BayCEER Workshop 2022

Impact of volcanic sulfur and ash emission on the flora of La Palma, Spain

O 3.1 in Afternoon Session

13.10.2022, 14:00-14:15, H 36

The volcanic eruption on La Palma, Canary islands in autumn 2021 was the largest in historic records of the island. The eruption had a considerable impact on many ecosystems on the island. In addition to the lava stream and significant ash deposition, the volcano emitted 1 Tg of SO2.

The sulfuric emissions impacted the Canary pine (Pinus canariensis) forest around the crater, leading to widespread browning of needles. We used Sentinel-2 remote sensing data to investigate the spatial distribution of chlorotic damage after the end of the eruption. Damage to the forest canopy decreased with distance and was visible up to seven kilometers from the eruption crater. Overall, chlorotic damage affected 10% of the pine forest on the island. Due to the extraordinary resilience of Canary pine due to it’s adaption to fire, we expect a full recovery for the majority of trees.

Additionally, we investigate the effect of ash on the local flora. We interpolated local ash measurements for the whole island and analyze their distribution. Ash fall occurs frequently on evolutionary timescales and is therefore likely to be a driver of island woodiness. We analyze survival rates of endemic, native and non-native species at different ash depths.

Ash depth measurements 4 months after the volcanic eruption

Keywords: La Palma, Pinus Canariensis, endemic species,volcano, sulfur, ash

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