Atmospheric contribution of gas emissions from Augustine volcano, Alaska during the 2006 eruption

Airborne surveillance of gas emissions from Augustine for SO₂, CO₂ and H₂S showed no evidence of anomalous degassing from 1990 through May 2005. By December 20, 2005, Augustine was degassing 660 td⁻¹ of SO₂, and ten times that by January 4, 2006. The highest SO₂ emission rate measured during the 2006 eruption was 8650 td⁻¹ (March 1); for CO₂, 13000 td⁻¹ (March 9), and H₂S, 8 td⁻¹ (January 19). Thirty‐four SO₂measurements were made from December 2005 through 2006, with 9 each for CO₂ and H₂S. Augustine released 1 × 10⁶ tonnes of CO₂ to the atmosphere during 2006, a level similar to the output of a medium‐sized natural gas‐fired power plant, and thus was not a significant contributor of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere compared to anthropogenic sources. Augustine released about 5 × 10⁵ tonnes of SO₂ during 2006, similar to that released in 1976 and 1986.