{"id":15616,"date":"2021-04-06T09:09:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T01:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/?p=15616"},"modified":"2021-05-10T16:50:37","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T08:50:37","slug":"how-volcanic-gases-and-ash-affect-air-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/how-volcanic-gases-and-ash-affect-air-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Volcanos Affect Air Quality?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With over 1500 active volcanos worldwide, gases and ash emitted from volcanic eruptions is an international issue. Volcanic smoke, also known as “vog”, can travel hundreds, and even thousands of miles away from a volcano and affect distant communities. So what exactly do volcanos emit? How do volcanos affect air quality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gases Emitted By Volcanos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Volcanos emit a variety of gases including H20, CO2, SO2, H2, CO, H2S, and HCL. The most abundant gas is typically water vapor (H20).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below shows the percentage concentration of gases released by three volcanos. Note the large difference between each volcano’s emissions. It is typical for the types of gases and their proportions to vary widely between volcanos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volcano<\/strong><\/td>Kilauea Summit<\/strong><\/td>Erta’ Ale<\/strong><\/td>Momotombo<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
H20<\/td>37.1<\/td>77.2<\/td>97.1<\/td><\/tr>
CO2<\/td>48.9<\/td>11.3<\/td>1.44<\/td><\/tr>
SO2<\/td>11.80<\/td>8.34<\/td>0.50<\/td><\/tr>
H2<\/td>0.49<\/td>1.39<\/td>0.70<\/td><\/tr>
CO<\/td>1.51<\/td>0.44<\/td>0.01<\/td><\/tr>
H2S<\/td>0.04<\/td>0.68<\/td>0.23<\/td><\/tr>
HCL<\/td>0.08<\/td>0.42<\/td>2.89<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Outside of water vapor, volcanos also emit a large amount of CO2, around 200 million tons per year. But contrary to a popular myth, volcanos do not produce even close to the amount of CO2 produced by human activities. Studies show human activity is responsible for over 130 times the amount of CO2 emitted by volcanos<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, volcanos also makeup the world’s largest sources of SO2, HCl, and HF emissions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Particulates Emitted By Volcanos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Volcanos also emit rock, mineral, and glass particles into the air, called tephra. The largest pieces of tephra (>64mm) typically fall to the ground close to the volcano. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ash particles on the other hand (particles <2mm) can reach<\/a> high levels in the atmosphere and travel hundreds and even thousands of miles. These particulates can be as small as .001 mm or 1 micron. Particulates this small, called PM2.5, are particularly dangerous to humans as they are small enough to enter the bloodstream and organs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More: Do Air Purifiers Remove PM2.5?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the tephra larger than 1mm fall to the ground within 30 minutes of eruption. But particles less then .01 mm can stay in the atmosphere for two or three years! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"volcanic
Volcanic ash under a microscope<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Volcanic ash samples show volcanos emit much more larger, coarser particulates than finer particulates. But these collections may undercount the amount of smaller particulates emitted, as they are more likely to stay suspended in the air. Below is a distribution of particle size from Eyjafjallaj\u00f6kull volcano in Iceland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do Volcanos Affect Air Quality?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How volcanos affect air quality can vary greatly between volcano. Factors such as size and power of the eruption, as well as local wind conditions can play a large role in how air quality is affected. But volcanos have the ability to disrupt air quality in the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volcanos Can Raise Dangerous PM2.5 and PM10 Levels<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dangerous fine particulate levels can rise significantly nearby a volcano eruption largely due to volcanic ash. Data shows volcano eruptions can increase levels in PM2.5 particulates, as well as larger PM10 particulates. These particulates are a serious danger to our health and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WATCH: 5 Things You Should Know about PM2.5 Air Pollution<\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/div>
5 Things You Should Know about PM2.5 Air Pollution<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>