RAPID: Measuring the Variable Composition and Chemistry of a Volcanic Plume Using a Distributed Sensor Network

This RAPID project supports the deployment of a network of low-cost sensors on the Big Island of Hawaii to measure the production rate of sulfate aerosols during the current eruption of the Kīlauea volcano. Sulfate aerosols are of particular interest due to their role as an air pollutant at ground level that causes respiratory health effects and their role in the upper atmosphere as having a potential cooling impact on climate.

A network of low-cost sensors at ground level around the Kīlauea volcano will measure the chemical conversion rates of primary gases, such as sulfur dioxide, to secondary air pollutants, such as sulfate aerosols, and assess how these rates vary under different atmospheric conditions (e.g., humidity, temperature, sunlight, cloudy vs. clear air). This research also will demonstrate the feasibility of using low-cost sensors as part of monitoring and emergency response efforts during extreme air quality events, such as wildfires.

The uncertainty about the duration of the volcanic eruption at Kīlauea requires that this work be supported through a RAPID so that the research can be conducted while the eruption is ongoing. The results of this study will have implications for human health, air quality policy and emissions regulation, and climate.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.