Image-based correction of the light dilution effect for SO2 camera measurements

Ultraviolet SO2 cameras are increasingly used in volcanology because of their ability to remotely measure the 2D distribution of SO2 in volcanic plumes, at a high frequency. However, light dilution, i.e., the scattering of ambient photons within the instrument's field of view (FoV) on air parcels located between the plume and the instrument, induces a systematic underestimation of the measurements, whose magnitude increases with distance, SO2 content, atmospheric pressure and turbidity. Here we describe a robust and straightforward method to quantify and correct this effect. We retrieve atmospheric scattering coefficients based on the contrast attenuation between the sky and the increasingly distant slope of the volcanic edifice. We illustrate our method with a case study at Etna volcano, where difference between corrected and uncorrected emission rates amounts to 40% to 80%, and investigate the temporal variations of the scattering coefficient during 1 h of measurements on Etna. We validate the correction method at Popocatépetl volcano by performing measurements of the same plume at different distances from the volcano. Finally, we reported the atmospheric scattering coefficients for several volcanoes at different latitudes and altitudes.