Supplementary material to “Volcanic Versus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide”

14 June 2011

Terry Gerlach, Cascades Volcano Observatory (Emeritus), U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver,
Washington

Citation:
Gerlach, T. (2011), Volcanic versus anthropogenic carbon dioxide, Eos Trans. AGU, 92(24), 201–202,
doi:10.1029/2011EO240001. (View the full article at
http://www.agu.org/journals/eo/v092/i024/2011EO240001/2011EO240001_rga.pdf.)

Terry Gerlach, Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1300 SE
Cardinal Court #100, Vancouver, WA 98683-9589, USA; E-mail: tgerlach@usgs.gov
Aggregated volcanic CO2 emission rate estimates are reported in 23 studies since 1979 (Table
S1).

Global Volcanic CO2 Emission Rate Estimates

Table S1 contains the five published estimates of the present-day global volcanic CO2 emission
rate. Four studies provide estimates as ranges, giving a sense of estimate uncertainty; one
provides only a single-valued estimate. The total range over all five global estimates is 0.13 Gt y-
1
(minimum) to 0.44 Gt y-1 (maximum), or 0.285 ± 0.155 Gt y-1; all estimates are within a factor
of 1.84 of 0.239 Gt y-1. The range of the preferred global estimates of the five studies is 0.15-
0.26 Gt y-1, or 0.205 ± 0.055 Gt y-1; all preferred estimates are within a factor of 1.32 of 0.197 Gt
y-1.
Marty and Tolstikhin’s [1998] investigation of CO2 emission rates from mid-oceanic ridge
(MOR), convergent plate arc, and intraplate plume tectonic settings is the most comprehensive
study of the global volcanic CO2 emission rate to date. They use the 3He proxy method to derive
a preferred global volcanic CO2 estimate of 0.26 Gt y-1 with a plausible range of 0.18-0.44 Gt y-
1 (Table S1). The method — based on observed CO2/3He ratios of magmatic volatiles, volcanic
3He fluxes, 3He content of magmatic sources, and magma production rates — has several
advantages: It is applicable to volcanic gases, fluids, and glasses; it gives a bulk emission rate for
concurrent degassing processes (explosive, advective, convective, diffusive); and it is not
dependent on volcano counting to extrapolate sample CO2 emission rates to degassing volcano
populations. These advantages are especially relevant to submarine studies where the use of glass
samples vastly increases CO2/3He data and where volcano counting is impractical. Marty and
Tolstikhin use CO2/3He data for over 100 gas, fluid, and glass samples from numerous
locations, including the CO2/3He data reported in previous global estimate investigations
[Allard, 1992; Varekamp et al., 1992; Sano and Williams, 1996]. They show that fractionation
between CO2 and 3He has an insignificant effect on CO2/3He during degassing of MOR basalt,
a result also true during eruption and hydrothermal circulation along extensive MOR segments
[Resing et al., 2004]. Finally, they fully acknowledge inherent large uncertainties by setting a
broad plausible range estimate.
Sano and Williams [1996] also apply the 3He proxy method to MOR, arc, and plume volcanism,
but they derive a smaller global volcanic CO2 estimate than the preferred global estimate of
Marty and Tolstikhin [1998] (Table S1). The two studies disagree significantly on plume
volcanic CO2: 0.001 Gt y-1 (Sano and Williams) versus 0.06 Gt y-1 (Marty and Tolstikhin).
Subsequent investigations [e.g., Gerlach et al., 2002] reveal individual hot spot volcanoes with
annual CO2 emissions greater than Sano and Williams’ plume estimate. Replacing their plume
estimate with Marty and Tolstikhin’s estimate brings both preferred global estimates into
agreement at 0.26 Gt y-1 (Table S1).
Varekamp et al. [1992] use CO2/3He and carbon isotopic data on arc gases, data on the primary
CO2 content of plume basalts, and the results of 3He proxy studies on MOR basalts for their
global volcanic CO2 estimate. Their database is smaller than that of Marty and Tolstikhin
[1998]. They derive a preferred global volcanic CO2 estimate that is 0.05 Gt y-1 smaller than the
preferred global estimate of Marty and Tolstikhin [1998] (Table S1), mainly because of a lower
CO2 emission rate estimate for arcs.
Gerlach [1991] derives a provisional estimate of the global volcanic CO2 emission rate (Table
S1) directly from volcanic CO2 emission rate measurements for comparison with carbon cycle
balancing calculations [Berner, 2004]. Although promising, this preliminary estimate involves
extrapolation from a small number of subaerial volcanoes. Allard [1992], using a similar
approach and a much expanded set of representative subaerial volcanoes, derives a nearly
identical — but statistically more significant — global estimate (Table S1). The approach of
these investigations requires consideration of CO2 diffusion through subaerial volcano flanks,
poorly constrained at the time, and it neglects volcanic CO2 contributions from submarine plume
volcanism. The review of diffusive CO2 flux at subaerial volcanoes by Kerrick [2001] and the
analysis of plume CO2 emissions by Marty and Tolstikhin [1998] suggest that these sources
would increase the preferred estimates of both studies by ~0.05-0.06 Gt y-1, bringing them
generally into agreement with the other preferred estimates.
Considering the foregoing appraisal and the substantial uncertainties, Marty and Tolstikhin’s
preferred estimate of 0.26 Gt y-1 with a broad plausible range of 0.18-0.44 Gt y-1 seems the
optimal choice of the five global estimates for representing the present-day global volcanic CO2
emission rate.

Volcanic CO2 Emission Rate Estimates for Subaerial, Arc, and MOR Volcanism
In addition to the five global estimates, Table S1 contains five estimates of the CO2 emission rate
of subaerial volcanoes; 13 estimates of the CO2 emission rate of the MOR system; and one
estimate restricted to the CO2 emission rate of arc volcanoes. The range of the preferred and mid-
range estimates is 0.09 ± 0.02 Gt y-1 for subaerial volcanoes and 0.06 ± 0.04 Gt y-1 for the MOR;
together they give a rough global estimate of 0.15 ± 0.06 Gt y-1, which overlaps unsurprisingly
with low-end global estimates.
Table S1 does not include the outlier 0.3-Gt y-1 subaerial estimate of Mörner and Etiope [2002,
p. 189], which unlike the Table S1 estimates is an assumed rather than an empirical estimate.
Nor does Table S1 include the two or three MOR estimates that significantly exceed the 0.44-Gt
y-1 upper limit [Berner, 2004] on the sum total of solid Earth CO2 degassing (volcanic, plutonic,
metamorphic, diagenetic) needed to balance CO2 uptake by silicate weathering. Two estimates
exceeding this constraint — 1.43 and 0.66 Gt y-1 [Javoy et al., 1982; Javoy and Pineau, 1991] —
have been revised downwards to a 0.10-Gt y-1 estimate [Cartigny et al., 2008, p. 682], which is
included in Table S1.

Paroxysmal CO2 Emissions at Mount St. Helens and Mount Pinatubo

The paroxysmal eruption of Mount St. Helens on 18 May 1980 lasted ~9 h [Christiansen and
Peterson, 1981], involved 0.4 km3 of magma [Pallister et al., 1992], and produced CO2
emissions of ~0.01 Gt. This estimate is derived from the CO2/SO2 weight ratio of 6.2, observed
in gas emissions during eruptions at Mount St. Helens in the 1980s and again in 2004-2008
[Gerlach et al., 2008], coupled with the paroxysmal May 18 SO2 emission of 0.0015 Gt
measured by satellite spectrometer and leachate analysis of sulfate scavenged on ash [Gerlach
and McGee, 1994].
The paroxysmal eruption of Mount Pinatubo on 15 June 1991 lasted ~9 h [Wolf and Hoblitt,
1996], involved 5 km3 of explosively erupted magma [Scott et al., 1996], and produced CO2
emissions of ~0.05 Gt [Gerlach et al., 1996].

CO2 concentrations of primary magmas

The evidence for the upper limit of about 1.5 weight percent for primary CO2 concentrations of
common magmas is available in the reviews of Lowenstern [2001] and Métrich and Wallace
[2008] and references therein.

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Table S1. Present-day volcanic CO2 emission rate estimates

Source Range Preferred or Mid-

Range Estimate

Gt y-1 Gt y-1

Global
a b
Gerlach [1991] 0.13 - 0.18 0.15
b
Allard [1992] 0.14 - 0.18 0.16
b
Varekamp et al. [1992] 0.15 - 0.28 0.21
b
Sano and Williams [1996] 0.20 0.20
b
Marty and Tolstikhin [1998] 0.18 - 0.44 0.26

min 0.13 0.15

max 0.44 0.26

range 0.285 ± 0.155 0.205 ± 0.055

Subaerial

Kerrick [2001] 0.09 – 0.11 0.10

Brantley and Koepenick [1995] 0.09 – 0.13 0.11

Marty and Le Cloarec [1992] 0.07 – 0.11 0.09

Williams et al. [1992] 0.02 – 0.11 0.07

Le Guern [1982] 0.09 0.09

min 0.02 0.07

max 0.13 0.11

range 0.075 ± 0.055 0.09 ± 0.02

Arc

Hilton et al. [2002] 0.07 0.07

MOR
Chavrit et al. [2009] 0.02 – 0.03 0.03
b
Shaw et al. [2009] 0.05 – 0.09 0.09
b
Cartigny et al. [2008] 0.04 – 0.22 0.10

Resing et al. [2004] 0.02 – 0.09 0.06

Saal et al. [2002] 0.03 – 0.05 0.04

Kerrick [2001] 0.04 – 0.13 0.09

Marty and Zimmermann [1999] 0.05 – 0.15 0.10

Elderfield and Schultz [1996] 0.01 – 0.05 0.03

Jambon [1994] 0.04 0.04

Gerlach [1989] 0.01 – 0.04 0.02

Marty and Jambon [1987] 0.10 0.10

Des Marais and Moore [1984] 0.04 0.04

Corliss et al. [1979] 0.06 0.06

min 0.01 0.02

max 0.22 0.10

range 0.115 ± 0.105 0.06 ± 0.04

a
All estimates given to nearest 10 Mt y-1. bPreferred estimate.