Global Time-Averaged Inventory of Volcanic Sulfur Emissions

A time-averaged inventory of subaerial volcanic sulfur (S) emissions was compiled primarily for the use of global S and sulfate modelers. This inventory relies upon the 25-year history of S, primarily sulfur dioxide (SO2), measurements at volcanoes. Subaerial volcanic SO2 emissions indicate a 13 Tg/a SO2 time-averaged flux, based upon an early 1970's to 1997 time frame. When considering other S species present in volcanic emissions, a time-averaged inventory of subaerial volcanic S fluxes is 10.4 Tg/a S. These time-averaged fluxes are conservative minimum fluxes since they rely upon actual measurements. The temporal, spatial and chemical inhomogeneities inherent to this system gave higher S fluxes in specific years. Despite its relatively small proportion in the atmospheric S cycle, the temporal and spatial distribution of volcanic S emissions provide disproportionate effects at local, regional and global scales. This work contributes to the Global Emissions Inventory Activity (GEIA). The GEIA repository for this inventory contains nine files. There are two files containing emissions data. The first contains maximum SO2 emissions from sporadic volcanic activity. The second contains the average SO2 emissions from continuous volcanic activity. Two accompanying files contain data that further describe the volcano sources. The file LOCavg.1a is a locator map containing non-water grid cells (see header for the data key). The file vocalt.txt contains a list of the volcano name, and the latitude, longitude, and altitude. Andres R.J., and A.D. Kasgnoc. 1998. A time-averaged inventory of subaerial volcanic sulfur emissions. Journal of Geophysical Research 103: 25,251-25,261.