Assessing the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO2 and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua
Gas and particulate matter (PM) emissions from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, cause substantial regional volcanic air pollution (VAP). We evaluate the suitability of low-cost SO2 and PM sensors for a continuous airquality network. The network was deployed for six months in five populated areas (4-16 km...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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Volcanica
2022
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| _version_ | 1826307430053576704 |
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| author | Whitty, RCW Pfeffer, MA Ilyinskaya, E Mather, T |
| author_facet | Whitty, RCW Pfeffer, MA Ilyinskaya, E Mather, T |
| author_sort | Whitty, RCW |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Gas and particulate matter (PM) emissions from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, cause substantial regional volcanic air pollution (VAP). We evaluate the suitability of low-cost SO2 and PM sensors for a continuous airquality network. The network was deployed for six months in five populated areas (4-16 km from crater).
The SO2 sensors failed and recorded erroneous values on multiple occasions, likely due to corrosion, requiring significant maintenance commitment. The PM sensors were found to be robust but data required
correction for humidity. SO2 measurements could not be used as stand-alone tools to detect occurrence of
VAP episodes (VAPE), but a SO2/PM correlation reliably achieved this at near-field stations, as confirmed
by meteorological forecasts and satellite imagery. Above-background PM concentrations reliably identified
VAPE at both near-field and far-field stations. We suggest that a continuous network can be built from a
combination of low-cost PM and SO2 sensors with a greater number of PM-only sensors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:03:02Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:4ca07bdf-a9dc-4d24-80bf-78e04ae31d6c |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:03:02Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Volcanica |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:4ca07bdf-a9dc-4d24-80bf-78e04ae31d6c2022-04-01T08:40:39ZAssessing the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO2 and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, NicaraguaJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:4ca07bdf-a9dc-4d24-80bf-78e04ae31d6cEnglishSymplectic ElementsVolcanica2022Whitty, RCWPfeffer, MAIlyinskaya, EMather, TGas and particulate matter (PM) emissions from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, cause substantial regional volcanic air pollution (VAP). We evaluate the suitability of low-cost SO2 and PM sensors for a continuous airquality network. The network was deployed for six months in five populated areas (4-16 km from crater). The SO2 sensors failed and recorded erroneous values on multiple occasions, likely due to corrosion, requiring significant maintenance commitment. The PM sensors were found to be robust but data required correction for humidity. SO2 measurements could not be used as stand-alone tools to detect occurrence of VAP episodes (VAPE), but a SO2/PM correlation reliably achieved this at near-field stations, as confirmed by meteorological forecasts and satellite imagery. Above-background PM concentrations reliably identified VAPE at both near-field and far-field stations. We suggest that a continuous network can be built from a combination of low-cost PM and SO2 sensors with a greater number of PM-only sensors. |
| spellingShingle | Whitty, RCW Pfeffer, MA Ilyinskaya, E Mather, T Assessing the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO2 and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua |
| title | Assessing the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO2 and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua |
| title_full | Assessing the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO2 and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO2 and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO2 and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua |
| title_short | Assessing the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic SO2 and PM downwind from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua |
| title_sort | assessing the effectiveness of low cost air quality monitors for identifying volcanic so2 and pm downwind from masaya volcano nicaragua |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT whittyrcw assessingtheeffectivenessoflowcostairqualitymonitorsforidentifyingvolcanicso2andpmdownwindfrommasayavolcanonicaragua AT pfefferma assessingtheeffectivenessoflowcostairqualitymonitorsforidentifyingvolcanicso2andpmdownwindfrommasayavolcanonicaragua AT ilyinskayae assessingtheeffectivenessoflowcostairqualitymonitorsforidentifyingvolcanicso2andpmdownwindfrommasayavolcanonicaragua AT mathert assessingtheeffectivenessoflowcostairqualitymonitorsforidentifyingvolcanicso2andpmdownwindfrommasayavolcanonicaragua |