Normally, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air is very low, well below one percent. The levels seen in the ground and snow within tree kill areas are much higher, up to 99 percent, and very dangerous.
The 24-hour variation suggested that the system was very dynamic and that more than a single measurement was needed to tell us if the carbon dioxide rates were going up, staying the same or going down.
This instrumentation and research will allow a better understanding of the dynamics of gas emission from volcanoes and provide an immediate warning device should the carbon dioxide emission rate suddenly increase.
In all likelihood, the variations in gas flux depend on a combination of barometric pressure, wind speed, Earth tides and soil moisture, but we have not yet developed a model to simplify this complex system.
