Christoph Kern
Christoph Kern is a research physicist at the USGS Volcano Science Center. His research focuses on remote sensing of volcanic gas emissions and applying novel gas monitoring techniques to improve eruption forecasts.
Biography
List of Publications
Elias T, Kern C, Horton KA, Sutton AJ, Garbeil H (2018) Measuring SO2 Emission Rates at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, Using an Array of Upward-Looking UV Spectrometers, 2014–2017. Front Earth Sci 6:1–20. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2018.00214
Neal CA, Brantley SR, Antolik L, Babb J, Burgess M, Calles K, Cappos M, Chang JC, Conway S, Desmither L, Dotray P, Elias T, Fukunaga P, Fuke S, Johanson IA, Kamibayashi K, Kauahikaua J, Lee RL, Pekalib S, Miklius A, Million W, Moniz CJ, Nadeau PA, Okubo P, Parcheta C, Patrick MP, Shiro B, Swanson DA, Tollet W, Trusdell F, Younger EF, Zoeller MH, Montgomery-Brown EK, Anderson KR, Poland MP, Ball J, Bard J, Coombs M, Dietterich HR, Kern C, Thelen WA, Cervelli PF, Orr T, Houghton BF, Gansecki C, Hazlett R, Lundgren P, Diefenbach AK, Lerner AH, Waite G, Kelly P, Clor L, Werner C, Mulliken K, Fisher G (2018) The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano. Science (80) 7046, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav7046
Kern C, and Lyons JJ (2018) Spatial distribution of halogen oxides in the plume of Mount Pagan volcano, Mariana Islands. Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 1-9. doi:10.1029/2018GL079245. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2018GL079245
de Moor JM, Kern C, Avard G, Muller C, Aiuppa A, Saballos A, Fischer TP (2017). A new sulfur and carbon degassing inventory for the Southern Central American Volcanic Arc : The importance of accurate time-series datasets and possible tectonic processes responsible for temporal variations in arc-scale volatile emissions. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 18, 1–32. doi: 10.1002/2017GC007141, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GC007141/abstract
Primulyana S, Kern C, Lerner A, Saing UB, Kunrat SL, Alfianti H, Marlia M. (2017), Gas and ash emissions associated with the 2010-present activity of Sinabung Volcano, Indonesia, J Volcanol Geotherm Res, doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.11.018, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027317306911
Kern C, Masias P, Apaza F, Reath, KA, Platt U (2017) High water vapor emissions detected at Sabancaya Volcano prior to its 2016 eruption by differential optical absorption spectroscopy. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 122:1–25. doi: 10.1002/2017JB014020, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017JB014020/full
Kern C (2017) The Difficulty of Measuring the Absorption of Scattered Sunlight by H2O and CO2 in Volcanic Plumes: A Comment on Pering et al. “A Novel and Inexpensive Method for Measuring Volcanic Plume Water Fluxes at High Temporal Resolution,” Remote Sens. 2017, 9, 146. Remote Sens 9:534. doi: 10.3390/rs9060534, http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/6/534
Werner C, Kern C, Coppola D, Lyons JJ, Kelly PJ, Wallace KL, Schneider DJ, Wessels RL (2017) Magmatic degassing, lava dome extrusion, and explosions from Mount Cleveland volcano, Alaska, 2011-2015: Insight into the continuous nature of volcanic activity over multi-year timescales. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 337:98–110. doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.03.001, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027316304358
de Moor JM, Aiuppa A, Pacheco J, Avard G, Kern C, Liuzzo M, Martínez M, Giudice G, Fischer TP (2016) Short-period volcanic gas precursors to phreatic eruptions: Insights from Poás Volcano, Costa Rica, Earth Planet Sci Lett 1:2–11. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.02.056, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X16300851
Kern C (2016) An interface for simulating radiative transfer in and around volcanic plumes with the Monte Carlo radiative transfer model McArtim, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016–1045, 18 p., doi:10.3133/ofr20161045, https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20161045
Kern C, de Moor JM, Galle B (2015) Monitoring gas emissions can help forecast volcanic eruptions, Eos, 96, doi:10.1029/2015EO034081, https://eos.org/meeting-reports/monitoring-gas-emissions-can-help-foreca...
Gunawan H, Caudron C, Pallister J, Primulyana S, Christenson B, McCausland W, Van Hindberg V, Lewicki JL, Rouwet D, Kelly P, Kern C, Werner CA, Johnson JB, Utami SB, Syahbana DK, Saing U, Purwanto SBH, Sealing C, Martinez Cruz M, Maryanto S, Bani P, Laurin A, Schmid A, Bradley K, Nandaka I, and Hendrasto M (2015) New insights into Kawah Ijen’s volcanic system from the wet volcano workshop experiment. From: Ohba, T., Capaccioni B, Caudron, C (eds), Geochemistry and Geophysics of Active Volcanic Lakes, Geological Society Special Publications 437, doi:10.1144/SP437.7, http://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/early/2016/02/24/SP437.7?cited-by=...
Platt U, Lübcke P, Kuhn J, Bobrowski N, Prata F, Burton M, Kern C (2015) Quantitative imaging of volcanic plumes — Results, needs, and future trends. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 300:7–21. doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.10.006, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027314003047
Kern C, Sutton J, Elias T, Lee L, Kamibayashi K, Antolik L, Werner C (2014) An automated SO2 camera system for continuous, real-time monitoring of gas emissions from Kīlauea Volcano’s summit Overlook Crater. J Volcanol Geotherm Res. doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.12.004, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027314003783
Kern C, Lübcke P, Bobrowski N, Campion R, Mori T, Smekens J-F, Stebel K, Tamburello G, Burton M, Platt U, Prata F (2014) Intercomparison of SO2 camera systems for imaging volcanic gas plumes. J Volcanol Geotherm Res. doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.08.026, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027314002662
Vita, F., Kern, C., and Inguaggiato, S. (2014) Development of a portable active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy system for volcanic gas measurements, J. Sens. Sens. Syst., 3, 355-367, doi:10.5194/jsss-3-355-2014, http://www.j-sens-sens-syst.net/3/355/2014/jsss-3-355-2014.html
Nadeau PA., Werner CA., Waite GP, Carn SA., Brewer ID, Elias T, Sutton AJ, Kern C (2014) Using SO2 camera imagery and seismicity to examine degassing and gas accumulation at Kīlauea Volcano, May 2010. J Volcanol Geotherm Res. doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.12.005, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027314003795
Werner C, Bergfeld D, Farrar CD, Doukas MP, Kelly PJ, Kern C (2014) Decadal-scale variability of diffuse CO2 emissions and seismicity revealed from long-term monitoring (1995–2013) at Mammoth Mountain, California, USA. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 289:51–63. doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.10.020, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027314003400
Beirle, S., Hörmann, C., Penning de Vries, M., Dörner, S., Kern, C., and Wagner, T. (2014) Estimating the volcanic emission rate and atmospheric lifetime of SO2 from space: a case study for Kīlauea volcano, Hawai`i, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 8309-8322, doi:10.5194/acp-14-8309-2014, http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/14/8309/2014/
Kern, C., C. Werner, T. Elias, A. J. Sutton, and P. Lübcke (2013), Applying UV cameras for SO2 detection to distant or optically thick volcanic plumes, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 262, 80–89, doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2013.06.009, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027313001832
Lübcke P, Bobrowski N, Delgado Granados H, Illing S, Kern C, Alvarez Nieves JM, Vogel L, Zielcke J, and Platt U (2013) On the absolute calibration of SO2 cameras, Atmos Meas Tech 6, 677-696,doi:10.5194/amt-6-677-2013, http://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/6/677/2013/
Kern C, Deutschmann T, Werner C, Sutton AJ, Elias T, Kelly PJ (2012) Improving the accuracy of SO2 column densities and emission rates obtained from upward-looking UV-spectroscopic measurements of volcanic plumes by taking realistic radiative transfer into account, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D20302, doi:10.1029/2012JD017936, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2012JD017936/abstract
Kelly PJ, Kern C, Lopez T, Werner C, Aiuppa A, Roberts TJ (2012) Rapid chemical evolution of tropospheric volcanic emissions from Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, based on observations of ozone and halogen-containing gases, J Volcanol Geoth Res, online first, doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2012.04.023
Vogel L, Galle B, Kern C, Delgado Granados H, Conde V, Norman P, Arellano S, Landgren O, Lubcke P, Alvarez Nieves JM, Cardenas Gonzales L, Platt U (2011) Early in-flight detection of SO2 via Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy: a feasible aviation safety measure to prevent potential encounters with volcanic plumes. Atmos Meas Tech 4:1-20, doi:10.5194/amt-4-1-2011
Deutschmann T, Beirle S, Friess U, Grzegorski M, Kern C, Kritten L, Platt U, Prados-Roman C, Pukite J, Wagner T, Werner B, Pfeilsticker K (2011) The Monte Carlo Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Model McArtim: Introduction and Validation of Jacobians and 3D Features. J Quant Spec and Rad Transf 112:1119-1137
Galle B, Johansson M, Rivera C, Zhang Y, Kihlman M, Kern C, Lehmann T, Platt U, Arellano S, Hidalgo S (2010) Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change (NOVAC) - A global network for volcanic gas monitoring: Network layout and instrument description. J Geophys Res 115:D05304, doi:10.1029/2009JD011823
Bobrowski N, Kern C, Platt U, Hörmann C, Wagner T (2010) Novel SO2 spectral evaluation scheme using the 360-390 nm wavelength range. Atmos Meas Tech 3:1-13
Kern C, Kick F, Lübcke P, Vogel L, Wöhrbach M, Platt U (2010) Theoretical description of functionality, applications, and limitations of SO2 cameras for the remote sensing of volcanic plumes. Atmos Meas Tech 3:733-749, doi:10.5194/amt-3-733-2010
Kern C, Deutschmann T, Vogel L, Wöhrbach M, Wagner T, Platt U (2010) Radiative transfer corrections for accurate spectroscopic measurements of volcanic gas emissions. Bull Volcanol 72:233-247, DOI:10.1007/s00445-009-0313-7
Sihler H, Kern C, Poehler D, Platt U (2009) Applying light-emitting diodes with narrow-band emission features in differential spectroscopy. Optics Lett 34:3716-3718
Asaf D, Pederson D, Matveev V, Peleg M, Kern C, Zingler J, Platt U, Luria M (2009) Long-Term Measurements of NO3 Radical at a Semiarid Urban Site: 1. Extreme Concentration Events and Their Oxidation Capacity. Environ Sci Technol 43:9117-9123, DOI: 10.1021/es900798b
Kern C (2009) Spectroscopic measurements of volcanic gas emissions in the ultra-violet wavelength region. Ph.D. thesis, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg
http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/9574
Kern C, Sihler H, Vogel L, Rivera C, Herrera M, Platt U (2009) Halogen oxide measurements at Masaya volcano, Nicaragua using active long path differential optical absorption spectroscopy. Bull Volcanol 71:659 - 670, doi:10.1007/s00445-008-0252-8
von Glasow R, Bobrowski N, Kern C (2008) The effects of volcanic eruptions on atmospheric chemistry. Chem Geol 263:131-142
Sinreich R, Volkamer R, Filsinger F, Frieß U, Kern C, Platt U, Sebastian O, Wagner T (2007) MAX-DOAS detection of glyoxal during ICARTT 2004. Atmos Chem Phys 7:1293-1303
Kleffmann J, Lörzer JC, Wiesen P, Kern C, Trick S, Volkamer R, Rodenas M, Wirtz K (2006) Intercomparison of the DOAS and LOPAP Techniques for the Detection of Nitrous Acid (HONO). Atmos Environ 40:3640-3652
Kern C, Trick S, Rippel B, Platt U (2006) Applicability of light-emitting diodes as light sources for active differential optical absorption spectroscopy measurements. Appl Opt 45:2077-2088
Hak C, Pundt I, Trick S, Kern C, Platt U, Dommen J, Ordónez C, Prevot ASH, Junkermann W, Astorga-Lloréns C, Larsen BR, Mellqvist J, Strandberg A, Yu Y, Galle B, Kleffmann J, Lörzer JC, Braathen GO, Volkamer R (2005) Intercomparison of four different in-situ techniques for ambient formaldehyde measurements in an urban air. Atmos Chem Phys 5:2881-2900
Science and Products
The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano
In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 km. A 4 May earthquake (M6.9) produced ~5 m of fault slip. Lava...
Neal, Christina; Brantley, Steven; Antolik, Loren; Babb, Janet; Burgess, Matthew K.; Cappos, Michael; Chang, Jefferson; Conway, Sarah; Desmither, Liliana; Dotray, Peter; Elias, Tamar; Fukunaga, Pauline; Fuke, Steven; Johanson, Ingrid; Kamibayashi, Kevan; Kauahikaua, James P.; Lee, R. Lopaka; Pekalib, S.; Miklius, Asta; Shiro, Brian; Swanson, Don; Nadeau, Patricia; Zoeller, Michael H.; Okubo, P.; Parcheta, Carolyn; Patrick, Matthew R.; Tollett, William; Trusdell, Frank A.; Younger, Edward (Frank); Montgomery-brown, Emily; Anderson, Kyle R.; Poland, Michael P.; Ball, Jessica L.; Bard, Joseph A.; Coombs, Michelle L.; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Kern, Christoph; Thelen, Weston; Cervelli, Peter; Orr, Tim R.; Houghton, Bruce F.; Gansecki, Cheryl; Hazlett, Richard; Lundgren, Paul; Diefenbach, Angela K.; Lerner, Allan; Waite, Greg; Kelly, Peter J.; Clor, Laura E.; Werner, Cynthia; Burgess, Matthew; Mulliken, Katherine; Fisher, Gary Spatial distribution of halogen oxides in the plume of Mount Pagan volcano, Mariana Islands
Halogens are emitted from volcanoes primarily as hydrogen halides (HCl, HF, HBr, and HI). Upon mixing with the atmosphere, chlorine and bromine species are partially converted to the halogen oxides OClO and BrO. Here we report on the spatial distribution of BrO and OClO in the gas plume emitted from Mount Pagan volcano, Northern Mariana Islands....
Kern, Christoph; Lyons, John A new sulfur and carbon degassing inventory for the Southern Central American Volcanic Arc: The importance of accurate time-series datasets and possible tectonic processes responsible for temporal variations in arc-scale volatile emissions
This work presents a new database of SO2 and CO2 fluxes from the Southern Central American Volcanic Arc (SCAVA) for the period 2015–2016. We report ∼300 SO2 flux measurements from 10 volcanoes and gas ratios from 11 volcanoes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua representing the most extensive available assessment of this ∼500 km arc segment...
de Moor, Maarten; Kern, Christoph; Avard, Geoffroy; Muller, Cyril; Aiuppa, Sandro; Saballos, Armando; Ibarra, Martha; LaFemina, Peter; Protti, Mario; Fischer, Tobias Remote measurement of high preeruptive water vapor emissions at Sabancaya volcano by passive differential optical absorption spectroscopy
Water (H2O) is by far the most abundant volcanic volatile species and plays a predominant role in driving volcanic eruptions. However, numerous difficulties associated with making accurate measurements of water vapor in volcanic plumes have limited their use as a diagnostic tool. Here we present the first detection of water vapor in a volcanic...
Kern, Christoph; Masias, Pablo; Apaza, Fredy; Reath, Kevin; Platt, Ulrich The difficulty of measuring the absorption of scattered sunlight by H2O and CO2 in volcanic plumes: A comment on Pering et al. “A novel and inexpensive method for measuring volcanic plume water fluxes at high temporal resolution,” Remote Sens. 2017, 9, 146
In their recent study, Pering et al. (2017) presented a novel method for measuring volcanic water vapor fluxes. Their method is based on imaging volcanic gas and aerosol plumes using a camera sensitive to the near-infrared (NIR) absorption of water vapor. The imaging data are empirically calibrated by comparison with in situ water measurements...
Kern, Christoph Magmatic degassing, lava dome extrusion, and explosions from Mount Cleveland volcano, Alaska, 2011–2015: Insight into the continuous nature of volcanic activity over multi-year timescales
Mount Cleveland volcano (1730 m) is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc, Alaska, but heightened activity is rarely accompanied by geophysical signals, which makes interpretation of the activity difficult. In this study, we combine volcanic gas emissions measured for the first time in August 2015 with longer-term measurements...
Werner, Cynthia; Kern, Christoph; Coppola, Diego; Lyons, John; Kelly, Peter J.; Wallace, Kristi; Schneider, David; Wessels, Rick Volcanic gas measurements at Mount Cleveland, 14-15 August 2015
On 14-15 August 2015, helicopter-based measurements were made of the volcanic gases emitted from Mount Cleveland, AK. An upward-looking differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) system was used to measure incident scattered solar ultraviolet radiation while traversing beneath the plume on multiple occasions 14-15 August. This data was...
Werner, Cynthia A.; Kern, Christoph; Kelly, Peter Short-period volcanic gas precursors to phreatic eruptions: Insights from Poás Volcano, Costa Rica
Volcanic eruptions involving interaction with water are amongst the most violent and unpredictable geologic phenomena on Earth. Phreatic eruptions are exceptionally difficult to forecast by traditional geophysical techniques. Here we report on short-term precursory variations in gas emissions related to phreatic blasts at Poás volcano,...
de Moor, Maarten; Aiuppa, Alessandro; Pacheco, Javier; Avard, Geoffroy; Kern, Christoph; Liuzzo, Marco; Martinez, Maria; Giudice, Gaetano; Fischer, Tobias P.
The 2014 annual report for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Introduction This report summarizes team activities and findings of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory during the year 2014 in geology, geodesy, seismicity, and gas geochemistry. The eruption of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō continued into its 32nd year with flows active to the northeast of the vent. One of them, the June 27th lava flow, named for the...
Kauahikaua, Jim; Kauahikaua, James P.; Orr, Tim R.; Patrick, Matt; Thelen, Weston A.; Burgess, Matthew K.; Miklius, Asta; Poland, Michael P.; Anderson, Kyle R.; Antolik, Loren; Elias, Tamar; Sutton, Jeff; Kern, Christoph; Werner, Cindy
An interface for simulating radiative transfer in and around volcanic plumes with the Monte Carlo radiative transfer model McArtim
This report describes two software tools that, when used as front ends for the three-dimensional backward Monte Carlo atmospheric-radiative-transfer model (RTM) McArtim, facilitate the generation of lookup tables of volcanic-plume optical-transmittance characteristics in the ultraviolet/visible-spectral region. In particular, the differential...
Kern, Christoph Long period seismicity and very long period infrasound driven by shallow magmatic degassing at Mount Pagan, Mariana Islands
Long period (LP) seismicity and very long period infrasound (iVLP) were recorded during continuous degassing from Mount Pagan, Mariana Islands, in July 2013 to January 2014. The frequency content of the LP and iVLP events and delay times between the two arrivals were remarkably stable and indicate nearly co-located sources. Using phase-weighted...
Lyons, John; Haney, Matthew M.; Werner, Cynthia A.; Kelly, Peter J.; Patrick, Matthew R.; Kern, Christoph; Trusdell, Frank A. Monitoring gas emissions can help forecast volcanic eruptions
As magma ascends in active volcanoes, dissolved volatiles partition from melt into a gas phase, rise, and are released into the atmosphere from volcanic vents. The major components of high-temperature volcanic gas are typically water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Volcanologists have long recognized that measuring the...
Kern, Christoph; de Moor, J. Maarten; Bo Galle