BrO emission from volcanoes: A survey using GOME and SCIAMACHY measurements

Abstract

Volcanic eruptions are known to be a major source of SO2 and some reactive halogen species notably HCl and HF. Recent studies have however observed the presence of large amounts of BrO with tight correlation to SO2 in a volcanic plume by ground‐based spectroscopic measurements. In this work, upper limits of BrO columns have been estimated for a number of volcanic eruptions observed in measurements made by two satellite instruments ‐ the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME), and the new SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY). The results obtained for the eruptions covered by satellite overpasses over the Etna, Nyamuragira, Popocatépetl, and Reventador volcanoes show no correlation between enhanced volcanic SO2 during large eruptions and the corresponding BrO columns. Evidence for BrO enhancement was also not found in the vicinity of the Soufrière Hills volcanoes. The possible reasons for the differences between ground‐based and satellite observations are considered.