Christoph Kern
Christoph Kern is a Research Physicist for the USGS Volcano Science Center. His research focuses on measuring volcanic gas emissions and interpreting the results to gain insights into processes occurring within active volcanoes.
Christoph develops and applies remote sensing techniques to measure volcanic gas emissions. These contact-free methods allow gases to be measured from a distance, without the need for putting scientists or instrumentation into harm’s way at the summit of active volcanoes.
In addition to monitoring volcanoes in Alaska, Hawaii, and the Cascades Range, Christoph works with the USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program to provide instrumentation and advice to foreign counterparts. He is currently serving on the Steering Committee of the Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change (NOVAC), a global community of volcano observatories and research institutions that runs the largest volcanic gas monitoring network in the world.
Christoph is always striving to find new measurement techniques, retrieval methods, and analysis tools to detect gas signals diagnostic of volcanic unrest. He is also interested in how volcanic gases affect atmospheric chemistry and climate on local, regional, and global scales.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Heidelberg, Germany
Science and Products
An interface for simulating radiative transfer in and around volcanic plumes with the Monte Carlo radiative transfer model McArtim
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 stacking over similar events to dampen noise, we find
Monitoring gas emissions can help forecast volcanic eruptions
Quantitative imaging of volcanic plumes — Results, needs, and future trends
Intercomparison of SO2 camera systems for imaging volcanic gas plumes
An automated SO2 camera system for continuous, real-time monitoring of gas emissions from Kīlauea Volcano's summit Overlook Crater
Using SO2 camera imagery and seismicity to examine degassing and gas accumulation at Kīlauea Volcano, May 2010
Estimating the volcanic emission rate and atmospheric lifetime of SO2 from space: a case study for Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i
Decadal-scale variability of diffuse CO2 emissions and seismicity revealed from long-term monitoring (1995–2013) at Mammoth Mountain, California, USA
Development of a portable active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy system for volcanic gas measurements
Rapid chemical evolution of tropospheric volcanic emissions from Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, based on observations of ozone and halogen-containing gases
On the absolute calibration of SO2 cameras
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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 optical depth and derivatives thereof (that is, weightiAuthorsChristoph KernLong 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 stacking over similar events to dampen noise, we find
AuthorsJohn J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney, Cynthia A. Werner, Peter J. Kelly, Matthew R. Patrick, Christoph Kern, Frank A. TrusdellMonitoring 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 chemical composition and emission rates of these discharged volatilAuthorsChristoph Kern, J. Maarten de Moor, Bo GalleQuantitative imaging of volcanic plumes — Results, needs, and future trends
Recent technology allows two-dimensional “imaging” of trace gas distributions in plumes. In contrast to older, one-dimensional remote sensing techniques, that are only capable of measuring total column densities, the new imaging methods give insight into details of transport and mixing processes as well as chemical transformation within plumes. We give an overview of gas imaging techniques alreadyAuthorsUlrich Platt, Peter Lübcke, Jonas Kuhn, Nicole Bobrowski, Fred Prata, Michael Burton, Christoph KernIntercomparison of SO2 camera systems for imaging volcanic gas plumes
SO2 camera systems are increasingly being used to image volcanic gas plumes. The ability to derive SO2 emission rates directly from the acquired imagery at high time resolution allows volcanic process studies that incorporate other high time-resolution datasets. Though the general principles behind the SO2 camera have remained the same for a number of years, recent advances in CCD technology and aAuthorsChristoph Kern, Peter Lübcke, Nicole Bobrowski, Robin Campion, Toshiya Mori, Jean-Francois Smekens, Kerstin Stebel, Giancarlo Tamburello, Michael Burton, Ulrich Platt, Fred PrataAn automated SO2 camera system for continuous, real-time monitoring of gas emissions from Kīlauea Volcano's summit Overlook Crater
SO2 camera systems allow rapid two-dimensional imaging of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted from volcanic vents. Here, we describe the development of an SO2 camera system specifically designed for semi-permanent field installation and continuous use. The integration of innovative but largely “off-the-shelf” components allowed us to assemble a robust and highly customizable instrument capable of continuAuthorsChristoph Kern, Jeff Sutton, Tamar Elias, Robert Lopaka Lee, Kevan P. Kamibayashi, Loren Antolik, Cynthia A. WernerUsing SO2 camera imagery and seismicity to examine degassing and gas accumulation at Kīlauea Volcano, May 2010
SO2 camera measurements at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, in May of 2010 captured two occurrences of lava lake rise and fall within the Halema'um'au Crater summit vent. During high lava stands we observed diminished SO2 emission rates and decreased seismic tremor. Similar events at Kīlauea have been described as the result of sporadic degassing following gas accumulation beneath a mostly impermeable lavAuthorsPatricia A Nadeau, Cynthia A. Werner, Gregory P. Waite, Simon A Carn, Ian D Brewer, Tamar Elias, Andrew Sutton, Christoph KernEstimating the volcanic emission rate and atmospheric lifetime of SO2 from space: a case study for Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i
We present an analysis of SO2 column densities derived from GOME-2 satellite measurements for the Kīlauea volcano (Hawai`i) for 2007–2012. During a period of enhanced degassing activity in March–November 2008, monthly mean SO2 emission rates and effective SO2 lifetimes are determined simultaneously from the observed downwind plume evolution and meteorological wind fields, without further model inpAuthorsSteffen Beirle, Christoph Hörmann, Malouse Penning de Vries, Stefan Dörner, Christoph Kern, Thomas WagnerDecadal-scale variability of diffuse CO2 emissions and seismicity revealed from long-term monitoring (1995–2013) at Mammoth Mountain, California, USA
Mammoth Mountain, California, is a dacitic volcano that has experienced several periods of unrest since 1989. The onset of diffuse soil CO2 emissions at numerous locations on the flanks of the volcano began in 1989–1990 following an 11-month period of heightened seismicity. CO2 emission rates were measured yearly from 1995 to 2013 at Horseshoe Lake (HSL), the largest tree kill area on Mammoth MounAuthorsCynthia A. Werner, Deborah Bergfeld, Chris Farrar, Michael P. Doukas, Peter J. Kelly, Christoph KernDevelopment of a portable active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy system for volcanic gas measurements
Active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (LP-DOAS) has been an effective tool for measuring atmospheric trace gases for several decades. However, instruments were large, heavy and power-inefficient, making their application to remote environments extremely challenging. Recent developments in fibre-coupling telescope technology and the availability of ultraviolet light emittinAuthorsFabio Vita, Christoph Kern, Salvatore InguaggiatoRapid chemical evolution of tropospheric volcanic emissions from Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, based on observations of ozone and halogen-containing gases
We report results from an observational and modeling study of reactive chemistry in the tropospheric plume emitted by Redoubt Volcano, Alaska. Our measurements include the first observations of Br and I degassing from an Alaskan volcano, the first study of O3 evolution in a volcanic plume, as well as the first detection of BrO in the plume of a passively degassing Alaskan volcano. This study alsoAuthorsCynthia A. Werner, Peter J. Kelly, Christoph Kern, T.J. Roberts, A. AluppeOn the absolute calibration of SO2 cameras
Sulphur dioxide emission rate measurements are an important tool for volcanic monitoring and eruption risk assessment. The SO2 camera technique remotely measures volcanic emissions by analysing the ultraviolet absorption of SO2 in a narrow spectral window between 300 and 320 nm using solar radiation scattered in the atmosphere. The SO2 absorption is selectively detected by mounting band-pass interAuthorsPeter Lübcke, Nicole Bobrowski, Sebastian Illing, Christoph Kern, Jose Manuel Alvarez Nieves, Leif Vogel, Johannes Zielcke, Hugo Delgados Granados, Ulrich Platt - News