Carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing

Trees are useful archives of past atmospheric conditions. They have most commonly been used to infer large-scale changes in climate, industrial pollution, and the magnitude and frequency of geological hazards. While geochemical changes in tree rings have been linked to localized anthropogenic smelter pollution, their potential to track geochemical changes in volcanic degassing has not yet been fully realized. Here, we applied a new proxy using sulfur and carbon isotopes in tree rings to examine fluctuations in gas emission at Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica. Since 2009, Turrialba has emitted a persistent gas plume and increasingly frequent explosions and ash eruptions as activity has accelerated. We collected cores from a species of alder tree, Alnus acuminata, at several locations surrounding the volcano. Biannual isotopic analysis of rings demonstrated a notable δ34S shift of –5.2‰ and a similarly sharp δ13C shift of +1.3‰ in trees downwind of the plume following the onset of strong degassing in 2009. We propose that these shifts in the isotopic values of the tree correspond to those of the volcanic SO2 and CO2, and in the case of the δ13C, an additional fractionation caused by leaf impairment from exposure to volcanic SO2. This new proxy can be applied to other volcanoes as a novel method of obtaining a temporal record of degassing, a crucial tool for volcano monitoring.

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Main Authors: D’Arcy, Fiona, Boucher, Étienne, De Moor, J. Maarten, Hélie, Jean-François, Piggott, Robert, Stix, John, de Moor, Joost Maarten
Format: http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 biblioteca
Language:eng
Published: Geological Society of America 2019-07-05
Subjects:ERUPCIONES VOLCÁNICAS, VOLCANES, VULCANOLOGÍA, VOLCÁN TURRIALBA (COSTA RICA), VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS, VOLCANOES, VULCANOLOGY, TURRIALBA VOLCANO (COSTA RICA),
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11056/23685
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id oai:https:--repositorio.una.ac.cr:11056-23685
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institution UNA CR
collection DSpace
country Costa Rica
countrycode CR
component Bibliográfico
access En linea
databasecode dig-una-cr
tag biblioteca
region America Central
libraryname Biblioteca de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Tierra y el Mar de la UNA CR
language eng
topic ERUPCIONES VOLCÁNICAS
VOLCANES
VULCANOLOGÍA
VOLCÁN TURRIALBA (COSTA RICA)
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
VOLCANOES
VULCANOLOGY
TURRIALBA VOLCANO (COSTA RICA)
ERUPCIONES VOLCÁNICAS
VOLCANES
VULCANOLOGÍA
VOLCÁN TURRIALBA (COSTA RICA)
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
VOLCANOES
VULCANOLOGY
TURRIALBA VOLCANO (COSTA RICA)
spellingShingle ERUPCIONES VOLCÁNICAS
VOLCANES
VULCANOLOGÍA
VOLCÁN TURRIALBA (COSTA RICA)
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
VOLCANOES
VULCANOLOGY
TURRIALBA VOLCANO (COSTA RICA)
ERUPCIONES VOLCÁNICAS
VOLCANES
VULCANOLOGÍA
VOLCÁN TURRIALBA (COSTA RICA)
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
VOLCANOES
VULCANOLOGY
TURRIALBA VOLCANO (COSTA RICA)
D’Arcy, Fiona
Boucher, Étienne
De Moor, J. Maarten
Hélie, Jean-François
Piggott, Robert
Stix, John
de Moor, Joost Maarten
Hélie, Jean-François
Carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing
description Trees are useful archives of past atmospheric conditions. They have most commonly been used to infer large-scale changes in climate, industrial pollution, and the magnitude and frequency of geological hazards. While geochemical changes in tree rings have been linked to localized anthropogenic smelter pollution, their potential to track geochemical changes in volcanic degassing has not yet been fully realized. Here, we applied a new proxy using sulfur and carbon isotopes in tree rings to examine fluctuations in gas emission at Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica. Since 2009, Turrialba has emitted a persistent gas plume and increasingly frequent explosions and ash eruptions as activity has accelerated. We collected cores from a species of alder tree, Alnus acuminata, at several locations surrounding the volcano. Biannual isotopic analysis of rings demonstrated a notable δ34S shift of –5.2‰ and a similarly sharp δ13C shift of +1.3‰ in trees downwind of the plume following the onset of strong degassing in 2009. We propose that these shifts in the isotopic values of the tree correspond to those of the volcanic SO2 and CO2, and in the case of the δ13C, an additional fractionation caused by leaf impairment from exposure to volcanic SO2. This new proxy can be applied to other volcanoes as a novel method of obtaining a temporal record of degassing, a crucial tool for volcano monitoring.
format http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
topic_facet ERUPCIONES VOLCÁNICAS
VOLCANES
VULCANOLOGÍA
VOLCÁN TURRIALBA (COSTA RICA)
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
VOLCANOES
VULCANOLOGY
TURRIALBA VOLCANO (COSTA RICA)
author D’Arcy, Fiona
Boucher, Étienne
De Moor, J. Maarten
Hélie, Jean-François
Piggott, Robert
Stix, John
de Moor, Joost Maarten
Hélie, Jean-François
author_facet D’Arcy, Fiona
Boucher, Étienne
De Moor, J. Maarten
Hélie, Jean-François
Piggott, Robert
Stix, John
de Moor, Joost Maarten
Hélie, Jean-François
author_sort D’Arcy, Fiona
title Carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing
title_short Carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing
title_full Carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing
title_fullStr Carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing
title_full_unstemmed Carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing
title_sort carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing
publisher Geological Society of America
publishDate 2019-07-05
url http://hdl.handle.net/11056/23685
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AT demoorjmaarten carbonandsulfurisotopesintreeringsasaproxyforvolcanicdegassing
AT heliejeanfrancois carbonandsulfurisotopesintreeringsasaproxyforvolcanicdegassing
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AT stixjohn carbonandsulfurisotopesintreeringsasaproxyforvolcanicdegassing
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AT heliejeanfrancois carbonandsulfurisotopesintreeringsasaproxyforvolcanicdegassing
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spelling oai:https:--repositorio.una.ac.cr:11056-236852022-09-15T21:21:49Z Carbon and sulfur isotopes in tree rings as a proxy for volcanic degassing D’Arcy, Fiona Boucher, Étienne De Moor, J. Maarten Hélie, Jean-François Piggott, Robert Stix, John de Moor, Joost Maarten Hélie, Jean-François ERUPCIONES VOLCÁNICAS VOLCANES VULCANOLOGÍA VOLCÁN TURRIALBA (COSTA RICA) VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS VOLCANOES VULCANOLOGY TURRIALBA VOLCANO (COSTA RICA) Trees are useful archives of past atmospheric conditions. They have most commonly been used to infer large-scale changes in climate, industrial pollution, and the magnitude and frequency of geological hazards. While geochemical changes in tree rings have been linked to localized anthropogenic smelter pollution, their potential to track geochemical changes in volcanic degassing has not yet been fully realized. Here, we applied a new proxy using sulfur and carbon isotopes in tree rings to examine fluctuations in gas emission at Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica. Since 2009, Turrialba has emitted a persistent gas plume and increasingly frequent explosions and ash eruptions as activity has accelerated. We collected cores from a species of alder tree, Alnus acuminata, at several locations surrounding the volcano. Biannual isotopic analysis of rings demonstrated a notable δ34S shift of –5.2‰ and a similarly sharp δ13C shift of +1.3‰ in trees downwind of the plume following the onset of strong degassing in 2009. We propose that these shifts in the isotopic values of the tree correspond to those of the volcanic SO2 and CO2, and in the case of the δ13C, an additional fractionation caused by leaf impairment from exposure to volcanic SO2. This new proxy can be applied to other volcanoes as a novel method of obtaining a temporal record of degassing, a crucial tool for volcano monitoring. Los árboles son archivos útiles de las condiciones atmosféricas pasadas. Se han utilizado con mayor frecuencia para inferir cambios a gran escala en el clima, la contaminación industrial y la magnitud y frecuencia de los peligros geológicos. Si bien los cambios geoquímicos en los anillos de los árboles se han relacionado con la contaminación antropogénica localizada de las fundiciones, su potencial para rastrear los cambios geoquímicos en la desgasificación volcánica aún no se ha realizado completamente. Aquí, aplicamos un nuevo proxy usando isótopos de azufre y carbono en anillos de árboles para examinar las fluctuaciones en la emisión de gas en el volcán Turrialba, Costa Rica. Desde 2009, Turrialba ha emitido una columna de gas persistente y explosiones y erupciones de cenizas cada vez más frecuentes a medida que la actividad se ha acelerado. Recolectamos núcleos de una especie de aliso, Alnus acuminata, en varios lugares alrededor del volcán. El análisis isotópico semestral de los anillos demostró un cambio notable de δ34S de –5,2 ‰ y un cambio de δ13C igualmente pronunciado de + 1,3 ‰ en los árboles a sotavento del penacho tras el inicio de una fuerte desgasificación en 2009. Proponemos que estos cambios en los valores isotópicos del árbol corresponden a los del SO2 volcánico y CO2, y en el caso del δ13C, un fraccionamiento adicional causado por el deterioro foliar por exposición al SO2 volcánico. Este nuevo proxy se puede aplicar a otros volcanes como un método novedoso para obtener un registro temporal de desgasificación, una herramienta crucial para el monitoreo de volcanes. McGill University, Montréal, Québec Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec Geotop Research Centre on the Dynamics of the Earth System, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal Département de Géographie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica Département des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal Department of Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa 2022-08-15T20:46:51Z 2022-08-15T20:46:51Z 2019-07-05 http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 1943-2682 http://hdl.handle.net/11056/23685 10.1130/G46323.1 eng Acceso abierto http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ application/pdf Geological Society of America Geology vol.47 no.9 825-828 2019