Analysis of the long-range transport of the volcanic plume from the 2021 Tajogaite/Cumbre Vieja eruption to Europe using TROPOMI and ground-based measurements

Aug 22, 2026

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The study analyzes long-range transport and dispersion of volcanic emissions from the 2021 Tajogaite eruption on La Palma to Europe, combining satellite observations and ground-based measurements. Ground stations and lidar at Lindenberg monitored plume evolution, while Sentinel-5 Precursor/TROPOMI provided SO2 vertical column density and layer height data. A new modeling workflow couples TROPOMI SO2 VCD with HYSPLIT trajectories to confirm links between eruptions and observed signals. Results also include a Raman-lidar-based retrieval of aerosol microphysics, indicating fine-mode inorganic irregular particles with retrieved mass and optical conversion factors, and discussing possible secondary sulfate formation during transport.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages33

Reading Time1 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Volcanic emissions and health/climate impacts

Monitoring approaches: ground networks and satellites

The 2021 Tajogaite eruption timeline and plume characteristics

Analysis of the long-range transport of the volcanic plume from the 2021 Tajogaite/Cumbre Vieja eruption to Europe using TROPOMI and ground-based measurements Pascal Hedelt 1,* , Jens Reichardt2,* , Felix Lauermann2 , Benjamin Weiß 1 , Nicolas Theys3 , Alberto Redondas4 , Africa Barreto4 , Omaira Garcia4 , and Diego Loyola 1 1Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt, Remote Sensing Institute (DLR-IMF), Germany 2Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Meteorologisches Observatorium Lindenberg, Germany 3Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels, Belgium 4Izaña Atmospheric Research Center, AEMET-State Meteorological Agency, Spain *These authors contributed equally to this work. Correspondence: Pascal Hedelt (pascal.hedelt@dlr.de), Jens Reichardt (Jens.Reichardt@dwd.de) Abstract. The eruptions of the Tajogaite volcano on the western flank of the Cumbre Vieja ridge on the island of La Palma between September and December 2021 released large amounts ofash and SO2. Transport and dispersion of the volcanic emissions were monitored by ground-based stations and satellite instruments alike. In particular, the spectrometric fluorescence and Raman lidar RAMSES at the Lindenberg Meteorological Observatory measured the plume of the strongest Tajogaite eruption 5 of 22-23 September 2021 over northeastern Germany four days later. This study provides an analysis of SO2 vertical column density (VCD) and layer height (LH) measurements of the volcanic plume obtained with Sentinel-5 Precursor/TROPOMI, which are compared to the observations at several stations across the Canary Islands. Furthermore, a new modeling approach based on TROPOMI SO2 VCD measurements and the HYSPLIT trajectory and dispersion model was developed which confirmed the link between Tajogaite eruptions and Lindenberg measurements. Modeled mean emission height at the volcanic 10 vent is in excellent agreement with co-located TROPOMI SO2 LH and local lidar ash height measurements. Finally, a comprehensive discussion of the RAMSES measurements is presented. A new retrieval approach has been developed to estimate the microphysical properties of the volcanic aerosol. For the first time, an optical particle model is utilized that assumes an irregular, non-spheroidal shape of the aerosol particles. According to the analysis, the volcanic aerosol consisted solely of fine-mode inorganic, solid and irregularly shaped particles-the presence of large aerosol particles or wildfire aerosols could 15 be excluded. The particles likely had an isometric to slightly plate-like shape with an effective half of particle maximum dimension around 0 . 1 µm and a refractive index of about 1 .51. Moreover, mass column values between 70 and 110 mg m −2 , mean mass concentrations of 45-70 µg m−3, and mean mass conversion factors between 0 .21 and 0 .33 g m −2 at 355 nm were retrieved. Possibly RAMSES observed, at least in part, volcanic secondary sulfate aerosol which was produced by gas-phase homogeneous reactions during the transport of the air masses from La Palma to Lindenberg. 20 1 Introduction Volcanic eruptions emit large amounts of particulate matter and trace gases into the atmosphere, which can have a major impact on human health, society, and nature. While the main concern related to volcanic ash plumes is air traffic safety, of the various trace gases emitted such as sulphur species, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and halogens, sulphur dioxide (SO2 ) has received particular attention due to its subsequent conversion to aerosols (see e.g., Rix et al., 2012) and its potentially strong effect on 25 global climate (Robock, 2000) . SO2 is also the volcanic gas that is most easily detected using ultraviolet (UV) and thermal infrared remote-sensing techniques, and has therefore been used to monitor volcanoes worldwide for many decades (see e.g., Rix et al., 2009; Carn et al., 2016, 2021; Prata and Lynch, 2019; Coppola et al., 2020) . Global networks of ground-ba

FAQs

What satellite and ground instruments are used to track the 2021 Tajogaite/Cumbre Vieja plume?

Sentinel-5 Precursor/TROPOMI measures SO2 vertical column density and layer height, while ground-based observations at stations including RAMSES Raman lidar at Lindenberg characterize the plume and ash/aerosol properties.

How does the modeling approach link the eruption to measurements in Germany?

The study develops a modeling workflow using TROPOMI SO2 VCD together with the HYSPLIT trajectory and dispersion model, which confirms the connection between Tajogaite eruptions and the Lindenberg observations.

What does the aerosol retrieval conclude about the volcanic particles?

The retrieval indicates the volcanic aerosol consisted solely of fine-mode inorganic, solid, irregularly shaped particles, with large aerosol or wildfire aerosols excluded, and provides estimates for particle size and refractive index.

Aug 22, 2026

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