plugs occur in the context of type 2 inflammation, and studies in human airway epithelial cells (HAECs) show that IL-13-activated cells generate pathologic mucus independently of immune cells. To determine how HAECs autonomously generate pathologic mucus, we used a magnetic microwire rheometer to characterize the viscoelastic properties of mucus secreted under varying conditions. We found that normal HAEC mucus exhibited viscoelastic liquid behavior and that mucus secreted by IL-13-activated HAECs exhibited solid-like behavior caused by mucin cross-linking. In addition, IL-13-activated HAECs shows increased peroxidase activity in apical secretions, and an overlaid thiolated polymer (thiomer) solution shows an increase in solid behavior that was prevented by peroxidase inhibition. Furthermore, gene expression for thyroid peroxidase (TPO), but not lactoperoxidase (LPO), was increased in IL-13-activated HAECs and both TPO and LPO catalyze the formation of oxidant acids that cross-link thiomer solutions. Finally, gene expression for TPO in airway epithelial brushings was increased in patients with asthma with high airway mucus plug scores. Together, our results show that IL-13-activated HAECs autonomously generated pathologic mucus via peroxidase-mediated cross-linking of mucin polymers

Venting of a separate CO2-rich gas phase from submarine arc volcanoes: Examples from the Mariana and Tonga-Kermadec arcs

Submersible dives on 22 active submarine volcanoes on the Mariana and Tonga-Kermadec arcs have discovered systems on six of these volcanoes that, in addition to discharging hot vent fluid, are also venting a separate CO2-rich phase either in the form of gas bubbles or liquid CO2 droplets. One of the most impressive is the Champagne vent site on NW Eifuku in the northern Mariana Arc, which is discharging cold droplets of liquid CO2 at an estimated rate of 23 mol CO2/s, about 0.1% of the global mid-ocean ridge (MOR) carbon flux. Three other Mariana Arc submarine volcanoes (NW Rota-1, Nikko, and Daikoku), and two volcanoes on the Tonga-Kermadec Arc (Giggenbach and Volcano-1) also have vent fields discharging CO2-rich gas bubbles. The vent fluids at these volcanoes have very high CO2 concentrations and elevated C/3He and δ 13C (CO2) ratios compared to MOR systems, indicating a contribution to the carbon flux from subducted marine carbonates and organic material. Analysis of the CO2 concentrations shows that most of the fluids are undersaturated with CO2. This deviation from equilibrium would not be expected for pressure release degassing of an ascending fluid saturated with CO2. Mechanisms to produce a separate CO2-rich gas phase at the seafloor require direct injection of magmatic CO2-rich gas. The ascending CO2-rich gas could then partially dissolve into seawater circulating within the volcano edifice without reaching equilibrium. Alternatively, an ascending high-temperature, CO2-rich aqueous fluid could boil to produce a CO2-rich gas phase and a CO2-depleted liquid. These findings indicate that carbon fluxes from submarine arcs may be higher than previously estimated, and that experiments to estimate carbon fluxes at submarine arc volcanoes are merited. Hydrothermal sites such as these with a separate gas phase are valuable natural laboratories for studying the effects of high CO2 concentrations on marine ecosystems