EGU23-8673
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-8673
EGU General Assembly 2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Are they radon or random signals? Analysis of time series of 222Rn activity concentrations in populated areas of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain)

Antonio Eff-Darwich1,2, Germán D. Padilla1,3, José Barrancos1,3, José A. Rodríguez-Losada1,2, Pedro A. Hernández1,3, Nemesio M. Pérez1,3, Antonio J. Álvarez Díaz4,5, Alexis M. González Pérez4,6, Jesús García7, José M. Santana1, and Eleazar Padrón1,3
Antonio Eff-Darwich et al.
  • 1Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN), 38320 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain (adarwich@ull.es)
  • 2Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
  • 3Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER), 38600 Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Canary Islands
  • 4Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN), 38740 Fuencaliente, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
  • 5Agrolaguna, 38760 Los Llanos de Aridane, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
  • 6Hidrolap Medioambiental S.L., 38750 El Paso, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
  • 7Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Radon, 222Rn, is a radioactive constituent of the surface layer of the atmosphere. The analysis of the temporal and spatial variations in the flux of radon across the soil–air interface is a promising tool to study geo-dynamical processes. However, many of these variations are induced by external variables, such as temperature, barometric pressure, rainfall, or the location of the instrumentation, among others.

Anomalous CO2 degassing has been observed since the end of November 2021 in the neighborhoods of La Bombilla and Puerto Naos, located in the western flank of La Palma, about 5 km distance southwestern of the 2021 Tajogaite eruption vents (Hernández et al. 2022). In order to complement these observations with other independent parameters, a set of radon monitoring stations have been deployed in that area. In an attempt to filter out non-endogenous variations in the radon signal, we have implemented time-series numerical filtering techniques based on multi-variate and frequency domain analysis. A background level for radon emissions at various locations could therefore be defined, by which correlations between radon concentration, gaseous emissions and dynamical processes could be carried out. Some preliminary results corresponding to the first 3 months of data (october-december 2022) are presented.

Hernández, P. A., Padrón, E., Melián, G. V., Pérez, N. M., Padilla, G., Asensio-Ramos, M., Di Nardo, D., Barrancos, J., Pacheco, J. M., and Smit, M.: Gas hazard assessment at Puerto Naos and La Bombilla inhabited areas, Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-7705, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-7705, 2022.

How to cite: Eff-Darwich, A., Padilla, G. D., Barrancos, J., Rodríguez-Losada, J. A., Hernández, P. A., Pérez, N. M., Álvarez Díaz, A. J., González Pérez, A. M., García, J., Santana, J. M., and Padrón, E.: Are they radon or random signals? Analysis of time series of 222Rn activity concentrations in populated areas of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain), EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-8673, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-8673, 2023.