The Project has as mains objectives:
- compile a database for the geochemical data of the Azores fumarolic fields;
- define the most adequate methodologies to sample the fumarolic fields;
- select the sampling sites and improve the fumaroles sampling methodologies;
- improve and upgrade the existing laboratorial facilities for fumarole chemical analyses;
- test and compare different sampling/analytical methodologies in order to improve the fumarolic chemical analyses;
- improve analytical methodologies and identify various gas species;
- characterize the main fumarolic fields of the archipelago;
- identify the origin of the different gas components released from the fumaroles;
- model and produce conceptual models to explain the formation of the fumarolic fields and the thermodynamic conditions of the hydrothermal system;
- select the best gas ratios that can be indicative of changes in the deep hydrothermal/volcanic system;
- produce CO2 degassing maps for some fumarolic grounds;
- produce soil temperature maps for some fumarolic grounds;
- estimate the CO2 output from the different fumarolic grounds;
- estimate the heat flux released by the different fumarolic grounds.
Azores archipelago works as a natural laboratory for seismic and volcanic studies and the work performed during this project and the results achieved may contribute for the understanding of other hydrothermal areas and the adopted methodologies may also be applied in by other volcano observatories. Characterization of the fumarolic grounds of the Azores is then important to compare with other similar fumarolic areas of the world and may allow improving not only technical analyses but also the understanding of the hydrothermal systems worldwide distributed. There are some evidences that the Azorean fumaroles may show some signs of reactivation of the volcanic system and, for this reason, they can be used to select some criteria to apply as early warning and thus extend them to other degassing areas.
Production of degassing/thermal anomaly maps is useful not only for seismo-volcanic monitoring purposes, but also as hazard maps allowing to limit the anomalous zones around the fumarolic emissions. Estimation of the CO2 emission in the Azores fumarolic grounds is also important for the total C-budget, since it has been lately demonstrated the importance of consider the volcanic CO2 emitted to the atmosphere to include in the climate change models. The estimation of the thermal energy released close to the fumaroles is fundamental to evaluate the geothermal potential of each area and can be used as indicator of changes in the deep system as well.