Etna Critical Zone Observatory

In volcanic environments, endogenous heat and gas fluxes combine with those produced by biological processes, generating complex and often poorly understood ecosystem dynamics.  
Studying how fluxes of gas, water, nutrients, and volcanic materials interact in the portion of the Earth's surface known as Critical Zone allows us to better understand ecosystems' response to the natural stresses induced by volcanic activity. 
With this objective, at the Etna IGG Observatory, activities focus on the continuous acquisition of flux data regarding: 

• the flow of CO₂ and water from the soil to the atmosphere,  
• the temperature and humidity of the air and soil,  
• the speed and intensity of the wind in the three spatial directions  

These measurements are complemented by timely analyses of atmospheric particulate matter and surveys conducted using UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
Sharing scientific results with other research institutions and stakeholders is the foundation of the IGG Etna Observatory's transdisciplinary activities. For this reason, the collected data is organized in a data repository, successivamente trasferito in ambienti VRE (Virtual Research Environment) environments, where they can be consulted and processed in an integrated manner.

Goals

• Creating an observatory to study the Critical Zone on Etna 
• Evaluate the balance of carbon fluxes between biological components (soil-vegetation ecosystem) and volcanic component 
• Contribute to the strengthening of the Italian Research Infrastructure for Geosciences (GRINT), integrated into the European EPOS (European Plate Observing System) framework. 

Instrumentation and activities

Fixed installations for the measurement of fluxes at the soil-atmosphere interface: 

• Eddy Covariance for measuring ecosystem net fluxes of CO₂ and H₂O (37°43'58.34''N; 15°5'18.33''E) 
• Fixed accumulation chambers (WSS-2001 and WSS-2003) for measurements of CO₂ fluxes from soil (37°43'57.252''N; 15°05'19.22''E; 37°43'49.17''N; 15°05'19.2''E).

Mobile instrumentation for measuring ecosystem fluxes at the soil-atmosphere interface:

• Mobile accumulation chamber for measuring diffuse CO2 emissions

Other activities

• Analysis of atmospheric particulate matter to identify the chemical-physical nature of materials (at the Eddy Covariance website) 
• UAV surveys (RGB, Multispectral, Thermal and Lidar for 3D and thermal maps) to map soil and vegetation and identify thermal anomalies  
• Integration of IGG activities with other research institutions active on Etna 

Ongoing activities

• Periodic flow measurement campaigns (Eddy Covariance and accumulation chambers) 
• Data collection and instrument calibration 
• Interpretative analyses for carbon balances and volcano–ecosystem interactions 
• Monitoring and detection of flow anomalies