When set against the scale and scope of the world, humans and our efforts can look pretty tiny. When we have visitors here in the Great Land, one of my favorite places to take them is right up the road to the hill overlooking our little community center, where on a clear day, Denali and the Alaska Range absolutely dominate the northern horizon. And Denali, I always point out, is 150 miles away from that overlook.
And when something happens on the earth – weather, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions – those events can make us feel downright puny. This brings us to the Phlegraean Fields in Italy, one of the world’s largest supervolcanos, and one that is becoming more active.
These volcanic fields, nestled just west of Naples, Italy, are among the top eight emitters of volcanic carbon dioxide worldwide.
Since 2005, one spot in particular — the Solfatara crater — has been releasing increased volumes of gas, catching the attention of researchers and locals alike.
Gianmarco Buono, a volcanologist at the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), is leading a study to understand what’s behind this surge in gas emissions.
“Estimating…
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