An Airborne A-Band Spectrometer for Remote Sensing Of Aerosol and Cloud Optical Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitts, Michael; Hostetler, Chris; Poole, Lamont; Holden, Carl; Rault, Didier

2000-01-01

Atmospheric remote sensing with the O2 A-band has a relatively long history, but most of these studies were attempting to estimate surface pressure or cloud-top pressure. Recent conceptual studies have demonstrated the potential of spaceborne high spectral resolution O2 A-band spectrometers for retrieval of aerosol and cloud optical properties. The physical rationale of this new approach is that information on the scattering properties of the atmosphere is embedded in the detailed line structure of the O2 A-band reflected radiance spectrum. The key to extracting this information is to measure the radiance spectrum at very high spectral resolution. Instrument performance requirement studies indicate that, in addition to high spectral resolution, the successful retrieval of aerosol and cloud properties from A-band radiance spectra will also require high radiometric accuracy, instrument stability, and high signal-to-noise measurements. To experimentally assess the capabilities of this promising new remote sensing application, the NASA Langley Research Center is developing an airborne high spectral resolution A-band spectrometer. The spectrometer uses a plane holographic grating with a folded Littrow geometry to achieve high spectral resolution (0.5 cm-1) and low stray light in a compact package. This instrument will be flown in a series of field campaigns beginning in 2001 to evaluate the overall feasibility of this new technique. Results from these campaigns should be particularly valuable for future spaceborne applications of A-band spectrometers for aerosol and cloud retrievals.

Pump–probe spectrometer for measuring x-ray induced strain

DOE PAGES

Loether, A.; Adams, B. W.; DiCharia, A.; ...

2016-04-20

A hard x-ray pump–probe spectrometer using a multi-crystal Bragg reflector is demonstrated at a third generation synchrotron source. This device derives both broadband pump and monochromatic probe pulses directly from a single intense, broadband x-ray pulse centered at 8.767 keV. In conclusion, we present a proof-of-concept experiment which directly measures x-ray induced crystalline lattice strain.

Probe Heating Method for the Analysis of Solid Samples Using a Portable Mass Spectrometer

PubMed Central

Kumano, Shun; Sugiyama, Masuyuki; Yamada, Masuyoshi; Nishimura, Kazushige; Hasegawa, Hideki; Morokuma, Hidetoshi; Inoue, Hiroyuki; Hashimoto, Yuichiro

2015-01-01

We previously reported on the development of a portable mass spectrometer for the onsite screening of illicit drugs, but our previous sampling system could only be used for liquid samples. In this study, we report on an attempt to develop a probe heating method that also permits solid samples to be analyzed using a portable mass spectrometer. An aluminum rod is used as the sampling probe. The powdered sample is affixed to the sampling probe or a droplet of sample solution is placed on the tip of the probe and dried. The probe is then placed on a heater to vaporize the sample. The vapor is then introduced into the portable mass spectrometer and analyzed. With the heater temperature set to 130°C, the developed system detected 1 ng of methamphetamine, 1 ng of amphetamine, 3 ng of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, 1 ng of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, and 0.3 ng of cocaine. Even from mixtures consisting of clove powder and methamphetamine powder, methamphetamine ions were detected by tandem mass spectrometry. The developed probe heating method provides a simple method for the analysis of solid samples. A portable mass spectrometer incorporating this method would thus be useful for the onsite screening of illicit drugs. PMID:26819909

The Backscatter Cloud Probe - a compact low-profile autonomous optical spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beswick, K.; Baumgardner, D.; Gallagher, M.; Newton, R.

2013-08-01

A compact (500 cm3), lightweight (500 g), near-field, single particle backscattering optical spectrometer is described that mounts flush with the skin of an aircraft and measures the concentration and optical equivalent diameter of particles from 5 to 75 μm. The Backscatter Cloud Probe (BCP) was designed as a real-time qualitative cloud detector primarily for data quality control of trace gas instruments developed for the climate monitoring instrument packages that are being installed on commercial passenger aircraft as part of the European Union In-Service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) program (http://www.iagos.org/). Subsequent evaluations of the BCP measurements on a number of research aircraft, however, have revealed it capable of delivering quantitative particle data products including size distributions, liquid water content and other information on cloud properties. We demonstrate the instrument's capability for delivering useful long-term climatological information, across a wide range of environmental conditions. The BCP has been evaluated by comparing its measurements with those from other cloud particle spectrometers on research aircraft and several BCPs are currently flying on commercial A340/A330 Airbus passenger airliners. The design and calibration of the BCP is described in this presentation, along with an evaluation of measurements made on the research and commercial aircraft. Comparisons of the BCP with two other cloud spectrometers, the Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP) and the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS), show that the BCP size distributions agree well with those from the other two, given the intrinsic limitations and uncertainties related to the three instruments. Preliminary results from more than 7000 h of airborne measurements by the BCP on two Airbus A-340s operating on routine global traffic routes (one Lufthansa, the other China Airlines) show that more than 340 h of

Observations of Aerosol-Cloud Interactions with Varying Vertical Separation between Biomass-Burning Aerosols and Stratocumulus Clouds over the South East Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Poellot, M.; O'Brien, J.; Delene, D. J.; Thornhill, K. L., II

2017-12-01

The ObseRvations of Aerosols above Clouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) 2016 project provided in-situ measurements and remotely sensed retrievals of aerosol and cloud properties over the South East Atlantic during September, 2016 with a second deployment scheduled for August, 2017. Biomass burning aerosol from Southern Africa is advected toward the South East Atlantic at elevated altitudes and overlies the ubiquitous stratocumulus cloud deck over the ocean. The aerosols subside farther from the coast so that the vertical displacement between the clouds and aerosols varies, and whose effect on aerosol-cloud interaction is poorly known. A NASA P-3 aircraft was equipped with a Cloud Droplet Probe CDP sizing particles between 2 and 50μm, a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer CAS sizing between 0.51 and 50 μm and a 2D-stereo probe 2DS, nominally sizing between 10 and 1280 μm a Cloud Imaging Probe CIP, from 25 to 1600μm, and a High Volume Precipitation Sampler HVPS-3, from 150μm to 1.92cm for measuring number distribution functions (n(D)) along with a King probe for measuring liquid water content, LWC. A Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe PCASP measured aerosol particles between 0.1 to 3μm. Cloud legs from three research flights are classified into different regimes based on the aerosol concentration measured in the accumulation mode by the PCASP (Na) and its location above clouds. These legs include vertical transects through clouds and sawtooths (ramped legs starting above or below the cloud layer, completing a vertical transect through the cloud and repeating this pattern for several legs). The regimes; clean, mixing and separated, correspond to conditions with Na less than 100 cm-3 above cloud top, Na greater than 100 cm-3 within 100 m above cloud top and Na greater than 100 cm-3 separated from the cloud top by more than 100 m. During the mixing regime, measurements from CAS and 2DS show that droplet concentrations and cloud optical depths increased and

Pioneer Venus large probe neutral mass spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, J.

1982-01-01

The deuterium hydrogen abundance ratio in the Venus atmosphere was measured while the inlets to the Pioneer Venus large probe mass spectrometer were coated with sulfuric acid from Venus' clouds. The ratio is (1.6 + or - 0.2) x 10 to the minus two power. It was found that the 100 fold enrichment of deuterium means that Venus outgassed at least 0.3% of a terrestrial ocean and possibly more.

Effect of Vaporizer Temperature on Ambient Non-Refractory Submicron Aerosol Composition and Mass Spectra Measured by the Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

EPA Science Inventory

Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometers (AMS) are routinely operated with a constant vaporizer temperature (Tvap) of 600^oC in order to facilitate quantitative detection of non-refractory submicron (NR-PM1) species. By analogy with other thermal desorption instrument...

Measurements of fluorescent aerosols using a mutil-channel lidar spectrometer system during DUBI 2016 Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Z.; Huang, J.; Zhou, T.; Shi, J.; Sugimoto, N.; Tang, K.

2016-12-01

Atmospheric bioaerosols are relevant for public health and may play an important role in the climate system. Previous studies have shown that abundant bioaerosols (such as microorganisms) injected into the atmosphere along with dust events, could affect leeward ecosystem and human health, even induce globe climate change. However, the challenge in quantifying bioaerosol climate effects (e.g., radiative forcing and aerosol-cloud interactions) arises from large spatial and temporal heterogeneity of their concentrations, compositions, sizes, shape and optical properties. Lidar, as one of most advanced active remote sensing, is used to offer some remarkable advantages for determining the vertical structure of atmospheric aerosols and their related optical properties. In order to investigate the characterization of atmospheric bioaerosols along transported pathways of dust aerosols, we carried out DUBI (DUst BIoaerosol) 2016 Campaign over Northern China in spring of 2016. Lots of instruments, including bioaerosol sampling, lidar as well as others, were installed at three sites­ (Erenhot, Zhangbei and Jinan) simultaneously. A multi-channel lidar spectrometer system was developed to observe Mie, Raman scattering and laser-induced fluorescence excitation at 355 nm from the atmosphere. The lidar system operated polarization measurements at 355nm, aiming to identify dust particles from other aerosols. It employs a high power pulsed laser with energy of 80mJ at 355nm and a received telescope with 350mm diameter. The receiver could simultaneously detect a wide fluorescent spectrum between 360nm and 720nm with spectral resolution 5.7 nm using two spectrometers simultaneously. The spectrometer mainly includes an F/3.7 Crossed Czerny-Turner spectrographs, a grating (1200 gr/mm) and a PMT array with 32 photocathode elements. Vertical structure of fluorescent aerosols in the atmosphere was observed by the developed lidar system at Zhangbei during DUBI 2016 Campaign. It has been

A Wirelessly Powered Micro-Spectrometer for Neural Probe-Pin Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang H.; Kim, Min Hyuck; Song, Kyo D.; Yoon, Hargsoon; Lee, Uhn

2015-01-01

Treatment of neurological anomalies, places stringent demands on device functionality and size. A micro-spectrometer has been developed for use as an implantable neural probe to monitor neuro-chemistry in synapses. The microspectrometer, based on a NASA-invented miniature Fresnel grating, is capable of differentiating the emission spectra from various brain tissues. The micro-spectrometer meets the size requirements, and is able to probe the neuro-chemistry and suppression voltage typically associated with a neural anomaly. This neural probe-pin device (PPD) is equipped with wireless power technology (WPT) enabling operation in a continuous manner without requiring an implanted battery. The implanted neural PPD, together with a neural electronics interface and WPT, allow real-time measurement and control/feedback for remediation of neural anomalies. The design and performance of the combined PPD/WPT device for monitoring dopamine in a rat brain will be presented to demonstrate the current level of development. Future work on this device will involve the addition of an embedded expert system capable of performing semi-autonomous management of neural functions through a routine of sensing, processing, and control.

A New Optical Aerosol Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fonda, Mark; Malcolmson, Andrew; Bonin, Mike; Stratton, David; Rogers, C. Fred; Chang, Sherwood (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

An optical particle spectrometer capable of measuring aerosol particle size distributions from 0.02 to 100 micrometers has been developed. This instrument combines several optical methods in one, in-situ configuration; it can provide continuous data collection to encompass the wide dynamic size ranges and concentrations found in studies of modeled planetary atmospheres as well as terrestrial air quality research. Currently, the system is incorporated into an eight liter capacity spherical pressure vessel that is appropriate both for flowthrough and for in-situ particle generation. The optical sizing methods include polarization ratio, The scattering, and forward scattering detectors, with illumination from a fiber-coupled, Argon-ion laser. As particle sizes increase above 0.1 micrometer, a customized electronics and software system automatically shifts from polarization to diffraction-based measurements as the angular scattering detectors attain acceptable signal-to-noise ratios. The number concentration detection limits are estimated to be in the part-per-trillion (ppT by volume) range, or roughly 1000 submicron particles per cubic centimeter. Results from static experiments using HFC134A (approved light scattering gas standard), flow-through experiments using sodium chloride (NaCl) and carbon particles, and dynamic 'Tholin' (photochemical produced particles from ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated acetylene and nitrogen) experiments have been obtained. The optical spectrometer data obtained with particles have compared well with particle sizes determined by electron microscopy. The 'Tholin' tests provided real-time size and concentration data as the particles grew from about 30 nanometers to about 0.8 micrometers, with concentrations ranging from ppT to ppB, by volume. Tests are still underway, to better define sizing accuracy and concentration limits, these results will be reported.

Dual-wavelength dual-cavity spectrometer for NO2 detection in the presence of aerosol interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, Satheesh; Puthukkudy, Anin; Varma, Ravi

2017-07-01

Precise determination of concentration of gases, such as NO2, in urban atmosphere is crucial in studying chemical reactions leading to secondary pollutants. In this study, a novel and sensitive yet simple and cost effective spectrometer was developed where two laser wavelengths and two parallel identical optical cavities were used. Monitoring of NO2 even in the presence of aerosol spectral interference was demonstrated. The intensity transmitted through one cavity, evacuated to 0.1 mbar, was designated as the reference signal ( I 0) while that through the other cavity, sampling air at atmospheric pressure, was designated as sample signal ( I). Quasi-simultaneous measurements of these I 0 and I were done for both laser wavelengths sequentially: one at 406.4 nm near the peak of the largest electronic transition of NO2 and the other at 446.9 nm, away from the peak yet exhibiting significant absorption. The addition of the second wavelength where NO2 has absorption was to ascertain the presence of aerosol scattering and compensate for it. Aerosol extinctions at both operating wavelengths were assumed to be the same, their ratio taken as unity for simplicity, and aerosol light extinction was retrieved. The spectrometer with average sampling interval of 5 s exhibited detection sensitivity of low parts per billion concentrations.

Expanding Single Particle Mass Spectrometer Analyses for the Identification of Microbe Signatures in Sea Spray Aerosol.

PubMed

Sultana, Camille M; Al-Mashat, Hashim; Prather, Kimberly A

2017-10-03

Ocean-derived microbes in sea spray aersosol (SSA) have the potential to influence climate and weather by acting as ice nucleating particles in clouds. Single particle mass spectrometers (SPMSs), which generate in situ single particle composition data, are excellent tools for characterizing aerosols under changing environmental conditions as they can provide high temporal resolution and require no sample preparation. While SPMSs have proven capable of detecting microbes, these instruments have never been utilized to definitively identify aerosolized microbes in ambient sea spray aersosol. In this study, an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer was used to analyze laboratory generated SSA produced from natural seawater in a marine aerosol reference tank. We present the first description of a population of biological SSA mass spectra (BioSS), which closely match the ion signatures observed in previous terrestrial microbe studies. The fraction of BioSS dramatically increased in the largest supermicron particles, consistent with field and laboratory measurements of microbes ejected by bubble bursting, further supporting the assignment of BioSS mass spectra as microbes. Finally, as supported by analysis of inorganic ion signals, we propose that dry BioSS particles have heterogeneous structures, with microbes adhered to sodium chloride nodules surrounded by magnesium-enriched coatings. Consistent with this structure, chlorine-containing ion markers were ubiquitous in BioSS spectra and identified as possible tracers for distinguishing recently aerosolized marine from terrestrial microbes.

Evidence for Natural Variability in Marine Stratocumulus Cloud Properties Due to Cloud-Aerosol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albrecht, Bruce; Sharon, Tarah; Jonsson, Haf; Minnis, Patrick; Minnis, Patrick; Ayers, J. Kirk; Khaiyer, Mandana M.

2004-01-01

In this study, aircraft observations from the Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter are used to characterize the variability in drizzle, cloud, and aerosol properties associated with cloud rifts and the surrounding solid clouds observed off the coast of California. A flight made on 16 July 1999 provided measurements directly across an interface between solid and rift cloud conditions. Aircraft instrumentation allowed for measurements of aerosol, cloud droplet, and drizzle spectra. CCN concentrations were measured in addition to standard thermodynamic variables and the winds. A Forward Scatter Spectrometer Probe (FSSP) measured size distribution of cloud-sized droplets. A Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP) was used to measure distributions of drizzle-sized droplets. Aerosol distributions were obtained from a Cloud Aerosol Scatterprobe (CAS). The CAS probe measured aerosols, cloud droplets and drizzle-sized drops; for this study. The CAS probe was used to measure aerosols in the size range of 0.5 micron - 1 micron. Smaller aerosols were characterized using an Ultrafine Condensation Particle Counter (CPC) sensor. The CPC was used to measure particles with diameters greater than 0.003 micron. By subtracting different count concentrations measured with the CPC, this probe was capable of identifying ultrafine particles those falling in the size range of 3 nanometers - 7 nanometers that are believed to be associated with new particle production.

Probing and monitoring aerosol and atmospheric clouds with an electro-optic oscillator.

PubMed

Arnon, S; Kopeika, N S

1996-09-20

Monitoring, probing, and sensing characteristics of aerosol clouds is difficult and complicated. Probing the characteristics of aerosols is most useful in the chemical and microelectronic industry for processing control of aerosols and emulsion, decreasing bit error rate in adaptive optical communication systems, and in acquiring data for atmospheric science and environment quality. We present a new mathematical and optical engineering model for monitoring characteristics of aerosol clouds. The model includes the temporal transfer function of aerosol clouds as a variable parameter in an electro-optic oscillator. The frequency of the oscillator changes according to changes in the characteristics of the clouds (density, size distribution, physical thickness, the medium and the particulate refractive indices, and spatial distribution). It is possible to measure only one free characteristic at a given time. An example of a practical system for monitoring the density of aerosol clouds is given. The frequency of the oscillator changes from 1.25 to 0.43 MHz for changes in aerosol density from 2000 to 3000 particulates cm(-3). The advantages of this new method compared with the transmissometer methods are (a) no necessity for line-of-sight measurement geometry, (b) accurate measurement of high optical thickness media is possible, (c) under certain conditions measurements can include characteristics of aerosol clouds related to light scatter that cannot be or are difficult to measure with a transmissometer, and (d) the cloud bandwidth for free space optical communication is directly measurable.

A Design of a Novel Airborne Aerosol Spectrometer for Remote Sensing Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adler, G. A.; Brock, C. A.; Dube, W. P.; Erdesz, F.; Gordon, T.; Law, D. C.; Manfred, K.; Mason, B. J.; McLaughlin, R. J.; Richardson, M.; Wagner, N. L.; Washenfelder, R. A.; Murphy, D. M.

2016-12-01

Aerosols and their effect on the radiative properties of clouds contribute one of the largest sources of uncertainty to the Earth's energy budget. Many current global assessments, of atmospheric aerosol radiative forcing rely heavily on remote sensing observation; therefore, in situ aircraft and ground-based measurements are essential for validation of remote sensing measurements. Cavity ringdown spectrometers (CRD) measure aerosol extinction and are commonly used to validate remote sensing observations. These instruments have been deployed on aircraft based platforms over the years thus providing the opportunity to measure these properties over large areas in various conditions. However, deployment of the CRD on an aircraft platform has drawbacks. Typically, aircraft based CRDs draw sampled aerosol into a cabin based instrument through long lengths of tubing. This limits the ability of the instrument to measure: 1) Course mode aerosols (e.g. dust) 2) Aerosols at high relative humidity (above 90%) Here we describe the design of a novel aircraft based open path CRD. The open path CRD is intended to be mounted external to the cabin and has no sample tubing for aerosol delivery, thus measuring optical properties of all aerosol at the ambient conditions. However, the design of an open path CRD for operation on a wing-mounted aircraft platform has certain design complexities. The instrument's special design features include 2 CRD channels, 2 airfoils around the open Path CRD and a configuration which could be easily aligned and rigid at the same time. This novel implementation of cavity ringdown spectroscopy will provide a better assessment of the accuracy of remote sensing satellite measurements

Ambient Aerosol in Southeast Asia: High Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer Measurements Over Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, G.; Dimarco, C.; Misztal, P.; Nemitz, E.; Farmer, D.; Kimmel, J.; Jimenez, J.

2008-12-01

The emission of organic compounds in the troposphere is important factor in the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). A very large proportion of organic material emitted globally is estimated to arise from biogenic sources, with almost half coming from tropical and sub-tropical forests. Preliminary analyses of leave cuvette emission studies suggest that oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a significantly larger source of isoprene than tropical forest. Much larger sources of isoprene over oil palm allied with a larger anthropogenic component of local emissions contrast greatly with the remote tropical forest environment and therefore the character of SOA formed may differ significantly. These issues, allied with the high price of palm oil on international markets leading to increased use of land for oil palm production, could give rise to rapidly changing chemical and aerosol regimes in the tropics. It is therefore important to understand the current emissions and composition of organic aerosol over all important land-uses in the tropical environment. This in turn will lead to a greater understanding of the present, and to an improvement in predictive capacity for the future system. To help address these issues, a high resolution time of flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed in the Sabahmas (PPB OIL) oil palm plantation near Lahad Datu, in Eastern Sabah, as part of the field component of the Aerosol Coupling in the Earth System (ACES) project, part of the UK NERC APPRAISE program. This project was allied closely with measurements made of similar chemical species and aerosol components at a forest site in the Danum Valley as part of the UK Oxidant and Particle Photochemical Processes above a Southeast Asian tropical rainforest (OP3) project. Measurements of submicron non- refractory aerosol composition are presented along with some preliminary analysis of chemically resolved aerosol fluxes made with a new eddy covariance system, based on the

Response of an aerosol mass spectrometer to organonitrates and organosulfates and implications for atmospheric chemistry

PubMed Central

Farmer, D. K.; Matsunaga, A.; Docherty, K. S.; Surratt, J. D.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Ziemann, P. J.; Jimenez, J. L.

2010-01-01

Organonitrates (ON) are important products of gas-phase oxidation of volatile organic compounds in the troposphere; some models predict, and laboratory studies show, the formation of large, multifunctional ON with vapor pressures low enough to partition to the particle phase. Organosulfates (OS) have also been recently detected in secondary organic aerosol. Despite their potential importance, ON and OS remain a nearly unexplored aspect of atmospheric chemistry because few studies have quantified particulate ON or OS in ambient air. We report the response of a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) to aerosol ON and OS standards and mixtures. We quantify the potentially substantial underestimation of organic aerosol O/C, commonly used as a metric for aging, and N/C. Most of the ON-nitrogen appears as ions in the AMS, which are typically dominated by inorganic nitrate. Minor organonitrogen ions are observed although their identity and intensity vary between standards. We evaluate the potential for using fragment ratios, organonitrogen ions, ions, the ammonium balance of the nominally inorganic ions, and comparison to ion-chromatography instruments to constrain the concentrations of ON for ambient datasets, and apply these techniques to a field study in Riverside, CA. OS manifests as separate organic and sulfate components in the AMS with minimal organosulfur fragments and little difference in fragmentation from inorganic sulfate. The low thermal stability of ON and OS likely causes similar detection difficulties for other aerosol mass spectrometers using vaporization and/or ionization techniques with similar or larger energy, which has likely led to an underappreciation of these species. PMID:20194777

Results from the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) Experiment on the Cassini-Huygens Probe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niemann, Hasso; Atreya, S.; Demick-Monelara, J.; Haberman, J.; Harpold, D.; Kasprzak, W.; Owen, T.; Raaen, E.; Way, S.

2006-01-01

The Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer was one of six instruments on the Cassini-Huygens Probe mission to Titan. The GCMS measured in situ the chemical composition of the atmosphere during the probe descent and served as the detector for the pyrolization products for the Aerosol Collector Pyrolyser (ACP) experiment to determine the composition of the aerosol particles. The GCMS collected data from an altitude of 146 km to ground impact. The Probe and the GCMS survived impact and collected data for 1 hour and 9 minutes on the surface. Mass spectra were collected during descent and on the ground over a range of mlz from 2 to 141. The major constituents of the lower atmosphere were confirmed to be N2 and CH4. The methane mole fraction was uniform in the stratosphere. It increased below the tropopause, at about 32 km altitude, monotonically toward the surface, reaching a plateau at about 8 km at a level near saturation. After surface impact a steep increase of the methane signal was observed, suggesting evaporation of surface condensed methane due to heating by the GCMS sample inlet heater. The measured mole fraction of Ar-40 is 4.3x10(exp -5) and of Ar-36 is 2.8x10(exp -7). The other primordial noble gases were below 10(exp -8) mole fraction. The isotope ratios of C-12/C-13 determined from methane measurements are 82.3 and of N-14/N-15 determined from molecular nitrogen are 183. The D/H isotope ratio determined from the H2 and HD measurements is 2.3x10(exp -4). Carbon dioxide, ethane, acetylene and cyanogen were detected evaporating from the surface in addition to methane. The GCMS employed a quadrupole mass filter with a secondary electron multiplier detection system and a gas sampling system providing continuous direct atmospheric composition measurements and batch sampling through three gas chromatographic (GC) columns, a chemical scrubber and a hydrocarbon enrichment cell. The GCMS gas inlet was heated to prevent condensation, and to evaporate volatiles from the

Results from the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) Experiment on the Cassini-Huygens Probe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niemann, H.; Atreya, S.; Demick-Montelara, J.; Haberman, J.; Harpold, D.; Kasprzak, W.; Owen, T.; Raaen, E.; Way, S.

2006-01-01

The Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer was one of six instruments on the Cassini-Huygens Probe mission to Titan. The GCMS measured in situ the chemical composition of the atmosphere during the probe descent and served as the detector for the pyrolization products for the Aerosol Collector Pyrolyser (ACP) experiment to determine the composition of the aerosol particles. The GCMS collected data from an altitude of 146 km to ground impact. The Probe and the GCMS survived impact and collected data for 1 hour and 9 minutes on the surface. Mass spectra were collected during descent and on the ground over a range of m/z from 2 to 141. The major constituents of the lower atmosphere were confirmed to be N2 and CH4. The methane mole fraction was uniform in the stratosphere. It increased below the tropopause, at about 32 km altitude, monotonically toward the surface, reaching a plateau at about 8 km at a level near saturation. After surface impact a steep increase of the methane signal was observed, suggesting evaporation of surface condensed methane due to heating by the GCMS sample inlet heater. The measured mole fraction of Ar-40 is 4.3x10(exp -5) and of Ar-36 is 2.8x10(exp -7). The other primordial noble gases were below 10(exp -8) mole fraction. The isotope ratios of C-12/C-13 determined from methane measurements are 82.3 and of N-14/N-15 determined from molecular nitrogen are 183. The D/H isotope ratio determined from the H2 and HD measurements is 2.3x10(exp -4). Carbon dioxide, methane, acetylene and cyanogen were detected evaporating from the surface in addition to methane. The GCMS employed a quadrupole mass filter with a secondary electron multiplier detection system and a gas sampling system providing continuous direct atmospheric composition measurements and batch sampling through three gas chromatographic (GC) columns, a chemical scrubber and a hydrocarbon enrichment cell. The GCMS gas inlet was heated to prevent condensation, and to evaporate volatiles from the

Combined VIS-IR spectrometer with vertical probe beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Protopopov, V.

2017-12-01

A prototype of a combined visible-infrared spectrometer with a vertical probe beam is designed and tested. The combined spectral range is 0.4-20 μ with spatial resolution 1 mm. Basic features include the ability to measure both visibly transparent and opaque substances, as well as buried structures, such as in semiconductor industry; horizontal orientation of a sample, including semiconductor wafers; and reflection mode of operation, delivering twice the sensitivity compared to the transmission mode.

Response of an aerosol mass spectrometer to organonitrates and organosulfates and implications for atmospheric chemistry.

PubMed

Farmer, D K; Matsunaga, A; Docherty, K S; Surratt, J D; Seinfeld, J H; Ziemann, P J; Jimenez, J L

2010-04-13

Organonitrates (ON) are important products of gas-phase oxidation of volatile organic compounds in the troposphere; some models predict, and laboratory studies show, the formation of large, multifunctional ON with vapor pressures low enough to partition to the particle phase. Organosulfates (OS) have also been recently detected in secondary organic aerosol. Despite their potential importance, ON and OS remain a nearly unexplored aspect of atmospheric chemistry because few studies have quantified particulate ON or OS in ambient air. We report the response of a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) to aerosol ON and OS standards and mixtures. We quantify the potentially substantial underestimation of organic aerosol O/C, commonly used as a metric for aging, and N/C. Most of the ON-nitrogen appears as NO(x)+ ions in the AMS, which are typically dominated by inorganic nitrate. Minor organonitrogen ions are observed although their identity and intensity vary between standards. We evaluate the potential for using NO(x)+ fragment ratios, organonitrogen ions, HNO(3)+ ions, the ammonium balance of the nominally inorganic ions, and comparison to ion-chromatography instruments to constrain the concentrations of ON for ambient datasets, and apply these techniques to a field study in Riverside, CA. OS manifests as separate organic and sulfate components in the AMS with minimal organosulfur fragments and little difference in fragmentation from inorganic sulfate. The low thermal stability of ON and OS likely causes similar detection difficulties for other aerosol mass spectrometers using vaporization and/or ionization techniques with similar or larger energy, which has likely led to an underappreciation of these species.

Rapid measurement of sub-micrometer aerosol size distribution using a fast integrated mobility spectrometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Yang; Pinterich, Tamara; Wang, Jian

We present rapid measurement of submicron particle size distributions enables the characterization of aerosols with fast changing properties, and is often necessary for measurements onboard mobile platforms (e.g., research aircraft). Aerosol mobility size distribution is commonly measured by a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), which relies on voltage scanning or stepping to classify particles of different sizes, and may take up to several minutes to obtain a complete size spectrum of aerosol particles. The recently developed fast integrated mobility spectrometer (FIMS) with enhanced dynamic size range classifies and detects particles from 10 to ~600 nm simultaneously, allowing submicron aerosol mobilitymore » size distributions to be captured at a time resolution of 1 second. In this study, we present a detailed data inversion routine for deriving aerosol size distribution from FIMS measurements. The inversion routine takes into consideration the FIMS transfer function, particle penetration efficiency in the FIMS, and multiple charging of aerosols. The accuracy of the FIMS measurement is demonstrated by comparing parallel FIMS and SMPS measurements of stable aerosols with a wide range of size spectrum shapes, including ambient aerosols and aerosols classified by a differential mobility analyzer (DMA). The FIMS and SMPS-derived size distributions show excellent agreements for all aerosols tested. In addition, total number concentrations of ambient aerosols were integrated from 1 Hz FIMS size distributions, and compared with those directly measured by a condensation particle counter (CPC) operated in parallel. Finally, the integrated and measured total particle concentrations agree well within 5%.« less

Rapid measurement of sub-micrometer aerosol size distribution using a fast integrated mobility spectrometer

DOE PAGES

Wang, Yang; Pinterich, Tamara; Wang, Jian

2018-03-30

We present rapid measurement of submicron particle size distributions enables the characterization of aerosols with fast changing properties, and is often necessary for measurements onboard mobile platforms (e.g., research aircraft). Aerosol mobility size distribution is commonly measured by a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), which relies on voltage scanning or stepping to classify particles of different sizes, and may take up to several minutes to obtain a complete size spectrum of aerosol particles. The recently developed fast integrated mobility spectrometer (FIMS) with enhanced dynamic size range classifies and detects particles from 10 to ~600 nm simultaneously, allowing submicron aerosol mobilitymore » size distributions to be captured at a time resolution of 1 second. In this study, we present a detailed data inversion routine for deriving aerosol size distribution from FIMS measurements. The inversion routine takes into consideration the FIMS transfer function, particle penetration efficiency in the FIMS, and multiple charging of aerosols. The accuracy of the FIMS measurement is demonstrated by comparing parallel FIMS and SMPS measurements of stable aerosols with a wide range of size spectrum shapes, including ambient aerosols and aerosols classified by a differential mobility analyzer (DMA). The FIMS and SMPS-derived size distributions show excellent agreements for all aerosols tested. In addition, total number concentrations of ambient aerosols were integrated from 1 Hz FIMS size distributions, and compared with those directly measured by a condensation particle counter (CPC) operated in parallel. Finally, the integrated and measured total particle concentrations agree well within 5%.« less

Single point aerosol sampling: evaluation of mixing and probe performance in a nuclear stack.

PubMed

Rodgers, J C; Fairchild, C I; Wood, G O; Ortiz, C A; Muyshondt, A; McFarland, A R

1996-01-01

Alternative reference methodologies have been developed for sampling of radionuclides from stacks and ducts, which differ from the methods previously required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. These alternative reference methodologies have recently been approved by the U.S. EPA for use in lieu of the current standard techniques. The standard EPA methods are prescriptive in selection of sampling locations and in design of sampling probes whereas the alternative reference methodologies are performance driven. Tests were conducted in a stack at Los Alamos National Laboratory to demonstrate the efficacy of some aspects of the alternative reference methodologies. Coefficients of variation of velocity, tracer gas, and aerosol particle profiles were determined at three sampling locations. Results showed that numerical criteria placed upon the coefficients of variation by the alternative reference methodologies were met at sampling stations located 9 and 14 stack diameters from the flow entrance, but not at a location that was 1.5 diameters downstream from the inlet. Experiments were conducted to characterize the transmission of 10 microns aerodynamic diameter liquid aerosol particles through three types of sampling probes. The transmission ratio (ratio of aerosol concentration at the probe exit plane to the concentration in the free stream) was 107% for a 113 L min-1 (4-cfm) anisokinetic shrouded probe, but only 20% for an isokinetic probe that follows the existing EPA standard requirements. A specially designed isokinetic probe showed a transmission ratio of 63%. The shrouded probe performance would conform to the alternative reference methodologies criteria; however, the isokinetic probes would not.

Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) Data Product User's Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McPeters, R.; Bhartia, P. K.; Krueger, A.; Herman, J.; Wellemeyer, C.; Seftor, C.; Jaross, G.; Torres, O.; Moy, L.; Labow, G.;

Characterization of aerosol composition, concentrations, and sources at Baengnyeong Island, Korea using an aerosol mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Taehyoung; Choi, Jinsoo; Lee, Gangwoong; Ahn, Junyoung; Park, Jin Soo; Atwood, Samuel A.; Schurman, Misha; Choi, Yongjoo; Chung, Yoomi; Collett, Jeffrey L.

2015-11-01

To improve understanding of the sources and chemical properties of particulate pollutants on the western side of the Korean Peninsula, an Aerodyne High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) measured non-refractory fine (PM1) particles from May to November, 2011 at Baengnyeong Island, South Korea. Organic matter and sulfate were generally the most abundant species and exhibited maximum concentrations of 36 μg/m3 and 39 μg/m3, respectively. Nitrate concentrations peaked at 32 μg/m3 but were typically much lower than sulfate and organic matter concentrations. May, September, October, and November featured the highest monthly average concentrations, with lower concentrations typically observed from June through August. Potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis and individual case studies revealed that transport from eastern China, an area with high SO2 emissions, was associated with high particulate sulfate concentrations at the measurement site. Observed sulfate aerosol sometimes was fully neutralized by ammonium but often was acidic; the average ammonium to sulfate molar ratio was 1.49. Measured species size distributions revealed a range of sulfate particle size distributions with modes between 100 and 600 nm. Organic aerosol source regions were widespread, including contributions from eastern China and South Korea. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis indicated three "factors," or types of organic aerosol, comprising one primary, hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) and two oxidized organic aerosol (OOA) components, including a more oxidized (MO-OOA) and a less oxidized (LO-OOA) oxidized organic aerosol. On average, HOA and OOA contributed 21% and 79% of the organic mass (OM), respectively, with the MO-OOA fraction nearly three times as abundant as the LO-OOA fraction. Biomass burning contributions to observed OM were low during the late spring/early summer agricultural burning season in eastern China, since

Deriving aerosol parameters from in-situ spectrometer measurements for validation of remote sensing products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riedel, Sebastian; Janas, Joanna; Gege, Peter; Oppelt, Natascha

2017-10-01

Uncertainties of aerosol parameters are the limiting factor for atmospheric correction over inland and coastal waters. For validating remote sensing products from these optically complex and spatially inhomogeneous waters the spatial resolution of automated sun photometer networks like AERONET is too coarse and additional measurements on the test site are required. We have developed a method which allows the derivation of aerosol parameters from measurements with any spectrometer with suitable spectral range and resolution. This method uses a pair of downwelling irradiance and sky radiance measurements for the extraction of the turbidity coefficient and aerosol Ångström exponent. The data can be acquired fast and reliable at almost any place during a wide range of weather conditions. A comparison to aerosol parameters measured with a Cimel sun photometer provided by AERONET shows a reasonable agreement for the Ångström exponent. The turbidity coefficient did not agree well with AERONET values due to fit ambiguities, indicating that future research should focus on methods to handle parameter correlations within the underlying model.

Evaluation of Machine Learning Algorithms for Classification of Primary Biological Aerosol using a new UV-LIF spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruske, S. T.; Topping, D. O.; Foot, V. E.; Kaye, P. H.; Stanley, W. R.; Morse, A. P.; Crawford, I.; Gallagher, M. W.

2016-12-01

Characterisation of bio-aerosols has important implications within Environment and Public Health sectors. Recent developments in Ultra-Violet Light Induced Fluorescence (UV-LIF) detectors such as the Wideband Integrated bio-aerosol Spectrometer (WIBS) and the newly introduced Multiparameter bio-aerosol Spectrometer (MBS) has allowed for the real time collection of fluorescence, size and morphology measurements for the purpose of discriminating between bacteria, fungal Spores and pollen. This new generation of instruments has enabled ever-larger data sets to be compiled with the aim of studying more complex environments, yet the algorithms used for specie classification remain largely invalidated. It is therefore imperative that we validate the performance of different algorithms that can be used for the task of classification, which is the focus of this study. For unsupervised learning we test Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering with various different linkages. For supervised learning, ten methods were tested; including decision trees, ensemble methods: Random Forests, Gradient Boosting and AdaBoost; two implementations for support vector machines: libsvm and liblinear; Gaussian methods: Gaussian naïve Bayesian, quadratic and linear discriminant analysis and finally the k-nearest neighbours algorithm. The methods were applied to two different data sets measured using a new Multiparameter bio-aerosol Spectrometer. We find that clustering, in general, performs slightly worse than the supervised learning methods correctly classifying, at best, only 72.7 and 91.1 percent for the two data sets. For supervised learning the gradient boosting algorithm was found to be the most effective, on average correctly classifying 88.1 and 97.8 percent of the testing data respectively across the two data sets. We discuss the wider relevance of these results with regards to challenging existing classification in real-world environments.

Airborne Aerosol Closure Studies During PRIDE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, Jens; Livingston, John M.; Russell, Philip B.; Schmid, Beat; Reid, Jeff

2000-01-01

The Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) was conducted during June/July of 2000 to study the properties of Saharan dust aerosols transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Islands. During PRIDE, the NASA Ames Research Center six-channel (380 - 1020 nm) airborne autotracking sunphotometer (AATS-6) was operated aboard a Piper Navajo airplane alongside a suite of in situ aerosol instruments. The in situ aerosol instrumentation relevant to this paper included a Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP-100) and a Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP), covering the radius range of approx. 0.05 to 10 microns. The simultaneous and collocated measurement of multi-spectral aerosol optical depth and in situ particle size distribution data permits a variety of closure studies. For example, vertical profiles of aerosol optical depth obtained during local aircraft ascents and descents can be differentiated with respect to altitude and compared to extinction profiles calculated using the in situ particle size distribution data (and reasonable estimates of the aerosol index of refraction). Additionally, aerosol extinction (optical depth) spectra can be inverted to retrieve estimates of the particle size distributions, which can be compared directly to the in situ size distributions. In this paper we will report on such closure studies using data from a select number of vertical profiles at Cabras Island, Puerto Rico, including measurements in distinct Saharan Dust Layers. Preliminary results show good agreement to within 30% between mid-visible aerosol extinction derived from the AATS-6 optical depth profiles and extinction profiles forward calculated using 60s-average in situ particle size distributions and standard Saharan dust aerosol refractive indices published in the literature. In agreement with tendencies observed in previous studies, our initial results show an underestimate of aerosol extinction calculated based on the in situ size distributions

Data Validation for Earth Probe-Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanford, John L.

1995-01-01

This presentation represents the final report for the NASA grant project. The goal of this project was to provide scientific analysis to aid in validation fo data sets used in detection of long term global trends of total ozone. Ozone data from the Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer instrument was compared for validation purposes with features in previous TOMS data. Atmospheric dynamic concepts were used in the analysis. The publications sponsored by the grant are listed along with abstracts.

Laboratory and field measurements of organic aerosols with the photoionization aerosol mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreyfus, Matthew A.

Analytical methods developed to sample and characterize ambient organic aerosols often face the trade-off between long sampling times and the loss of detailed information regarding specific chemical species present. The soft, universal ionization scheme of the Photoionization Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (PIAMS) allows for identification of various chemical compounds by a signature ion, often the molecular ion. The goal of this thesis work is to apply PIAMS to both laboratory and field experiments to answer questions regarding the formation, composition, and behavior of organic aerosols. To achieve this goal, a variety of hardware and software upgrades were administered to PIAMS to optimize the instrument. Data collection and processing software were either refined or built from the ground up to simplify difficult or monotonous tasks. Additional components were added to PIAMS with the intent to automate the instrument, enhance the results, and make the instrument more rugged and user-friendly. These changes, combined with the application of an external particle concentration system (mini-Versatile Aerosol Concentration Enrichment System, m-VACES), allowed PIAMS to be suitable for field measurements of organic aerosols. Two such field campaigns were completed, both at the State of Delaware Air Quality Monitoring Site in Wilmington, Delaware: a one week period in June, 2006, and an 18 day period in October and November of 2007. A sampling method developed was capable of collecting sufficient ambient organic aerosol and analyzing it with a time resolution of 3.5 minutes. Because of this method, short term concentration changes of individual species can be tracked. Combined with meteorological data, the behavior of these species can be analyzed as a function of time or wind direction. Many compounds are found at enhanced levels during the evening/night-time hours; potentially due to the combined effects of temperature inversion, and fresh emissions in a cooler environment

Design and testing of a shrouded probe for airborne aerosol sampling in a high velocity airstream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cain, Stuart Arthur

1997-07-01

Tropospheric aerosols play an important role in many phenomena related to global climate and climate change and two important parameters, aerosol size distribution and concentration, have been the focus of a great deal of attention. To study these parameters it is necessary to obtain a representative sample of the ambient aerosol using an airborne aerosol sampling probe mounted on a suitably equipped aircraft. Recently, however, serious questions have been raised (Huebert et al., 1990; Baumgardner et al., 1991) concerning the current procedures and techniques used in airborne aerosol sampling. We believe that these questions can be answered by: (1) use of a shrouded aerosol sampling probe, (2) proper aerodynamic sampler design using numerical simulation techniques, (3) calculation of the sampler calibration curve to be used in determining free-stream aerosol properties from measurements made with the sampler and (4) wind tunnel tests to verify the design and investigate the performance of the sampler at small angles of attack (typical in airborne sampling applications due to wind gusts and aircraft fuel consumption). Our analysis is limited to the collection of insoluble particles representative of the global tropospheric 'background aerosol' (0.1-2.6 μm diameter) whose characteristics are least likely to be affected by the collection process. We begin with a survey of the most relevant problems associated with current airborne aerosol samplers and define the physical quantity that we wish to measure. This includes the derivation of a unique mathematical expression relating the free-stream aerosol size distribution to aerosol data obtained from the airborne measurements with the sampler. We follow with the presentation of the results of our application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computational Particle Dynamics (CPD) to the design of a shrouded probe for airborne aerosol sampling of insoluble tropospheric particles in the size range 0.1 to 15 �

Probing functional groups at the gas-aerosol interface using heterogeneous titration reactions: a tool for predicting aerosol health effects?

PubMed

Setyan, Ari; Sauvain, Jean-Jacques; Guillemin, Michel; Riediker, Michael; Demirdjian, Benjamin; Rossi, Michel J

2010-12-17

The complex chemical and physical nature of combustion and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) in general precludes the complete characterization of both bulk and interfacial components. The bulk composition reveals the history of the growth process and therefore the source region, whereas the interface controls--to a large extent--the interaction with gases, biological membranes, and solid supports. We summarize the development of a soft interrogation technique, using heterogeneous chemistry, for the interfacial functional groups of selected probe gases [N(CH(3))(3), NH(2)OH, CF(3)COOH, HCl, O(3), NO(2)] of different reactivity. The technique reveals the identity and density of surface functional groups. Examples include acidic and basic sites, olefinic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) sites, and partially and completely oxidized surface sites. We report on the surface composition and oxidation states of laboratory-generated aerosols and of aerosols sampled in several bus depots. In the latter case, the biomarker 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, signaling oxidative stress caused by aerosol exposure, was isolated. The increase in biomarker levels over a working day is correlated with the surface density N(i)(O3) of olefinic and/or PAH sites obtained from O(3) uptakes as well as with the initial uptake coefficient, γ(0), of five probe gases used in the field. This correlation with γ(0) suggests the idea of competing pathways occurring at the interface of the aerosol particles between the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsible for oxidative stress and cellular antioxidants.

Development and characterization of an aircraft aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

PubMed

Pratt, Kerri A; Mayer, Joseph E; Holecek, John C; Moffet, Ryan C; Sanchez, Rene O; Rebotier, Thomas P; Furutani, Hiroshi; Gonin, Marc; Fuhrer, Katrin; Su, Yongxuan; Guazzotti, Sergio; Prather, Kimberly A

2009-03-01

Vertical and horizontal profiles of atmospheric aerosols are necessary for understanding the impact of air pollution on regional and global climate. To gain further insight into the size-resolved chemistry of individual atmospheric particles, a smaller aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) with increased data acquisition capabilities was developed for aircraft-based studies. Compared to previous ATOFMS systems, the new instrument has a faster data acquisition rate with improved ion transmission and mass resolution, as well as reduced physical size and power consumption, all required advances for use in aircraft studies. In addition, real-time source apportionment software allows the immediate identification and classification of individual particles to guide sampling decisions while in the field. The aircraft (A)-ATOFMS was field-tested on the ground during the Study of Organic Aerosols in Riverside, CA (SOAR) and aboard an aircraft during the Ice in Clouds Experiment-Layer Clouds (ICE-L). Initial results from ICE-L represent the first reported aircraft-based single-particle dual-polarity mass spectrometry measurements and provide an increased understanding of particle mixing state as a function of altitude. Improved ion transmission allows for the first single-particle detection of species out to approximately m/z 2000, an important mass range for the detection of biological aerosols and oligomeric species. In addition, high time resolution measurements of single-particle mixing state are demonstrated and shown to be important for airborne studies where particle concentrations and chemistry vary rapidly.

Observational Study and Parameterization of Aerosol-fog Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, J.; Guo, X.; Liu, Y.; Fang, C.; Su, Z.; Chen, Y.

2014-12-01

Studies have shown that human activities such as increased aerosols affect fog occurrence and properties significantly, and accurate numerical fog forecasting depends on, to a large extent, parameterization of fog microphysics and aerosol-fog interactions. Furthermore, fogs can be considered as clouds near the ground, and enjoy an advantage of permitting comprehensive long-term in-situ measurements that clouds do not. Knowledge learned from studying aerosol-fog interactions will provide useful insights into aerosol-cloud interactions. To serve the twofold objectives of understanding and improving parameterizations of aerosol-fog interactions and aerosol-cloud interactions, this study examines the data collected from fogs, with a focus but not limited to the data collected in Beijing, China. Data examined include aerosol particle size distributions measured by a Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP-100X), fog droplet size distributions measured by a Fog Monitor (FM-120), Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN), liquid water path measured by radiometers and visibility sensors, along with meteorological variables measured by a Tethered Balloon Sounding System (XLS-Ⅱ) and Automatic Weather Station (AWS). The results will be compared with low-level clouds for similarities and differences between fogs and clouds.

Aerosol Optical Depth Measurements by Airborne Sun Photometer in SOLVE II: Comparisons to SAGE III, POAM III and Airborne Spectrometer Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, P.; Livingston, J.; Schmid, B.; Eilers, J.; Kolyer, R.; Redemann, J.; Ramirez, S.; Yee, J-H.; Swartz, W.; Shetter, R.

2004-01-01

The 14-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) measured solar-beam transmission on the NASA DC-8 during the Second SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE II). This paper presents AATS-14 results for multiwavelength aerosol optical depth (AOD), including its spatial structure and comparisons to results from two satellite sensors and another DC-8 instrument. These are the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III), the Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement III (POAM III) and the Direct beam Irradiance Airborne Spectrometer (DIAS).

Structural analysis of aerosol particles by microscopic observation using a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takami, Akinori; Mayama, Norihito; Sakamoto, Tetsuo; Ohishi, Kenji; Irei, Satoshi; Yoshino, Ayako; Hatakeyama, Shiro; Murano, Kentaro; Sadanaga, Yasuhiro; Bandow, Hiroshi; Misawa, Kentaro; Fujii, Masaaki

2013-06-01

The chemical composition and structure of fine aerosol particles with diameters of less than 1 µm were analyzed in the spring of 2011 at Fukue Island, Japan, using an aerosol quadrupole mass spectrometer (Q-AMS, Aerodyne Research, Inc.) and a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (TOF-SIMS). The Q-AMS results were similar to those of previous studies conducted at the same location, suggesting that the composition we observed is typical of this site. Based on the TOF-SIMS results, we classified the fine aerosol particles into three types: Type A, in which sulfate was covered with organic matter (OM); Type B, in which soil-containing particles with a diameter of 0.5 µm were associated with sulfate and OM; and Type C, in which black carbon (BC) and sulfate aggregates were associated with OM. During the observation period, the relative abundances of Type A, B, and C particles were 55%, 20%, and 25%, respectively. The structure, chemical composition, and the proportion of each type of particles provide information for a more representative particle model in radiative models. The relative abundance of Type C, i.e., BC-containing particles, is quite different to that in Tokyo, suggesting that Type C could be an indicator of transboundary air pollution, in this case from mainland China.

Thermal Emission Spectrometer Results: Mars Atmospheric Thermal Structure and Aerosol Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Michael D.; Pearl, John C.; Conrath, Barney J.; Christensen, Philip R.; Vondrak, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Infrared spectra returned by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) are well suited for retrieval of the thermal structure and the distribution of aerosols in the Martian atmosphere. Combined nadir- and limb-viewing spectra allow global monitoring of the atmosphere up to 0.01 mbar (65 km). We report here on the atmospheric thermal structure and the distribution of aerosols as observed thus far during the mapping phase of the Mars Global Surveyor mission. Zonal and temporal mean cross sections are used to examine the seasonal evolution of atmospheric temperatures and zonal winds during a period extending from northern hemisphere mid-summer through vernal equinox (L(sub s) = 104-360 deg). Temperature maps at selected pressure levels provide a characterization of planetary-scale waves. Retrieved atmospheric infrared dust opacity maps show the formation and evolution of regional dust storms during southern hemisphere summer. Response of the atmospheric thermal structure to the changing dust loading is observed. Maps of water-ice clouds as viewed in the thermal infrared are presented along with seasonal trends of infrared water-ice opacity. Uses of these observations for diagnostic studies of the dynamics of the atmosphere are discussed.

Near shot-noise limited time-resolved circular dichroism pump-probe spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stadnytskyi, Valentyn; Orf, Gregory S.; Blankenship, Robert E.; Savikhin, Sergei

2018-03-01

We describe an optical near shot-noise limited time-resolved circular dichroism (TRCD) pump-probe spectrometer capable of reliably measuring circular dichroism signals in the order of μdeg with nanosecond time resolution. Such sensitivity is achieved through a modification of existing TRCD designs and introduction of a new data processing protocol that eliminates approximations that have caused substantial nonlinearities in past measurements and allows the measurement of absorption and circular dichroism transients simultaneously with a single pump pulse. The exceptional signal-to-noise ratio of the described setup makes the TRCD technique applicable to a large range of non-biological and biological systems. The spectrometer was used to record, for the first time, weak TRCD kinetics associated with the triplet state energy transfer in the photosynthetic Fenna-Matthews-Olson antenna pigment-protein complex.

Methane measurement by the Pioneer Venus large probe neutral mass spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donahue, T. M.; Hodges, R. R., Jr.

1992-01-01

The Pioneer Venus Large Probe Mass Spectrometer detected a large quantity of methane as it descended below 20 km in the atmosphere of Venus. Terrestrial methane and Xe-136, both originating in the same container and flowing through the same plumbing, were deliberately released inside the mass spectrometer for instrumental reasons. However, the Xe-136 did not exhibit behavior similar to methane during Venus entry, nor did CH4 in laboratory simulations. The CH4 was deuterium poor compared to Venus water and hydrogen. While the inlet to the mass spectrometer was clogged with sulfuric acid droplets, significant deuteration of CH4 and its H2 progeny was observed. Since the only source of deuterium identifiable was water from sulfuric acid, we have concluded that we should correct the HDO/H2O ratio in Venus water from 3.2 x 10(exp -2) to (5 plus or minus 0.7) x 10(exp -2). When the probe was in the lower atmosphere, transfer of deuterium from Venus HDO and HD to CH4 can account quantitatively for the deficiencies recorded in HDO and HD below 10 km, and consequently, the mysterious gradients in water vapor and hydrogen mixing ratios we have reported. The revision in the D/H ratio reduces the mixing ratio of water vapor (and H2) reported previously by a factor of 3.2/5. We are not yet able to say whether the methane detected was atmospheric or an instrumental artifact. If it was atmospheric, its release must have been episodic and highly localized. Otherwise, the large D/H ratio in Venus water and hydrogen could not be maintained.

Methane measurement by the Pioneer Venus large probe neutral mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donahue, T. M.; Hodges, R. R., Jr.

1992-12-01

The Pioneer Venus Large Probe Mass Spectrometer detected a large quantity of methane as it descended below 20 km in the atmosphere of Venus. Terrestrial methane and Xe-136, both originating in the same container and flowing through the same plumbing, were deliberately released inside the mass spectrometer for instrumental reasons. However, the Xe-136 did not exhibit behavior similar to methane during Venus entry, nor did CH4 in laboratory simulations. The CH4 was deuterium poor compared to Venus water and hydrogen. While the inlet to the mass spectrometer was clogged with sulfuric acid droplets, significant deuteration of CH4 and its H2 progeny was observed. Since the only source of deuterium identifiable was water from sulfuric acid, we have concluded that we should correct the HDO/H2O ratio in Venus water from 3.2 x 10-2 to (5 plus or minus 0.7) x 10-2. When the probe was in the lower atmosphere, transfer of deuterium from Venus HDO and HD to CH4 can account quantitatively for the deficiencies recorded in HDO and HD below 10 km, and consequently, the mysterious gradients in water vapor and hydrogen mixing ratios we have reported. The revision in the D/H ratio reduces the mixing ratio of water vapor (and H2) reported previously by a factor of 3.2/5. We are not yet able to say whether the methane detected was atmospheric or an instrumental artifact. If it was atmospheric, its release must have been episodic and highly localized. Otherwise, the large D/H ratio in Venus water and hydrogen could not be maintained.

Characterization of urban aerosol in Cork city (Ireland) using aerosol mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dall'Osto, M.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Ceburnis, D.; Martin, D.; Healy, R. M.; O'Connor, I. P.; Kourtchev, I.; Sodeau, J. R.; Wenger, J. C.; O'Dowd, C.

2013-05-01

Ambient wintertime background urban aerosol in Cork city, Ireland, was characterized using aerosol mass spectrometry. During the three-week measurement study in 2009, 93% of the ca. 1 350 000 single particles characterized by an Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (TSI ATOFMS) were classified into five organic-rich particle types, internally mixed to different proportions with elemental carbon (EC), sulphate and nitrate, while the remaining 7% was predominantly inorganic in nature. Non-refractory PM1 aerosol was characterized using a High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (Aerodyne HR-ToF-AMS) and was also found to comprise organic aerosol as the most abundant species (62%), followed by nitrate (15%), sulphate (9%) and ammonium (9%), and chloride (5%). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to the HR-ToF-AMS organic matrix, and a five-factor solution was found to describe the variance in the data well. Specifically, "hydrocarbon-like" organic aerosol (HOA) comprised 20% of the mass, "low-volatility" oxygenated organic aerosol (LV-OOA) comprised 18%, "biomass burning" organic aerosol (BBOA) comprised 23%, non-wood solid-fuel combustion "peat and coal" organic aerosol (PCOA) comprised 21%, and finally a species type characterized by primary {m/z} peaks at 41 and 55, similar to previously reported "cooking" organic aerosol (COA), but possessing different diurnal variations to what would be expected for cooking activities, contributed 18%. Correlations between the different particle types obtained by the two aerosol mass spectrometers are also discussed. Despite wood, coal and peat being minor fuel types used for domestic space heating in urban areas, their relatively low combustion efficiencies result in a significant contribution to PM1 aerosol mass (44% and 28% of the total organic aerosol mass and non-refractory total PM1, respectively).

Aircraft-based Aerosol Size and Composition Measurements during ACE-Asia and CRYSTAL-FACE using an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahreini, R.; Jimenez, J.; Delia, A.; Flagan, R. C.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Jayne, J. T.; Worsnop, D. R.

2002-12-01

An Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) was deployed in an aircraft for the first time during the ACE-Asia field campaign. The AMS was operated on board the CIRPAS Twin Otter aircraft to measure the size-resolved chemical composition of the submicron aerosols in the outflow from Eastern Asia. Research flights were carried out from March 31 to May 1, 2001 in an area that covered 127 E-135 E and 32 N-38 N on longitude and latitude, respectively. The submicron aerosol was typically distributed in distinct layers (from the boundary layer to ~ 3700 m). This is consistent with other on-board measurements. The aerosol in the pollution layers was mainly composed of sulfate, ammonium, and organics separated by cleaner layers. Sub-micron nitrate aerosols were also detected in some layers. Since the molar ratio of positive to negative ions did not exceed one on most of the constant altitude legs of the flights, the particles were not completely neutralized. Sulfate and organics concentrations of up to 10 and 5 ug m-3 (STP), respectively, were measured on some pollution layers. AMS measurements of sulfate concentration and NH4/SO4 mass ratio (~0.16 on average) are consistent with previously reported measurements at Cheju Island, South Korea [Charmichael et al., 1997; Chen et al., 1997] and Sapporo, Japan [Kaneyasu et al., 1995]. The mass-weighed size distribution of the sub-micron sulfate was relatively constant from day to day and layer to layer, with an aerodynamic mode at 350-500 nm (vacuum aerodynamic diameter) and FWHM ~ 400 nm on most of the layers. Furthermore, the ratios between SO4/ NH4/ NO3/ Organics were approximately independent of size in the sub-micron size range. Comparisons of AMS data to other on-board aerosol measurements will be presented. In particular, the AMS mass concentration correlates well with the aerosol volume determined by the on-board Differential Automated Classifying Aerosol Detector (DCAD). In addition, preliminary results of airborne size

Fast Airborne Aerosol Size and Chemistry Measurements with the High Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer during the MILAGRO Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeCarlo, P. F.; Dunlea, E. J.; Kimmel, J. R.; Aiken, A. C.; Sueper, D.; Crounse, J.; Wennberg, P. O.; Emmons, L.; Shinozuka, Y.; Clarke, A.;

Deep Atmosphere Ammonia Mixing Ratio at Jupiter from the Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahaffy, P. R.; Niemann, H. B.; Demick, J. E.

1999-01-01

New laboratory studies employing the Engineering Unit (EU) of the Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer (GPMS) have resulted in a substantial reduction in the previously reported upper limit on the ammonia mixing ratio derived from the GPMS experiment at Jupiter. This measurement is complicated by background ammonia contributions in the GPMS during direct atmospheric sampling produced from the preceding gas enrichment experiments. These backgrounds can be quantified with the data from the EU studies when they are carried out in a manner that duplicates the descent profile of pressure and enrichment cell loading. This background is due to the tendency of ammonia to interact strongly with the walls of the mass spectrometer and on release to contribute to the gas being directly directed into the ion source from the atmosphere through a capillary pressure reduction leak. It is evident from the GPMS and other observations that the mixing ratio of ammonia at Jupiter reaches the deep atmosphere value at substantially higher pressures than previously assumed. This is a likely explanation for the previously perceived discrepancy between ammonia values derived from ground based microwave observations and those obtained from attenuation of the Galileo Probe radio signal.

Chemical composition of Titan's aerosols analogues characterized with a systematic pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szopa, Cyril; Raulin, Francois; Coll, Patrice; Cabane, Michel; GCMS Team

2014-05-01

The in situ chemical characterization of Titan's atmosphere was achieved in 2005 with two instruments present onboard the Huygens atmospheric probe : the Aerosol Collector and Pyrolyzer (ACP) devoted to collect and pyrolyse Titan's aerosols ; the Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) experiment devoted to analyze gases collected in the atmosphere or coming from the aerosols pyrolysis. The GCMS was developed by Hasso Niemann in the filiation of the quadrupole mass spectrometers he built for several former space missions. The main objectives were to : determine the concentration profile of the most abundant chemical species; seek for minor atmospheric organic species not detected with remote observations ; give a first view of the organic aerosols structure; characterize the condensed volatiles present at the surface (e.g. lakes) in case of survival of the probe to the landing impact. Taking into account for the potential complexity of the gaseous samples to be analyzed, it was decided to couple to the MS analyzer a gas chromatograph capable to separate volatile species from light inorganic molecules and noble gases, to organic compounds including aromatics. This was the first GCMS analyzer that worked in an extraterrestrial environment since the Viking missions on Mars. Even if the GCMS coupling mode did not provide any result of interest, it has been demonstrated to be functional during the Huygens descent. But, the direct MS analysis of the atmosphere, and the pyrolysis-MS analysis of aerosols allowed to make great discoveries which are still of primary importance to describe the Titan's lower atmosphere composition. This contribution aims at presenting this instrument that worked in the Titan's atmosphere, and summarizing the most important discoveries it allowed.

Monitoring uranium, hydrogen, and lithium and their isotopes using a compact laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) probe and high-resolution spectrometer.

PubMed

Cremers, David A; Beddingfield, Alan; Smithwick, Robert; Chinni, Rosemarie C; Jones, C Randy; Beardsley, Burt; Karch, Larry

2012-03-01

The development of field-deployable instruments to monitor radiological, nuclear, and explosive (RNE) threats is of current interest for a number of assessment needs such as the on-site screening of suspect facilities and nuclear forensics. The presence of uranium and plutonium and radiological materials can be determined through monitoring the elemental emission spectrum using relatively low-resolution spectrometers. In addition, uranium compounds, explosives, and chemicals used in nuclear fuel processing (e.g., tributyl-phosphate) can be identified by applying chemometric analysis to the laser-induced breakdown (LIBS) spectrum recorded by these spectrometers. For nuclear forensic applications, however, isotopes of U and Pu and other elements (e.g., H and Li) must also be determined, requiring higher resolution spectrometers given the small magnitude of the isotope shifts for some of these elements (e.g., 25 pm for U and 13 pm for Pu). High-resolution spectrometers will be preferred for several reasons but these must fit into realistic field-based analysis scenarios. To address the need for field instrumentation, we evaluated a previously developed field-deployable hand-held LIBS interrogation probe combined with two relatively new high-resolution spectrometers (λ/Δλ ~75,000 and ~44,000) that have the potential to meet field-based analysis needs. These spectrometers are significantly smaller and lighter in weight than those previously used for isotopic analysis and one unit can provide simultaneous wide spectral coverage and high resolution in a relatively small package. The LIBS interrogation probe was developed initially for use with low resolution compact spectrometers in a person-portable backpack LIBS instrument. Here we present the results of an evaluation of the LIBS probe combined with a high-resolution spectrometer and demonstrate rapid detection of isotopes of uranium and hydrogen and highly enriched samples of (6)Li and (7)Li. © 2012 Society for

Sample rotating turntable kit for infrared spectrometers

DOEpatents

Eckels, Joel Del [Livermore, CA; Klunder, Gregory L [Oakland, CA

2008-03-04

An infrared spectrometer sample rotating turntable kit has a rotatable sample cup containing the sample. The infrared spectrometer has an infrared spectrometer probe for analyzing the sample and the rotatable sample cup is adapted to receive the infrared spectrometer probe. A reflectance standard is located in the rotatable sample cup. A sleeve is positioned proximate the sample cup and adapted to receive the probe. A rotator rotates the rotatable sample cup. A battery is connected to the rotator.

Atmospheric soundings by SPICAM occultation observations: aerosol and ozone vertical profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montmessin, F.

2005-12-01

The SPICAM instrument is a highly versatile, dual spectrometer probing both the UV and the NIR spectral region and is currently flying around Mars onboard Mars Express. Since the beginning of MEx operations, SPICAM has collected about thousand atmospheric profiles while observing in a solar or a stellar occultation mode. UV spectra bear the signatures of several species; i.e carbon dioxide, ozone and aerosols, while infrared spectra potentially bring information on atmospheric condensates and on water vapor. This presentation will focus on the measured aerosol, ozone and water vapor profiles. For the aerosol, we will emphasize the numerous observations made in the polar night and will also discuss some high altitude clouds discovered in the southern hemisphere. Ozone and water vapor profiles will be presented along with some General Circulation Model comparisons. This work has been supported by CNES.

Chemical Characterization of Particulate Matter at the La Porte site Using an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, P. J.; Worsnop, D.; Canagaratna, M.; Jimenez, J. L.; Delia, A.; Purvis, K.; Davidovits, P.

2001-12-01

During the summer of 2000, a large atmospheric chemistry field campaign took place in the Greater Houston area in conjunction with an EPA supersite. As part of the campaign, we operated an aerosol mass spectrometer from 20 August, 2000 until 15 September, 2000. The aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) obtained chemical composition data and particle size distributions continuously with 10 minute averaging times. The measured aerosol mass concentration ranged from approximately 2 μ g m-3 to a high of 30 μ g m-3. Ammonium and sulfate were the two dominant chemical species present during most of the study. The mass concentration of particulate nitrate was typically less than a few μ g m-3, with one major nitrate event on 23 August, 2000. Very small amounts of non-sea salt chloride were detected in the particles, typically less than one μ g m-3, again with the largest value detected on 23 August 2000. In addition to the inorganic species, several different organic aerosol types were identified based on simple evaluation of mass spectral and size distribution data. Three organic particle types appear to be from discrete primary sources of organic aerosol. A combustion particle type displays mass spectra similar to those observed from diesel exhaust emissions. The temporal variation of this type shows sharp spikes, consistent with primary sources and sharp plumes that drift pass. A second organic particle type is responsible for the largest particle mass concentrations observed during the entire study, occurring during a fire episode on 5-6 September, 2000. The mass spectra exhibit characteristic peaks representative of markers for compounds from biomass burning, including levoglucosan and dehydroabietic acid. A third organic particle type observed during the study exhibits peaks in the mass spectra that are characteristic of fluorinated hydrocarbons and are similar to mass spectra of pump oil. This particle type contributes several μ g m-3 to the ambient particle mass

Calibrations and Comparisons of Aerosol Spectrometers linking Ground and Airborne Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williamson, C.; Brock, C. A.; Erdesz, F.

2015-12-01

The nucleation-mode aerosol size spectrometer (NMASS), a fast-time response instrument measuring aerosol size distributions between 5 and 60nm, is to sample in the boundary layer and free troposphere on NASA's Atmospheric Tomography mission (ATom), providing contiguous data with global coverage in all four seasons. In preparation for this the NMASS is calibrated for the expected flight conditions and compatibility studies are made with ground-based instrumentation. The NMASS is comprised of 5 parallel condensation particle counters (CPCs) using perfluoro-tributylamine as a working fluid. Understanding the variation of CPC counting efficiencies with respect to the chemical composition of the sample is important for accurate data analysis and can be used to give indirect information about sample chemical composition. This variation is strongly dependent on the working fluid. The absolute responses and associated variations of the NMASS to ammonium sulfate and limonene ozonolysis products, compounds pertinent to the composition of particles nucleated in the free troposphere and boundary later, are compared to those of butanol, diethylene-glycol and water based CPCs, which are more commonly used in ground-based measurements. While fast time-response is key to measuring aerosol size distributions on flights, high size-resolution is often prioritized for ground-based measurements, and so a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) is commonly used. Inter-comparison between NMASS and SMPS data is non-trivial because of the different working principles and resolutions of the instruments and yet it is vital, for example, for understanding the sources of particles observed during flights and the global relevance of phenomena observed from field stations and in chambers. We report compatibility studies on inversions of data from the SMPS and NMASS, evaluating temporal and spatial resolution and sources of uncertainty.

Probing the micro-rheological properties of aerosol particles using optical tweezers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Power, Rory M.; Reid, Jonathan P.

2014-07-01

The use of optical trapping techniques to manipulate probe particles for performing micro-rheological measurements on a surrounding fluid is well-established. Here, we review recent advances made in the use of optical trapping to probe the rheological properties of trapped particles themselves. In particular, we review observations of the continuous transition from liquid to solid-like viscosity of sub-picolitre supersaturated solution aerosol droplets using optical trapping techniques. Direct measurements of the viscosity of the particle bulk are derived from the damped oscillations in shape following coalescence of two particles, a consequence of the interplay between viscous and surface forces and the capillary driven relaxation of the approximately spheroidal composite particle. Holographic optical tweezers provide a facile method for the manipulation of arrays of particles allowing coalescence to be controllably induced between two micron-sized aerosol particles. The optical forces, while sufficiently strong to confine the composite particle, are several orders of magnitude weaker than the capillary forces driving relaxation. Light, elastically back-scattered by the particle, is recorded with sub-100 ns resolution allowing measurements of fast relaxation (low viscosity) dynamics, while the brightfield image can be used to monitor the shape relaxation extending to times in excess of 1000 s. For the slowest relaxation dynamics studied (particles with the highest viscosity) the presence and line shape of whispering gallery modes in the cavity enhanced Raman spectrum can be used to infer the relaxation time while serving the dual purpose of allowing the droplet size and refractive index to be measured with accuracies of ±0.025% and ±0.1%, respectively. The time constant for the damped relaxation can be used to infer the bulk viscosity, spanning from the dilute solution limit to a value approaching that of a glass, typically considered to be >1012 Pa s, whilst

The polarimeter and the multispectral radiometer as remote probes of aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuriyan, J. G.

1975-01-01

Attempts made to establish the viability of the polarimeter as a ground based remote probe of atmospheric aerosols under varying meteorological conditions are reported. Extension radiometer data are also given and a comparison was made with polarimeter data to determine if one could complement/supplement the other. The analyses show that the two instruments are complementary devices and any information obtained from one will greatly facilitate the analysis of the other. Detailed results are given in graphical form.

Rapid Measurements of Aerosol Size Distribution and Hygroscopic Growth via Image Processing with a Fast Integrated Mobility Spectrometer (FIMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Pinterich, T.; Spielman, S. R.; Hering, S. V.; Wang, J.

2017-12-01

Aerosol size distribution and hygroscopicity are among key parameters in determining the impact of atmospheric aerosols on global radiation and climate change. In situ submicron aerosol size distribution measurements commonly involve a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). The SMPS scanning time is in the scale of minutes, which is often too slow to capture the variation of aerosol size distribution, such as for aerosols formed via nucleation processes or measurements onboard research aircraft. To solve this problem, a Fast Integrated Mobility Spectrometer (FIMS) based on image processing was developed for rapid measurements of aerosol size distributions from 10 to 500 nm. The FIMS consists of a parallel plate classifier, a condenser, and a CCD detector array. Inside the classifier an electric field separates charged aerosols based on electrical mobilities. Upon exiting the classifier, the aerosols pass through a three stage growth channel (Pinterich et al. 2017; Spielman et al. 2017), where aerosols as small as 7 nm are enlarged to above 1 μm through water or heptanol condensation. Finally, the grown aerosols are illuminated by a laser sheet and imaged onto a CCD array. The images provide both aerosol concentration and position, which directly relate to the aerosol size distribution. By this simultaneous measurement of aerosols with different sizes, the FIMS provides aerosol size spectra nearly 100 times faster than the SMPS. Recent deployment onboard research aircraft demonstrated that the FIMS is capable of measuring aerosol size distributions in 1s (Figure), thereby offering a great advantage in applications requiring high time resolution (Wang et al. 2016). In addition, the coupling of the FIMS with other conventional aerosol instruments provides orders of magnitude more rapid characterization of aerosol optical and microphysical properties. For example, the combination of a differential mobility analyzer, a relative humidity control unit, and a FIMS was

Measuring Sodium Chloride Contents of Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinha, M. P.; Friedlander, S. K.

1986-01-01

Amount of sodium chloride in individual aerosol particles measured in real time by analyzer that includes mass spectrometer. Analyzer used to determine mass distributions of active agents in therapeutic or diagnostic aerosols derived from saline solutions and in analyzing ocean spray. Aerosol particles composed of sodium chloride introduced into oven, where individually vaporized on hot wall. Vapor molecules thermally dissociated, and some of resulting sodium atoms ionized on wall. Ions leave oven in burst and analyzed by spectrometer, which is set to monitor sodium-ion intensity.

Characterization of biomass burning aerosols produced in the laboratory with a light-scattering aerosol mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Middlebrook, A. M.; Adler, G. A.; Coggon, M.; De Gouw, J. A.; Franchin, A.; Gilman, J.; Koss, A.; Krechmer, J. E.; Lamb, K.; Manfred, K.; Roberts, J. M.; Schwarz, J. P.; Sekimoto, K.; Selimovic, V.; Stockwell, C.; Wagner, N.; Warneke, C.; Washenfelder, R. A.; Womack, C.; Yokelson, R. J.; Yuan, B.

2017-12-01

During the 2016 NOAA FIREX project at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, small fires of known fuel type and properties were ignited to characterize their direct emissions with a large variety of new sampling methods. Two types of experiments were employed: sampling smoke directly from the exhaust stack throughout the lifecycle of the fires (stack burns) or sampling when the exhaust vent was closed to fill the room with smoke (room burns). For both types of burns, photo-oxidation chambers were at times used to mimic aging in the atmosphere. During all these experiments, we measured the non-refractory components of the smoke particles using an Aerodyne compact time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) with a light scattering module and diluted the sample line as little as possible (usually by a factor of 10) without overwhelming our instrument. For the stack burns, our AMS was placed near the top of the exhaust stack to capture the composition and size distribution during the rapidly changing stages of the fires. We found that the chemical composition of the aerosols varied with fuel type and combustion conditions on time scales of a few minutes as the fuels went through different stages of heating and combustion. For the room burns, we obtained additional measurements with the light-scattering module aimed at understanding how well smoke particles are measured with the AMS, along with characterization of their physical properties. We will present a summary of our results, with connections to their relevance for constraining model treatments of fire emissions on the atmosphere.

The complex refractive index of atmospheric and model humic-like substances (HULIS) retrieved by a cavity ring down aerosol spectrometer (CRD-AS).

PubMed

Dinar, E; Riziq, A Abo; Spindler, C; Erlick, C; Kiss, G; Rudich, Y

2008-01-01

Atmospheric aerosols absorb and reflect solar radiation causing surface cooling and heating of the atmosphere. The interaction between aerosols and radiation depends on their complex index of refraction, which is related to the particles' chemical composition. The contribution of light absorbing organic compounds, such as HUmic-LIke Substances (HULIS) to aerosol scattering and absorption is among the largest uncertainties in assessing the direct effect of aerosols on climate. Using a Cavity Ring Down Aerosol Spectrometer (CRD-AS), the complex index of refraction of aerosols containing HULIS extracted from pollution, smoke, and rural continental aerosols, and molecular weight-fractionated fulvic acid was measured at 390 nm and 532 nm. The imaginary part of the refractive index (absorption) substantially increases towards the UV range with increasing molecular weight and aromaticity. At both wavelengths, HULIS extracted from pollution and smoke particles absorb more than HULIS from the rural aerosol. Sensitivity calculations for a pollution-type aerosol containing ammonium sulfate, organic carbon (HULIS), and soot suggests that accounting for absorption by HULIS leads in most cases to a significant decrease in the single scattering albedo and to a significant increase in aerosol radiative forcing efficiency, towards more atmospheric absorption and heating. This indicates that HULIS in biomass smoke and pollution aerosols, in addition to black carbon, can contribute significantly to light absorption in the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions.

Vertical wind velocity measurements using a five-hole probe with remotely piloted aircraft to study aerosol-cloud interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calmer, Radiance; Roberts, Gregory C.; Preissler, Jana; Sanchez, Kevin J.; Derrien, Solène; O'Dowd, Colin

2018-05-01

The importance of vertical wind velocities (in particular positive vertical wind velocities or updrafts) in atmospheric science has motivated the need to deploy multi-hole probes developed for manned aircraft in small remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). In atmospheric research, lightweight RPAs ( < 2.5 kg) are now able to accurately measure atmospheric wind vectors, even in a cloud, which provides essential observing tools for understanding aerosol-cloud interactions. The European project BACCHUS (impact of Biogenic versus Anthropogenic emissions on Clouds and Climate: towards a Holistic UnderStanding) focuses on these specific interactions. In particular, vertical wind velocity at cloud base is a key parameter for studying aerosol-cloud interactions. To measure the three components of wind, a RPA is equipped with a five-hole probe, pressure sensors, and an inertial navigation system (INS). The five-hole probe is calibrated on a multi-axis platform, and the probe-INS system is validated in a wind tunnel. Once mounted on a RPA, power spectral density (PSD) functions and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) derived from the five-hole probe are compared with sonic anemometers on a meteorological mast. During a BACCHUS field campaign at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station (Ireland), a fleet of RPAs was deployed to profile the atmosphere and complement ground-based and satellite observations of physical and chemical properties of aerosols, clouds, and meteorological state parameters. The five-hole probe was flown on straight-and-level legs to measure vertical wind velocities within clouds. The vertical velocity measurements from the RPA are validated with vertical velocities derived from a ground-based cloud radar by showing that both measurements yield model-simulated cloud droplet number concentrations within 10 %. The updraft velocity distributions illustrate distinct relationships between vertical cloud fields in different meteorological conditions.

Uptake of Semivolatile Secondary Organic Aerosol Formed from α-Pinene into Nonvolatile Polyethylene Glycol Probe Particles.

PubMed

Ye, Penglin; Ding, Xiang; Ye, Qing; Robinson, Ellis S; Donahue, Neil M

2016-03-10

Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) play an essential role in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, chemical aging, and mixing of organic aerosol (OA) from different sources. Polyethylene glycol (PEG400) particles are liquid, polar, and nearly nonvolatile; they provide a new vehicle to study the interaction between SVOCs with OA. With a unique fragment ion C4H9O2(+) (m/z 89), PEG400 can be easily separated from α-pinene SOA in aerosol mass spectra. By injecting separately prepared PEG probe particles into a chamber containing SOA coated on ammonium sulfate seeds, we show that a substantial pool of SVOCs exists in equilibrium with the original SOA particles. Quantitative findings are based on bulk mass spectra, size-dependent composition, and the evolution of individual particle mass spectra, which we use to separate the two particle populations. We observed a larger fraction of SVOC vapors with increased amounts of reacted α-pinene. For the same amount of reacted α-pinene, the SOA formed from α-pinene oxidized by OH radicals had a higher fraction of SOA vapors than SOA formed by α-pinene ozonolysis. Compared to the PEG400 probe particles, we observed a lower mass fraction of SVOCs in poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (MePEG500) probe particles under otherwise identical conditions; this may be due to the lower polarity of the MePEG500 or caused by esterification reactions between the PEG400 and organic acids in the SOA.

Measurements of Size Resolved Organic Particulate Mass Using An On-line Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (ams) Laboratory Validation; Analysis Tool Development; and Interpretation of Field Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfarra, M. R.; Coe, H.; Allan, J. D.; Bower, K. N.; Garforth, A. A.; Canagaratna, M.; Worsnop, D.

The aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) is a quantitative instrument designed to deliver real-time size resolved chemical composition of the volatile and semi volatile aerosol fractions. The AMS response to a wide range of organic compounds has been exper- imentally characterized, and has been shown to compare well with standard libraries of 70 eV electron impact ionization mass spectra. These results will be presented. Due to the scanning nature of the quadrupole mass spectrometer, the AMS provides averaged composition of ensemble of particles rather than single particle composi- tion. However, the mass spectra measured by AMS are reproducible and similar to those of standard libraries so analysis tools can be developed on large mass spectral libraries that can provide chemical composition information about the type of organic compounds in the aerosol. One such tool is presented and compared with laboratory measurements of single species and mixed component organic particles by the AMS. We will then discuss the applicability of these tools to interpreting field AMS data ob- tained in a range of experiments at different sites in the UK and Canada. The data will be combined with other measurements to show the behaviour of the organic aerosol fraction in urban and sub-urban environments.

Validation of LIRIC aerosol concentration retrievals using airborne measurements during a biomass burning episode over Athens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokkalis, Panagiotis; Amiridis, Vassilis; Allan, James D.; Papayannis, Alexandros; Solomos, Stavros; Binietoglou, Ioannis; Bougiatioti, Aikaterini; Tsekeri, Alexandra; Nenes, Athanasios; Rosenberg, Philip D.; Marenco, Franco; Marinou, Eleni; Vasilescu, Jeni; Nicolae, Doina; Coe, Hugh; Bacak, Asan; Chaikovsky, Anatoli

2017-01-01

In this paper we validate the Lidar-Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC) retrievals of the aerosol concentration in the fine mode, using the airborne aerosol chemical composition dataset obtained over the Greater Athens Area (GAA) in Greece, during the ACEMED campaign. The study focuses on the 2nd of September 2011, when a long-range transported smoke layer was observed in the free troposphere over Greece, in the height range from 2 to 3 km. CIMEL sun-photometric measurements revealed high AOD ( 0.4 at 532 nm) and Ångström exponent values ( 1.7 at 440/870 nm), in agreement with coincident ground-based lidar observations. Airborne chemical composition measurements performed over the GAA, revealed increased CO volume concentration ( 110 ppbv), with 57% sulphate dominance in the PM1 fraction. For this case, we compare LIRIC retrievals of the aerosol concentration in the fine mode with the airborne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP) measurements. Our analysis shows that the remote sensing retrievals are in a good agreement with the measured airborne in-situ data from 2 to 4 km. The discrepancies observed between LIRIC and airborne measurements at the lower troposphere (below 2 km), could be explained by the spatial and temporal variability of the aerosol load within the area where the airborne data were averaged along with the different time windows of the retrievals.

Chemical Composition of African Biomass Burning Aerosols Over the Southeast Atlantic: Aerosol Mass Spectrometer Results from the 2016 and 2017 ORACLES Field Campaigns.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobracki, A. N.; Howell, S. G.; Freitag, S.; Smirnow, N.; Podolske, J. R.

2017-12-01

Biomass burning (BB) is one of the largest contributors of anthropogenic aerosols in the atmosphere. During BB events, organic and inorganic gases and particles are emitted into the atmosphere. Because of their abundance, particle size, and radiative properties, BB aerosols play an important role in global climate. Southern Africa produces 30% of the Earth's BB aerosol particles. Organics, Nitrates, sulfates, and refractory black carbon, along with other chemical species are lofted into the free troposphere and transported over the Southeast Atlantic Ocean. However, considerate uncertainty remains in the chemical composition of these plumes with its large variety of organic and inorganic species. As part of the NASA ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) 2016 and 2017 airborne field campaigns, an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) was used to sample the chemical composition and chemical structure of the aerosol in this region. Results show constant vertical stratification within the plume over the course of the campaign (August 2017 / September 2016). Using nitrate (NO3) and organic carbon (OC) as two tracers, the structure of the September 2016 plume had a ratio of 1:8 (NO3:OC) in the upper plume (3km-5km), while the lower plume (1km-2.5km) had a ratio of 1:12 (NO3:OC). AMS measurements were supported by carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements. This data revealed a modified combustion efficiency (MCE= ΔCO2/ΔCO2 + ΔCO) of <0.97 in the upper plume, and a higher MCE > 0.97 in the lower plume. An MCE above 0.9 represents efficient burning processes. Additionally, concentrations of C2(H2O)2 (m/z60), a common chemical fragment from breaking up carbohydrates (primarily levoglucosan) emitted by burning biomass only represented <1% of total organics throughout the campaign. These low concentrations are due to efficient combustion rather than oxidation during transport. These results are consistent with earlier studies of

Characterizing particulate matter emissions from vehicles: chassis-dynamometer tests using a High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collier, S.; Zhang, Q.; Forestieri, S.; Kleeman, M.; Cappa, C. D.; Kuwayama, T.

2012-12-01

During September of 2011 a suite of real-time instruments was used to sample vehicle emissions at the California Air Resources Board Haagen-Schmidt facility in El Monte, CA. A representative fleet of 8 spark ignition gasoline vehicles, a diesel passenger vehicle, a gasoline direct-injection vehicle and an ultra-low emissions vehicle were tested on a chassis dynamometer. The emissions were sampled into the facility's standard CVS tunnel and diluted to atmospherically relevant levels (5-30 μg/m3) while controlling other factors such as relative humidity or background black carbon particulate loading concentrations. An Aerodyne High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-MS) was among the real-time instruments used and sampled vehicle emissions at 10 second time resolution in order to characterize the non-refractory organic and inorganic particulate matter (PM). PM composition and concentration were tracked throughout the cold start driving cycle which included periods of fast acceleration and high velocity cruise control, meant to recreate typical commuter driving behavior. Variations in inorganic and organic PM composition for a given vehicle throughout the driving cycle as well as for various vehicles with differing emissions loading were characterized. Differences in PM composition for a given vehicle whose emissions are being exposed to differing experimental conditions such as varying relative humidity will also be reported. In conjunction with measurements from a Multi Wavelength Photoacoustic Black Carbon Spectrometer (MWPA-BC) and real-time gas measurements from the CARB facility, we determine the real-time emission ratios of primary organic aerosols (POA) with respect to BC and common combustion gas phase pollutants and compared to different vehicle driving conditions. The results of these tests offer the vehicle emissions community a first time glimpse at the real-time behavior of vehicle PM emissions for a variety of conditions and

Improved Cloud Condensation Nucleus Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leu, Ming-Taun

2010-01-01

An improved thermal-gradient cloud condensation nucleus spectrometer (CCNS) has been designed to provide several enhancements over prior thermal- gradient counters, including fast response and high-sensitivity detection covering a wide range of supersaturations. CCNSs are used in laboratory research on the relationships among aerosols, supersaturation of air, and the formation of clouds. The operational characteristics of prior counters are such that it takes long times to determine aerosol critical supersaturations. Hence, there is a need for a CCNS capable of rapid scanning through a wide range of supersaturations. The present improved CCNS satisfies this need. The improved thermal-gradient CCNS (see Figure 1) incorporates the following notable features: a) The main chamber is bounded on the top and bottom by parallel thick copper plates, which are joined by a thermally conductive vertical wall on one side and a thermally nonconductive wall on the opposite side. b) To establish a temperature gradient needed to establish a supersaturation gradient, water at two different regulated temperatures is pumped through tubes along the edges of the copper plates at the thermally-nonconductive-wall side. Figure 2 presents an example of temperature and supersaturation gradients for one combination of regulated temperatures at the thermally-nonconductive-wall edges of the copper plates. c) To enable measurement of the temperature gradient, ten thermocouples are cemented to the external surfaces of the copper plates (five on the top plate and five on the bottom plate), spaced at equal intervals along the width axis of the main chamber near the outlet end. d) Pieces of filter paper or cotton felt are cemented onto the interior surfaces of the copper plates and, prior to each experimental run, are saturated with water to establish a supersaturation field inside the main chamber. e) A flow of monodisperse aerosol and a dilution flow of humid air are introduced into the main

Expected trace gas and aerosol retrieval accuracy of the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, U.; Kim, J.; Liu, X.; Lee, K. H.; Chance, K.; Song, C. H.

2015-12-01

The predicted accuracy of the trace gases and aerosol retrievals from the geostationary environment monitoring spectrometer (GEMS) was investigated. The GEMS is one of the first sensors to monitor NO2, SO2, HCHO, O3, and aerosols onboard geostationary earth orbit (GEO) over Asia. Since the GEMS is not launched yet, the simulated measurements and its precision were used in this study. The random and systematic component of the measurement error was estimated based on the instrument design. The atmospheric profiles were obtained from Model for Ozone And Related chemical Tracers (MOZART) simulations and surface reflectances were obtained from climatology of OMI Lambertian equivalent reflectance. The uncertainties of the GEMS trace gas and aerosol products were estimated based on the OE method using the atmospheric profile and surface reflectance. Most of the estimated uncertainties of NO2, HCHO, stratospheric and total O3 products satisfied the user's requirements with sufficient margin. However, about 26% of the estimated uncertainties of SO2 and about 30% of the estimated uncertainties of tropospheric O3 do not meet the required precision. Particularly the estimated uncertainty of SO2 is high in winter, when the emission is strong in East Asia. Further efforts are necessary in order to improve the retrieval accuracy of SO2 and tropospheric O3 in order to reach the scientific goal of GEMS. Random measurement error of GEMS was important for the NO2, SO2, and HCHO retrieval, while both the random and systematic measurement errors were important for the O3 retrievals. The degree of freedom for signal of tropospheric O3 was 0.8 ± 0.2 and that for stratospheric O3 was 2.9 ± 0.5. The estimated uncertainties of the aerosol retrieval from GEMS measurements were predicted to be lower than the required precision for the SZA range of the trace gas retrievals.

Design Of A Novel Open-Path Aerosol Extinction Cavity Ringdown Spectrometer And Initial Data From Deployment At NOAA's Atmospheric Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, T. D.; Wagner, N. L.; Richardson, M.; Law, D. C.; Wolfe, D. E.; Brock, C. A.; Erdesz, F.; Murphy, D. M.

2014-12-01

The ability to frame effective climate change policy depends strongly on reducing the uncertainty in aerosol radiative forcing, which is currently nearly as great as best estimates of its magnitude. Achieving this goal will require significant progress in measuring aerosol properties, including aerosol optical depth, single scattering albedo and the effect of relative humidity on these properties for both fine and coarse particles. However both ground- and space-based instruments fail or are highly biased in the presence of clouds, severely limiting quantitative estimates of the radiative effects of aerosols where they are advected over low-level clouds. Moreover, many in situ aerosol measurements exclude the coarse fraction, which can be very important in and downwind of desert regions. By measuring the decay rate of a pulsed laser in an optically resonant cavity, cavity ringdown spectrometers (CRDSs) have been employed successfully in measuring aerosol extinction for particles in relative humidities below 90%. At very high humidities (as found in and near clouds), however, existing CRDSs perform poorly, diverging significantly from theoretical extinction values as humidities approach 100%. The new open-path aerosol extinction CRDS described in this poster measures extinction as aerosol is drawn through the sample cavity directly without inlets or tubing for channeling the flow, which cause particle losses, condensation at high RH and other artifacts. This poster presents the key elements of the new open-path CRDS design as well as comparisons with an earlier generation closed-path CRDS and preliminary data obtained during a field study at the 300 meter tower at NOAA's Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO) in Colorado.

Characterization of urban aerosol in Cork City (Ireland) using aerosol mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dall'Osto, M.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Ceburnis, D.; Martin, D.; Healy, R. M.; O'Connor, I. P.; Sodeau, J. R.; Wenger, J. C.; O'Dowd, C.

2012-11-01

Ambient wintertime background urban aerosol in Cork City, Ireland, was characterized using aerosol mass spectrometry. During the three-week measurement study in 2009, 93% of the 1 200 000 single particles characterized by an Aerosol Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (TSI ATOFMS) were classified into five organic-rich particle types, internally-mixed to different proportions with Elemental Carbon (EC), sulphate and nitrate while the remaining 7% was predominantly inorganic in nature. Non-refractory PM1 aerosol was also characterized using a High Resolution Time-Of-Flight Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and was also found to comprise organic matter as the most abundant species (62%), followed by nitrate (15%), sulphate (9%) and ammonium (9%), and then chloride (5%). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to the HR-ToF-AMS organic matrix and a five-factor solution was found to describe the variance in the data well. Specifically, "Hydrocarbon-like" Organic Aerosol (HOA) comprised 19% of the mass, "Oxygenated low volatility" Organic Aerosols (LV-OOA) comprised 19%, "Biomass wood Burning" Organic Aerosol (BBOA) comprised 23%, non-wood solid-fuel combustion "Peat and Coal" Organic Aerosol (PCOA) comprised 21%, and finally, a species type characterized by primary m/z peaks at 41 and 55, similar to previously-reported "Cooking" Organic Aerosol (COA) but possessing different diurnal variations to what would be expected for cooking activities, contributed 18%. Despite wood, cool and peat being minor fuel types used for domestic space heating in urban areas, their relatively low combustion efficiencies result in a significant contribution to PM1 aerosol mass (44% and 28% of the total organic aerosols mass and non refractory PM1, respectively).

Experimental testing of four correction algorithms for the forward scattering spectrometer probe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hovenac, Edward A.; Oldenburg, John R.; Lock, James A.

1992-01-01

Three number density correction algorithms and one size distribution correction algorithm for the Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP) were compared with data taken by the Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA) and an optical number density measuring instrument (NDMI). Of the three number density correction algorithms, the one that compared best to the PDPA and NDMI data was the algorithm developed by Baumgardner, Strapp, and Dye (1985). The algorithm that corrects sizing errors in the FSSP that was developed by Lock and Hovenac (1989) was shown to be within 25 percent of the Phase Doppler measurements at number densities as high as 3000/cc.

Zero voltage mass spectrometry probes and systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cooks, Robert Graham; Wleklinski, Michael Stanley; Bag, Soumabha

The invention generally relates to zero volt mass spectrometry probes and systems. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a system including a mass spectrometry probe including a porous material, and a mass spectrometer (bench-top or miniature mass spectrometer). The system operates without an application of voltage to the probe. In certain embodiments, the probe is oriented such that a distal end faces an inlet of the mass spectrometer. In other embodiments, the distal end of the probe is 5 mm or less from an inlet of the mass spectrometer.

Receptor modeling of near-roadway aerosol mass spectrometer data in Las Vegas, Nevada, with EPA PMF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, S. G.; Lee, T.; Norris, G. A.; Roberts, P. T.; Collett, J. L., Jr.; Paatero, P.; Worsnop, D. R.

2012-01-01

Ambient non-refractory PM1 aerosol particles were measured with an Aerodyne High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-AMS) at an elementary school 18 m from the US 95 freeway soundwall in Las Vegas, Nevada, during January 2008. Additional collocated continuous measurements of black carbon (BC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and meteorological data were collected. The US~Environmental Protection Agency's~(EPA) positive matrix factorization (PMF) data analysis tool was used to apportion organic matter (OM) as measured by HR-AMS, and rotational tools in EPA PMF were used to better characterize the solution space and pull resolved factors toward known source profiles. Three- to six-factor solutions were resolved. The four-factor solution was the most interpretable, with the typical AMS PMF factors of hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), low-volatility oxygenated organic aerosol (LV-OOA), biomass burning organic aerosol (BBOA), and semi-volatile oxygenated organic aerosol (SV-OOA). When the measurement site was downwind of the freeway, HOA composed about half the OM, with SV-OOA and LV-OOA accounting for the rest. Attempts to pull the PMF factor profiles toward source profiles were successful but did not qualitatively change the results, indicating that these factors are very stable. Oblique edges were present in G-space plots, suggesting that the obtained rotation may not be the most plausible one. Since solutions found by pulling the profiles or using Fpeak retained these oblique edges, there appears to be little rotational freedom in the base solution. On average, HOA made up 26% of the OM, while LV-OOA was highest in the afternoon and accounted for 26% of the OM. BBOA occurred in the evening hours, was predominantly from the residential area to the north, and on average constituted 12% of the OM; SV-OOA accounted for the remaining third of the OM. Use of the pulling techniques available in EPA PMF and ME-2 suggested that the four

Long-range transport biomass burning emissions to the Himalayas: insights from high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, J.; Zhang, X.; Liu, Y.; Shichang, K.; Ma, Y.

2017-12-01

An intensive measurement was conducted at a remote, background, and high-altitude site (Qomolangma station, QOMS, 4276 m a.s.l.) in the northern Himalayas, using an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) along with other collocated instruments. The field measurement was performed from April 12 to May 12, 2016 to chemically characterize high time-resolved submicron particulate matter (PM1) and obtain the influence of biomass burning emissions to the Himalayas, frequently transported from south Asia during pre-monsoon season. Two high aerosol loading periods were observed during the study. Overall, the average (± 1σ) PM1 mass concentration was 4.44 (± 4.54) µg m-3 for the entire study, comparable with those observed at other remote sites worldwide. Organic aerosols (OA) was the dominant PM1 species (accounting for 54.3% of total PM1 mass on average) and its contribution increased with the increase of total PM1 mass loading. The average size distributions of PM1 species all peaked at an overlapping accumulation mode ( 500 nm), suggesting that aerosol particles were internally well-mixed and aged during long-range transportations. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis on the high-resolution organic mass spectra identified three distinct OA factors, including a biomass burning related OA (BBOA, 43.7%) and two oxygenated OA (Local-OOA and LRT-OOA; 13.9% and 42.4%) represented sources from local emissions and long-range transportations, respectively. Two polluted air mass origins (generally from the west and southwest of QOMS) and two polluted episodes with enhanced PM1 mass loadings and elevated BBOA contributions were observed, respectively, suggesting the important sources of wildfires from south Asia. One of polluted aerosol plumes was investigated in detail to illustrate the evolution of aerosol characteristics at QOMS driving by different impacts of wildfires, air mass origins, meteorological conditions and

Aerosol Climate Time Series Evaluation In ESA Aerosol_cci

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popp, T.; de Leeuw, G.; Pinnock, S.

2015-12-01

Within the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Aerosol_cci (2010 - 2017) conducts intensive work to improve algorithms for the retrieval of aerosol information from European sensors. By the end of 2015 full mission time series of 2 GCOS-required aerosol parameters are completely validated and released: Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from dual view ATSR-2 / AATSR radiometers (3 algorithms, 1995 - 2012), and stratospheric extinction profiles from star occultation GOMOS spectrometer (2002 - 2012). Additionally, a 35-year multi-sensor time series of the qualitative Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI) together with sensitivity information and an AAI model simulator is available. Complementary aerosol properties requested by GCOS are in a "round robin" phase, where various algorithms are inter-compared: fine mode AOD, mineral dust AOD (from the thermal IASI spectrometer), absorption information and aerosol layer height. As a quasi-reference for validation in few selected regions with sparse ground-based observations the multi-pixel GRASP algorithm for the POLDER instrument is used. Validation of first dataset versions (vs. AERONET, MAN) and inter-comparison to other satellite datasets (MODIS, MISR, SeaWIFS) proved the high quality of the available datasets comparable to other satellite retrievals and revealed needs for algorithm improvement (for example for higher AOD values) which were taken into account for a reprocessing. The datasets contain pixel level uncertainty estimates which are also validated. The paper will summarize and discuss the results of major reprocessing and validation conducted in 2015. The focus will be on the ATSR, GOMOS and IASI datasets. Pixel level uncertainties validation will be summarized and discussed including unknown components and their potential usefulness and limitations. Opportunities for time series extension with successor instruments of the Sentinel family will be described and the complementarity of the different satellite aerosol products

Virtual Impactor for Sub-micron Aerosol Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolshakov, A. A.; Strawa, A. W.; Hallar, A. G.

2005-12-01

The objective of a virtual impactor is to separate out the larger particles in a flow from the smaller particles in such a way that both sizes of particles are available for sampling. A jet of particle-laden air is accelerated toward a collection probe so that a small gap exists between the acceleration nozzle and the probe. A vacuum is applied to deflect a major portion of the airstream away form the collection probe. Particles larger than a certain size have sufficient momentum so that they cross the deflected streamlines and enter the collection probe, whereas smaller particles follow the deflected streamlines. The result is that the collection probe will contain a higher concentration of larger particles than is in the initial airstream. Typically, virtual impactors are high-flow devices used to separate out particles greater than several microns in diameter. We have developed a special virtual impactor to concentrate aerosol particles of diameters between 0.5 to 1 micron for the purpose of calibrating the optical cavity ring-down instrument [1]. No similar virtual impactors are commercially available. In our design, we have exploited considerations described earlier [2-4]. Performance of our virtual impactor was evaluated in an experimental set-up using TSI 3076 nebulizer and TSI 3936 scanning mobility particle size spectrometer. Under experimental conditions optimized for the best performance of the virtual impactor, we were able to concentrate the 700-nm polystyrene particles no less than 15-fold. However, under experimental conditions optimized for calibrating our cavity ring-down instrument, a concentration factor attainable was from 4 to 5. During calibration experiments, maximum realized particle number densities were 190, 300 and 1600 cm-3 for the 900-nm, 700-nm and 500-nm spheres, respectively. This paper discusses the design of the impactor and laboratory studies verifying its performance. References: 1. A.W. Strawa, R. Castaneda, T. Owano, D.S. Baer

CRISM Limb Observations of Aerosols and Water Vapor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Michael D.; Wolff, M.J.; Clancy, R.T.; Seelos, F.; Murchie, S.L.

2009-01-01

Near-infrared spectra taken in a limb-viewing geometry by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on-board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide a useful tool for probing atmospheric structure. Here we describe preliminary work on the retrieval of vertical profiles of aerosols and water vapor from the CRISM limb observations. The first full set of CRISM limb observations was taken in July 2009, with subsequent limb observations planned once every two months. Each set of limb observations contains about four dozen scans across the limb giving pole-to-pole coverage for two orbits at roughly 100 and 290 W longitude. Radiative transfer modeling taking account of aerosol scattering in the limb-viewing geometry is used to model the observations. The retrievals show the height to which dust and water vapor extend and the location and height of water ice clouds. Results from the First set of CRISM limb observations (July 2009, Ls=300) show dust aerosol well-mixed to about three scale heights above the surface with thin water ice clouds above the dust near the equator and at mid-northern latitudes. Water vapor is concentrated at high southern latitudes.

Aerosol Climate Time Series in ESA Aerosol_cci

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popp, Thomas; de Leeuw, Gerrit; Pinnock, Simon

2016-04-01

Within the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Aerosol_cci (2010 - 2017) conducts intensive work to improve algorithms for the retrieval of aerosol information from European sensors. Meanwhile, full mission time series of 2 GCOS-required aerosol parameters are completely validated and released: Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from dual view ATSR-2 / AATSR radiometers (3 algorithms, 1995 - 2012), and stratospheric extinction profiles from star occultation GOMOS spectrometer (2002 - 2012). Additionally, a 35-year multi-sensor time series of the qualitative Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI) together with sensitivity information and an AAI model simulator is available. Complementary aerosol properties requested by GCOS are in a "round robin" phase, where various algorithms are inter-compared: fine mode AOD, mineral dust AOD (from the thermal IASI spectrometer, but also from ATSR instruments and the POLDER sensor), absorption information and aerosol layer height. As a quasi-reference for validation in few selected regions with sparse ground-based observations the multi-pixel GRASP algorithm for the POLDER instrument is used. Validation of first dataset versions (vs. AERONET, MAN) and inter-comparison to other satellite datasets (MODIS, MISR, SeaWIFS) proved the high quality of the available datasets comparable to other satellite retrievals and revealed needs for algorithm improvement (for example for higher AOD values) which were taken into account for a reprocessing. The datasets contain pixel level uncertainty estimates which were also validated and improved in the reprocessing. For the three ATSR algorithms the use of an ensemble method was tested. The paper will summarize and discuss the status of dataset reprocessing and validation. The focus will be on the ATSR, GOMOS and IASI datasets. Pixel level uncertainties validation will be summarized and discussed including unknown components and their potential usefulness and limitations. Opportunities for time series extension

Laser ablation aerosol particle time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LAAPTOF): performance, reference spectra and classification of atmospheric samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Xiaoli; Ramisetty, Ramakrishna; Mohr, Claudia; Huang, Wei; Leisner, Thomas; Saathoff, Harald

2018-04-01

The laser ablation aerosol particle time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LAAPTOF, AeroMegt GmbH) is able to identify the chemical composition and mixing state of individual aerosol particles, and thus is a tool for elucidating their impacts on human health, visibility, ecosystem, and climate. The overall detection efficiency (ODE) of the instrument we use was determined to range from ˜ (0.01 ± 0.01) to ˜ (4.23 ± 2.36) % for polystyrene latex (PSL) in the size range of 200 to 2000 nm, ˜ (0.44 ± 0.19) to ˜ (6.57 ± 2.38) % for ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), and ˜ (0.14 ± 0.02) to ˜ (1.46 ± 0.08) % for sodium chloride (NaCl) particles in the size range of 300 to 1000 nm. Reference mass spectra of 32 different particle types relevant for atmospheric aerosol (e.g. pure compounds NH4NO3, K2SO4, NaCl, oxalic acid, pinic acid, and pinonic acid; internal mixtures of e.g. salts, secondary organic aerosol, and metallic core-organic shell particles; more complex particles such as soot and dust particles) were determined. Our results show that internally mixed aerosol particles can result in spectra with new clusters of ions, rather than simply a combination of the spectra from the single components. An exemplary 1-day ambient data set was analysed by both classical fuzzy clustering and a reference-spectra-based classification method. Resulting identified particle types were generally well correlated. We show how a combination of both methods can greatly improve the interpretation of single-particle data in field measurements.

Evaluation of Meteorological and Aerosol Sensing with small Unmanned Aerial Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claussen, Johanna; Möhler, Ottmar; Leisner, Thomas; Brooks, Ian; Norris, Sarah; Brooks, Barbara; Hill, Martin; Haunold, Werner; Schrod, Jann; Danielczok, Anja

2013-04-01

Atmospheric aerosols have a large impact on the climate system due to their influence on the global radiation budget. Local aerosol sources such as vegetation, (bare) soil or industrial sites have to be quantified with high resolution data to validate aerosol transport models and improve the input for high resolution weather models. Our goal is to evaluate the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) as a method for acquisition of high resolution meteorological and aerosol data. During the INUIT measurement campaign in August 2012 at mount Großer Feldberg near Frankfurt, Germany, several flights with different sensor packages were carried out. We measured basic meteorological parameters such as temperature, relative humidity and air pressure with miniaturized onboard sensors. In addition, the Compact Lightweight Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (CLASP) for aerosol size distribution measurement or the Electrostatic Aerosol Collector (EAC) for aerosol sample collection was installed on board. CLASP measures aerosol particles with diameters from 0.17 μm to 9.5 μm in up to 32 channels at a frequency of 10 Hz. The EAC collects air samples at 2 l/min onto a sample holder. After the flight the ice nuclei on the sample holder are activated and counted in the isothermal static diffusion chamber FRIDGE. The results from the INUIT campaign and additional calibration laboratory measurements show that UAS are a valuable platform for miniaturized sensors. The number of ice nuclei was determined with the EAC at 200m above ground level and compared to the reference measurement on the ground.

Receptor modeling of near-roadway aerosol mass spectrometer data in Las Vegas, Nevada, with EPA PMF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, S. G.; Lee, T.; Norris, G. A.; Roberts, P. T.; Collett, J. L., Jr.; Paatero, P.; Worsnop, D. R.

2011-08-01

Ambient non-refractory PM1 aerosol particles were measured with an Aerodyne High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-AMS) at an elementary school 20 m from the US 95 freeway in Las Vegas, Nevada, during January 2008. Additional collocated continuous measurements of black carbon (BC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and meteorological data were collected. The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) positive matrix factorization (PMF) data analysis tool was used to apportion organic matter (OM) as measured by HR-AMS, and rotational tools in EPA PMF were used to better characterize the solution space and pull resolved factors toward known source profiles. Three- to six-factor solutions were resolved. The four-factor solution was the most interpretable, with the typical AMS PMF factors of hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), low-volatility oxygenated organic aerosol (LV-OOA), biomass burning organic aerosol (BBOA), and semi-volatile oxygenated organic aerosol (SV-OOA). When the measurement site was downwind of the freeway, HOA composed about half the OM, with SV-OOA and LV-OOA accounting for the rest. Attempts to pull the PMF factor profiles toward source profiles were successful but did not qualitatively change the results, indicating that these factors are very stable. Oblique edges were present in G-space plots, suggesting that the obtained rotation may not be the most plausible one. Since solutions found by pulling the profiles or using Fpeak retained these oblique edges, there appears to be little rotational freedom in the base solution. On average, HOA made up 26 % of the OM, and it made up nearly half of the OM when the monitoring site was downwind of US 95 during morning rush hour. LV-OOA was highest in the afternoon and accounted for 26 % of the OM. BBOA occurred in the evening hours, was predominantly from the residential area to the north, and on average constituted 12 % of the OM; SV-OOA accounted for the remaining

Mass Spectrometer for Airborne Micro-Organisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinha, M. P.; Friedlander, S. K.

1986-01-01

Bacteria and other micro-organisms identified continously with aid of new technique for producing samples for mass spectrometer. Technique generates aerosol of organisms and feeds to spectrometer. Given species of organism produces characteristic set of peaks in mass spectrum and thereby identified. Technique useful for monitoring bacterial makeup in environmental studies and in places where cleanliness is essential, such as hospital operating rooms, breweries, and pharmaceutical plants.

X-ray Vision for Aerosol Scientists: LCLS Snapshots of Soot (Narrated)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2012-10-22

This short conceptual animation depicts how scientists can now simultaneously capture fractal morphology (structure), chemical composition and nanoscale imagery of individual aerosol particles in flight. These particles, known as "PM2.5" because they are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, affect climate by interacting with sunlight and impact human health by entering the lungs. The single LCLS laser pulses travel to the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Sciences (AMO) laboratory in the Near Experimental Hall. As we zoom in, we see deep inside a simplified aerosol inlet, where the complex fractal structure of the soot particles, each one completely unique, is shown.more » Individual soot particles are then delivered into the pulses of the LCLS beam, which destroys them. X-rays are scattered to the detector before the particle is destroyed, giving information about the morphology of the particle. Ion fragments released in the explosion are sent into a mass spectrometer, which measures their mass-to-charge ratio -- giving scientists information about the chemical composition of the particle. Many different particles are analyzed in this manner, allowing scientists to probe variations in the particles due to changes in their environment before being sent through the aerosol inlet. The final visual of aerosols emitted from a factory is representative of the goal that such LCLS aerosol dynamics experiments can provide critical feedback into modeling and understanding combustion, aerosol processes in manufacturing or aerosol effects on climate change.« less

X-ray Vision for Aerosol Scientists: LCLS Snapshots of Soot (Narrated)

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-26

This short conceptual animation depicts how scientists can now simultaneously capture fractal morphology (structure), chemical composition and nanoscale imagery of individual aerosol particles in flight. These particles, known as "PM2.5" because they are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, affect climate by interacting with sunlight and impact human health by entering the lungs. The single LCLS laser pulses travel to the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Sciences (AMO) laboratory in the Near Experimental Hall. As we zoom in, we see deep inside a simplified aerosol inlet, where the complex fractal structure of the soot particles, each one completely unique, is shown. Individual soot particles are then delivered into the pulses of the LCLS beam, which destroys them. X-rays are scattered to the detector before the particle is destroyed, giving information about the morphology of the particle. Ion fragments released in the explosion are sent into a mass spectrometer, which measures their mass-to-charge ratio -- giving scientists information about the chemical composition of the particle. Many different particles are analyzed in this manner, allowing scientists to probe variations in the particles due to changes in their environment before being sent through the aerosol inlet. The final visual of aerosols emitted from a factory is representative of the goal that such LCLS aerosol dynamics experiments can provide critical feedback into modeling and understanding combustion, aerosol processes in manufacturing or aerosol effects on climate change.

Distributed Water Pollution Source Localization with Mobile UV-Visible Spectrometer Probes in Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Ma, Junjie; Meng, Fansheng; Zhou, Yuexi; Wang, Yeyao; Shi, Ping

2018-02-16

Pollution accidents that occur in surface waters, especially in drinking water source areas, greatly threaten the urban water supply system. During water pollution source localization, there are complicated pollutant spreading conditions and pollutant concentrations vary in a wide range. This paper provides a scalable total solution, investigating a distributed localization method in wireless sensor networks equipped with mobile ultraviolet-visible (UV-visible) spectrometer probes. A wireless sensor network is defined for water quality monitoring, where unmanned surface vehicles and buoys serve as mobile and stationary nodes, respectively. Both types of nodes carry UV-visible spectrometer probes to acquire in-situ multiple water quality parameter measurements, in which a self-adaptive optical path mechanism is designed to flexibly adjust the measurement range. A novel distributed algorithm, called Dual-PSO, is proposed to search for the water pollution source, where one particle swarm optimization (PSO) procedure computes the water quality multi-parameter measurements on each node, utilizing UV-visible absorption spectra, and another one finds the global solution of the pollution source position, regarding mobile nodes as particles. Besides, this algorithm uses entropy to dynamically recognize the most sensitive parameter during searching. Experimental results demonstrate that online multi-parameter monitoring of a drinking water source area with a wide dynamic range is achieved by this wireless sensor network and water pollution sources are localized efficiently with low-cost mobile node paths.

Distributed Water Pollution Source Localization with Mobile UV-Visible Spectrometer Probes in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yuexi; Wang, Yeyao; Shi, Ping

2018-01-01

Pollution accidents that occur in surface waters, especially in drinking water source areas, greatly threaten the urban water supply system. During water pollution source localization, there are complicated pollutant spreading conditions and pollutant concentrations vary in a wide range. This paper provides a scalable total solution, investigating a distributed localization method in wireless sensor networks equipped with mobile ultraviolet-visible (UV-visible) spectrometer probes. A wireless sensor network is defined for water quality monitoring, where unmanned surface vehicles and buoys serve as mobile and stationary nodes, respectively. Both types of nodes carry UV-visible spectrometer probes to acquire in-situ multiple water quality parameter measurements, in which a self-adaptive optical path mechanism is designed to flexibly adjust the measurement range. A novel distributed algorithm, called Dual-PSO, is proposed to search for the water pollution source, where one particle swarm optimization (PSO) procedure computes the water quality multi-parameter measurements on each node, utilizing UV-visible absorption spectra, and another one finds the global solution of the pollution source position, regarding mobile nodes as particles. Besides, this algorithm uses entropy to dynamically recognize the most sensitive parameter during searching. Experimental results demonstrate that online multi-parameter monitoring of a drinking water source area with a wide dynamic range is achieved by this wireless sensor network and water pollution sources are localized efficiently with low-cost mobile node paths. PMID:29462929

Aerosol Chemical Composition and its Effects on Cloud-Aerosol Interactions during the 2007 CHAPS Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Y.; Alexander, L.; Newburn, M.; Jayne, J.; Hubbe, J.; Springston, S.; Senum, G.; Andrews, B.; Ogren, J.; Kleinman, L.; Daum, P.; Berg, L.; Berkowitz, C.

2007-12-01

Chemical composition of submicron aerosol particles was determined using an Aerodyne Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) outfitted on the DOE G-1 aircraft during the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS) conducted in Oklahoma City area in June 2007. The primary objective of CHAPS was to investigate the effects of urban emissions on cloud aerosol interactions as a function of processing of the emissions. Aerosol composition was typically determined at three different altitudes: below, in, and above cloud, in both upwind and downwind regions of the urban area. Aerosols were sampled from an isokinetic inlet with an upper size cut-off of ~1.5 micrometer. During cloud passages, the AMS also sampled particles that were dried from cloud droplets collected using a counter-flow virtual impactor (CVI) sampler. The aerosol mass concentrations were typically below 10 microgram per cubic meter, and were dominated by organics and sulfate. Ammonium was often less than required for complete neutralization of sulfate. Aerosol nitrate levels were very low. We noted that nitrate levels were significantly enhanced in cloud droplets compared to aerosols, most likely resulting from dissolution of gaseous nitric acid. Organic to sulfate ratios appeared to be lower in cloud droplets than in aerosols, suggesting cloud condensation nuclei properties of aerosol particles might be affected by loading and nature of the organic components in aerosols. In-cloud formation of sulfate was considered unimportant because of the very low SO2 concentration in the region. A detailed examination of the sources of the aerosol organic components (based on hydrocarbons determined using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer) and their effects on cloud formation as a function of atmospheric processing (based on the degree of oxidation of the organic components) will be presented.

OLYMPEX Counterflow Spectrometer and Impactor Field Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poellot, Michael

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) Counterflow Spectrometer and Impactor (CSI) probe was flown on the University of North Dakota Cessna Citation research aircraft during the Olympic Mountain Experiment (OLYMPEX). The field campaign took place from November 12 through December 19, 2015, over the Olympic Mountains and coastal waters of Washington State as part of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) validation campaign. The CSI was added to the Citation instrument suite to support the NASA Aerosol-Cloud Ecosystem (ACE) satellite program and flights ofmore » the NASA Lockheed Earth Resources (ER-2) aircraft. ACE funded extra ER-2 flights to focus on clouds that are weakly precipitating, which are also of interest to the DOE Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program.« less

Results from the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) Experiment on the Cassini-Huygens Probe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niemann, Hasso B.

2006-01-01

The GCMS was part of the instrument complement on the Cassini-Huygens Probe to measure in situ the chemical composition of the atmosphere during the probe descent and coupled with the Aerosol Collector Pyrolyser (ACP) experiment by serving as detector for the pyrolization products to determine the composition of the aerosol particles. The GCMS employed a quadrupole mass filter with a secondary electron multiplier detection system and a gas sampling system providing continuous direct atmospheric composition measurements and batch sampling through three gas chromatographic (GC) columns, a chemical scrubber and a hydrocarbon enrichment cell. The GCMS gas inlet was heated to prevent condensation, and to evaporate volatiles from the surface after impact. The GCMS collected data from an altitude of 146 km to ground impact. The Probe and the GCMS survived impact and collected data for 1 hour and 9 minutes on the surface. Mass spectra were collected during descent and on the ground over a range of m/z from 2 to 141. The major constituents of the lower atmosphere were confirmed to be NP and CH4. The methane mole fraction was uniform in the stratosphere. It increased below the tropopause, at about 32 km altitude, monotonically toward the surface, reaching a plateau at about 8 km at a level near saturation. After surface impact a steep increase of the methane signal was observed, suggesting evaporation of surface condensed methane due to heating by the GCMS sample inlet heater. The measured mole fraction of Ar-40 is 4.3 x 10(exp-5) and of Ar-36 is 2.8 x 10(exp -7). The other primordial noble gases were below mole fraction. The isotope ratios of C-12/C-13 determined from methane measurements are 82.3 and of N-14/N-15 determined from molecular nitrogen are 183. The D/H isotope ratio determined from the H2 and HD measurements is 2.3 x l0(exp -4). Carbon dioxide, ethane, acetylene and cyanogen were detected evaporating from the surface in addition to methane.

Intercomparison of Microphysical Properties Derived from In-Situ Cloud and Remote Sensing Probes over the South East Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, R.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Gupta, S.; Poellot, M.; O'Brien, J.; Delene, D. J.

2017-12-01

During the Observations of Aerosols Above Clouds and their Interactions (ORACLES) field campaigns, the NASA P3-Orion was equipped with in-situ probes measuring aerosol and cloud microphysical properties, while the NASA ER-2 was equipped with remote sensors retrieving cloud and aerosol quantities. During ORACLES 2017, the P-3 aircraft was equipped with two Clouds Droplet Probes (CDPs) sizing droplets with diameters (D) between 2 and 50µm. The two CDPs were mounted on pylons with different designs, the CDP on the newly designed left wing pylon positioned further below and ahead of the wing, whereas that on the right wing pylon directly below the wing. The P-3 was also equipped with a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS) sizing droplets with 0.51 µm < D < 50 µm, and three optical array probes: a 2D-stero probe (2DS) for 10 µm < D < 1280 µm; a High Volume Precipitation Sampler (HVPS-3), for 150 µm < D < 1.92 cm; and a Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP) for 25 µm < D < 1600 µm. In addition, a Phase Doppler Interferometer (PDI) for 0.5 µm < D < 2500 µm was included. In this presentation, the number distribution functions n(D) derived from different probes in their overlap ranges and bulk quantities, such as liquid water content (LWC), effective radius (re), total number concentration, extinction, skewness, dispersion and kurtosis derived by different probes over equivalent size ranges are compared. Additional comparison with bulk parameters (e.g., LWC measured by King and hot wire probes) and remotely sensed values are also made. The effect of the software package used to process the data is also examined by using two different packages, the National Center for Atmospheric Research Software for OAP Data Analysis (SODA2), and the University of Oklahoma/Illinois' Processing Software (UIOOPS) to process the optical array probe data. These intercomparisons, as a function of aircraft parameters and environmental conditions, help quantify uncertainties in measurements

Comparisons of Satellite Retrieval of Aerosol Properties from SeaWiFS and TOMS to the AERONET Measurements during ACE-Asia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsu, Christina N.; Tsay, Si-Chee; Herman, R.; Holben, Brent; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The primary goal of the ACE (Aerosol Characterization Experiment)-Asia mission is to increase our understanding of how atmospheric aerosol particles over the Asian-Pacific region affect the Earth climate system. In support of the day-to-day flight planning of ACE-Asia, we built a near real-time system to provide satellite data from the polar-orbiting instruments Earth Probe TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) (in the form of absorbing aerosol index) and SeaWiFS (Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor) (in the form of aerosol optical thickness and Angstrom exponent). The results were available via web access. These satellite data provide a 'big picture' of aerosol distribution in the region, which is complementary to the ground based measurements. In this paper, we will briefly discuss the algorithms used to generate these data. The retrieved aerosol optical thickness and Angstrom exponent from SeaWiFS will be compared with those obtained from various AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) sites over the Asian-Pacific region. The TOMS aerosol index will also be compared with AERONET aerosol optical thickness over different aerosol conditions. Finally, we will discuss the climate implication of our studies using the combined satellite and AERONET observations.

Fullerene Soot in Eastern China Air: Results from Soot Particle-Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Ge, X.; Chen, M.; Zhang, Q.; Yu, H.; Sun, Y.; Worsnop, D. R.; Collier, S.

2015-12-01

In this work, we present for the first time, the observation and quantification of fullerenes in ambient airborne particulate using an Aerodyne Soot Particle - Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (SP-AMS) deployed during 2015 winter in suburban Nanjing, a megacity in eastern China. The laser desorption and electron impact ionization techniques employed by the SP-AMS allow us to differentiate various fullerenes from other aerosol components. Mass spectrum of the identified fullerene soot is consisted by a series of high molecular weight carbon clusters (up to m/z of 2000 in this study), almost identical to the spectral features of commercially available fullerene soot, both with C70 and C60 clusters as the first and second most abundant species. This type of soot was observed throughout the entire study period, with an average mass loading of 0.18 μg/m3, accounting for 6.4% of the black carbon mass, 1.2% of the total organic mass. Temporal variation and diurnal pattern of fullerene soot are overall similar to those of black carbon, but are clearly different in some periods. Combining the positive matrix factorization, back-trajectory and analyses of the meteorological parameters, we identified the petrochemical industrial plants situating upwind from the sampling site, as the major source of fullerene soot. In this regard, our findings imply the ubiquitous presence of fullerene soot in ambient air of industry-influenced area, especially the oil and gas production regions. This study also offers new insights into the characterization of fullerenes from other environmental samples via the advanced SP-AMS technique.

Sources and atmospheric processing of winter aerosols in Seoul, Korea: insights from real-time measurements using a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hwajin; Zhang, Qi; Bae, Gwi-Nam; Kim, Jin Young; Bok Lee, Seung

2017-02-01

Highly time-resolved chemical characterization of nonrefractory submicrometer particulate matter (NR-PM1) was conducted in Seoul, the capital and largest metropolis of Korea, using an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). The measurements were performed during winter, when elevated particulate matter (PM) pollution events are often observed. This is the first time that detailed real-time aerosol measurement results have been reported from Seoul, Korea, and they reveal valuable insights into the sources and atmospheric processes that contribute to PM pollution in this region. The average concentration of submicron aerosol (PM1 = NR-PM1+ black carbon (BC)) was 27.5 µg m-3, and the total mass was dominated by organics (44 %), followed by nitrate (24 %) and sulfate (10 %). The average atomic ratios of oxygen to carbon (O / C), hydrogen to carbon (H / C), and nitrogen to carbon (N / C) of organic aerosols (OA) were 0.37, 1.79, and 0.018, respectively, which result in an average organic mass-to-carbon (OM / OC) ratio of 1.67. The concentrations (2.6-90.7 µg m-3) and composition of PM1 varied dynamically during the measurement period due to the influences of different meteorological conditions, emission sources, and air mass origins. Five distinct sources of OA were identified via positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis of the HR-ToF-AMS data: vehicle emissions represented by a hydrocarbon-like OA factor (HOA, O / C = 0.06), cooking activities represented by a cooking OA factor (COA, O / C = 0.14), wood combustion represented by a biomass burning OA factor (BBOA, O / C = 0.34), and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) represented by a semivolatile oxygenated OA factor (SV-OOA, O / C = 0.56) and a low-volatility oxygenated OA factor (LV-OOA, O / C = 0.68). On average, primary OA (POA = HOA + COA + BBOA) accounted for 59 % the OA mass, whereas SV-OOA and LV-OOA contributed 15 and 26 %, respectively. Our results indicate that air

Dust transport over the eastern Mediterranean derived from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, Aerosol Robotic Network, and surface measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalivitis, N.; Gerasopoulos, E.; Vrekoussis, M.; Kouvarakis, G.; Kubilay, N.; Hatzianastassiou, N.; Vardavas, I.; Mihalopoulos, N.

2007-02-01

Multiyear surface PM10 measurements performed on Crete Island, Greece, have been used in conjunction with satellite (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS)) and ground-based remote sensing measurements (Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET)) to enhance our understanding of the evolution of mineral dust events over the eastern Mediterranean. An analysis of southerly air masses at altitudes of 1000 and 3000 m over a 5 year period (2000-2005), showed that dust can potentially arrive over Crete, either simultaneously in the lower free troposphere and inside the boundary layer (vertical extended transport (VET)) or initially into the free troposphere with the heavier particles gradually being scavenged inside the boundary layer (free troposphere transport (FTT)). Both pathways present significant seasonal variations but on an annual basis contribute almost equally to the dust transport in the area. During VET the aerosol index (AI) derived from TOMS was significantly correlated with surface PM10, and in general AI was found to be adequate for the characterization of dust loadings over the eastern Mediterranean on a climatological basis. A significant covariance between PM10 and AOT was observed during VET as well, indicating that AOT levels from AERONET may be estimated by PM10 levels at the surface. Surface measurements are thus crucial for the validation of remote sensing measurements and hence are a powerful tool for the investigation of the impact of aerosols on climate.

A Long-term Record of Saharan Dust Aerosol Properties from TOMS Observations: Optical Depth and Single Scattering Albedo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torres, Omar; Bhartia, P. K.; Herman, J. R.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The interaction between the strong Rayleigh scattering in the near UV spectral region (330-380 nm) and the processes of aerosol absorption and scattering, produce a clear spectral signal in the upwelling radiance at the top of the atmosphere. This interaction is the basis of the TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) aerosol retrieval technique that can be used for their characterization and to differentiate non-absorbing sulfates from strongly UV-absorbing aerosols such as mineral dust. For absorbing aerosols, the characterization is in terms of the optical depth and single scattering albedo with assumptions about the aerosol plume height. The results for non-absorbing aerosols are not dependent on plume height. Although iron compounds represent only between 5% to 8% of desert dust aerosol mass, hematite (Fe2O3) accounts for most of the near UV absorption. Because of the large ultraviolet absorption characteristic of hematite, the near UV method of aerosol sensing is especially suited for the detection and characterization of desert dust aerosols. Using the combined record of near UV measurements by the Nimbus7 (1978-1992) and Earth Probe (1996-present) TOMS instruments, a global longterm climatology of near UV optical depth and single scattering albedo has been produced. The multi-year long record of mineral aerosol properties over the area of influence of the Saharan desert, will be discussed.

Characterization of submicron aerosols at a rural site in Pearl River Delta of China using an Aerodyne High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, X.-F.; He, L.-Y.; Hu, M.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Kroll, J. H.; Ng, N. L.; Zhang, Y.-H.; Lin, Y.; Xue, L.; Sun, T.-L.; Liu, X.-G.; Shao, M.; Jayne, J. T.; Worsnop, D. R.

2010-11-01

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in South China is one of the most economically developed regions in China, but it is also noted for its severe air pollution due to industrial/metropolitan emissions. In order to continuously improve the understanding and quantification of air pollution in this region, an intensive campaign was executed in PRD during October-November 2008. Here, we report and analyze Aerodyne High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer measurements at Kaiping, a rural site downwind of the highly-polluted central PRD area, to characterize the general features of submicron particulate pollution in the regional air. The mean measured PM1 mass concentration was 33.1 ± 18.1 μg m-3 during the campaign and composed of organic matter (33.8%), sulfate (33.7%), ammonium (14.0%), nitrate (10.7%), black carbon (6.7%), and chloride (1.1%), which is characterized by high fractions of inorganic ions due to huge emissions of SO2 and NOx in PRD. The average size distributions of the species (except BC) were all dominated by an accumulation mode peaking at ~450 nm in vacuum aerodynamic diameter. Calculations based on high-resolution organic mass spectra indicate that C, H, O, and N on average contributed 56.6, 7.0, 35.1, and 1.3% to the total organic mass, respectively, corresponding to an organic matter mass to organic carbon mass ratio (OM/OC) of 1.77 ± 0.08. Based on the high-resolution organic mass spectral dataset observed, Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis differentiated the organic aerosol into three components, i.e., biomass burning (BBOA) and two oxygenated (LV-OOA and SV-OOA) organic aerosols, which on average accounted for 24.5, 39.6 and 35.8% of the total organic mass, respectively. The BBOA showed strong features of biomass burning emissions and has been mainly attributed to field rice straw burning after harvest. The LV-OOA and SV-OOA were found to correspond to more aged (and thus less-volatile) and fresher (and semi-volatile) secondary

Synergetic use of Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and Moderate Image Spectrometer (MODIS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, Y.

2004-01-01

I shall describe several distinct modes in which AERONET data are used in conjunction with MODIS data to evaluate the global aerosol system and its impact on climate. These includes: 1) Evaluation of the aerosol diurnal cycle not available from MODIS, and the relationship between the aerosol properties derived from MODIS and the daily average of these properties; 2) Climatology of the aerosol size distribution and single scattering albedo. The climatology is used to formulate the assumptions used in the MODIS look up tables used in the inversion of MODIS data; 3) Measurement of the aerosol effect on irradiation of the surface, this is used in conjunction with the MODIS evaluation of the aerosol effect at the TOA; and 4) Assessment of the aerosol baseline on top off which the satellite data are used to find the amount of dust or anthropogenic aerosol.

Characterization of urban aerosol using aerosol mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cleveland, M. J.; Ziemba, L. D.; Griffin, R. J.; Dibb, J. E.; Anderson, C. H.; Lefer, B.; Rappenglück, B.

2012-07-01

Particulate matter was measured during August and September of 2006 in Houston as part of the Texas Air Quality Study II Radical and Aerosol Measurement Project. Aerosol size and composition were determined using an Aerodyne quadrupole aerosol mass spectrometer. Aerosol was dominated by sulfate (4.1 ± 2.6 μg m-3) and organic material (5.5 ± 4.0 μg m-3), with contributions of organic material from both primary (˜32%) and secondary (˜68%) sources. Secondary organic aerosol appears to be formed locally. In addition, 29 aerosol filter samples were analyzed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy to determine relative concentrations of organic functional groups. Houston aerosols are less oxidized than those observed elsewhere, with smaller relative contributions of carbon-oxygen double bonds. These particles do not fit 1H NMR source apportionment fingerprints for identification of secondary, marine, and biomass burning organic aerosol, suggesting that a new fingerprint for highly urbanized and industrially influenced locations be established.

Aerosol Inlet Characterization Experiment Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bullard, Robert L.; Kuang, Chongai; Uin, Janek

2017-05-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Aerosol Observation System inlet stack was characterized for particle penetration efficiency from 10 nm to 20 μm in diameter using duplicate scanning mobility particle sizers (10 nm-450 nm), ultra-high-sensitivity aerosol spectrometers (60 nm-μm), and aerodynamic particle sizers (0.5 μm-20 μm). Results show good model-measurement agreement and unit transmission efficiency of aerosols from 10 nm to 4 μm in diameter. Large uncertainties in the measured transmission efficiency exist above 4 μm due to low ambient aerosol signal in that size range.

Characterizing the Hygroscopicity of Nascent Sea Spray Aerosol from Synthetic Blooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forestieri, S.; Cappa, C. D.; Sultana, C. M.; Lee, C.; Wang, X.; Helgestad, T.; Moore, K.; Prather, K. A.; Cornwell, G.; Novak, G.; Bertram, T. H.

2015-12-01

Marine sea spray aerosol (SSA) particles make up a significant portion of natural aerosols and are therefore important in establishing the baseline for anthropogenic aerosol climate impacts. Scattering of solar radiation by aerosols affects Earth's radiative budget and the degree of scattering is size-dependent. Thus, aerosols scatter more light at elevated relative humidities when they grow larger via water uptake. This growth depends critically on chemical composition. SSA can become enriched in organics during phytoplankton blooms, becoming less salty and therefore less hygroscopic. Subsaturated hygroscopic growth factors at 85% relative humidity (GF(85%)) of SSA particles were quantified during two mesocosm experiments in enclosed marine aerosol reference tanks (MARTs). The two experiments were conducted with filtered seawater collected at separate times from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography Pier in La Jolla, CA. Phytoplankton blooms in each tank were induced via the addition of nutrients and photosynthetically active radiation. The "indoor" MART was illuminated with fluorescent light and the other "outdoor" MART was illuminated with sunlight. The peak chlorophyll-a concentrations were 59 micrograms/L and 341 micrograms /L for the indoor and outdoor MARTs, respectively. GF(85%) values for SSA particles were quantified using a humidified cavity ringdown spectrometer and particle size distributions. Particle composition was monitored with a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) and an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). Relationships between the observed particle GFs and the particle composition markers will be discussed.

Hygroscopic growth of size-resolved, emission-source classified, aerosol particles sampled across the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shingler, T.; Crosbie, E. C.; Ziemba, L. D.; Anderson, B. E.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Jimenez, J. L.; Mikoviny, T.; Wisthaler, A.; Sorooshian, A.

2014-12-01

The hygroscopic growth of atmospheric aerosol particles is a key air quality parameter, impacting the radiation budget, visibility, and cloud formation. During the DC3 and SEAC4RS field campaigns (>300 total flight hours), measurements were made over 32 US states, Canada, the Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico, between the surface and 41,000 feet ASL. The aircraft research payloads included a suite of in-situ aerosol and gas phase instruments. The Differential Aerosol Sizing and Hygroscopicity Spectrometer Probe (DASH-SP) and the Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE) humidified nephelometer instrument applied different techniques to measure water uptake by aerosol particles at prescribed relative humidity values. Size-resolved growth factor (GF ≡ Dp,wet/Dp,dry) measurements by the DASH-SP are compared to bulk scattering measurements (f(RH) ≡ σscat,wet/σscat,dry) by the LARGE instrument. Spatial location and volatile organic compound tracers such as isoprene and acetonitrile are used to classify the origin of distinct air masses, including: forest fires, biogenic-emitting forests, agricultural use lands, marine boundary layer, urban, and rural background. Analyses of GF results by air mass origin are reported and results are compared with f(RH) measurements. A parameterization between the f(RH) and GF measurements and its potential uses are discussed.

Spaceborne Remote Sensing of Aerosol Type: Global Distribution, Model Evaluation and Translation into Chemical Speciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Tan, Q.; Johnson, M. S.; Burton, S. P.; Redemann, J.; Hasekamp, O. P.; Dawson, K. W.; Hair, J. W.; Ferrare, R. A.; Butler, C. F.; Holben, B. N.; Beyersdorf, A. J.; Ziemba, L. D.; Froyd, K. D.; Dibb, J. E.; Shingler, T.; Sorooshian, A.; Jimenez, J. L.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Jacob, D.; Kim, P. S.; Travis, K.; Lacagnina, C.

2016-12-01

It is essential to evaluate and refine aerosol classification methods applied to passive satellite remote sensing. We have developed an aerosol classification algorithm (called Specified Clustering and Mahalanobis Classification, SCMC) that assigns an aerosol type to multi-parameter retrievals by spaceborne, airborne or ground-based passive remote sensing instruments [1]. The aerosol types identified by our scheme are pure dust, polluted dust, urban-industrial/developed economy, urban-industrial/developing economy, dark biomass smoke, light biomass smoke and pure marine. We apply the SCMC method to inversions from the ground-based AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET [2]) and retrievals from the space-borne Polarization and Directionality of Earth's Reflectances instrument (POLDER, [3]). The POLDER retrievals that we use differ from the standard POLDER retrievals [4] as they make full use of multi-angle, multispectral polarimetric data [5]. We analyze agreement in the aerosol types inferred from both AERONET and POLDER and evaluate GEOS-Chem [6] simulations over the globe. Finally, we use in-situ observations from the SEAC4RS airborne field experiment to bridge the gap between remote sensing-inferred qualitative SCMC aerosol types and their corresponding quantitative chemical speciation. We apply the SCMC method to airborne in-situ observations from the NASA Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE, [7]) and the Differential Aerosol Sizing and Hygroscopicity Spectrometer Probe (DASH-SP, [8]) instruments; we then relate each coarsely defined SCMC type to a sum of percentage of individual aerosol species, using in-situ observations from the Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry (PALMS, [9]), the Soluble Acidic Gases and Aerosol (SAGA, [10]), and the High - Resolution Time - of - Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR ToF AMS, [11]). [1] Russell P. B., et al., JGR, 119.16 (2014) [2] Holben B. N., et al., RSE, 66.1 (1998) [3] Tanré D., et al., AMT, 4.7 (2011

Multiwavelength Comparison of Modeled and Measured Remote Tropospheric Aerosol Backscatter Over Pacific Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutten, D. R.; Pueschel, R. F.; Srivastava, V.; Clarke, A. D.; Rothermel, J.; Spinhirne, J. D.; Menzies, R. T.

1996-01-01

Aerosol concentrations and size distributions in the middle and upper troposphere over the remote Pacific Ocean were measured with a forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) on the NASA DC-8 aircraft during NASA's Global Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) in May-June 1990. The FSSP size channels were recalibrated based on refractive index estimates from flight-level aerosol volatility measurements with a collocated laser optical particle counter (LOPC). The recalibrated FSSP size distributions were averaged over 100-s intervals, fitted with lo-normal distributions and used to calculate aerosol backscatter coefficients at selected wavelengths. The FSSP-derived backscatter estimates were averaged over 300-s intervals to reduce large random fluctuations. The smoothed FSSP aerosol backscatter coefficients were then compared with LOPC-derived backscatter values and with backscatter measured at or near flight level from four lidar systems operating at 0.53, 1.06, 9.11, 9.25, and 10.59 micrometers. Agreement between FSSP-derived and lidar-measured backscatter was generally best at flight level in homogeneous aerosol fields and at high backscatter values. FSSP data often underestimated low backscatter values especially at the longer wavelengths due to poor counting statistics for larger particles (greater than 0.8 micrometers diameter) that usually dominate aerosol backscatter at these wavelengths. FSSP data also underestimated backscatter at shorter wavelengths when particles smaller than the FSSP lower cutoff diameter (0.35 micrometers) made significant contributions to the total backscatter.

Aerosol and CCN in southwest Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, Don; Li, Runjun; Axisa, Duncan; Kucera, Paul; Burger, Roelof

2010-05-01

As part of an ongoing study of the microphysical and dynamical controls on precipitation in southwest Saudi Arabia, a number of surface and aircraft-based instruments were used in summer / fall 2009 to measure the size distribution, hygroscopic properties, and cloud droplet nucleation efficiency of the local aerosol. Submicron size distributions were measured using differential mobility analyzers both on the ground and on board the aircraft, while an aerodynamic particle sizer and a forward scattering spectrometer probe were used to measure the supermicron size distributions on the ground and from on board the aircraft, respectively. Identical continuous flow cloud condensation nuclei counters were used to measure CCN spectra at the surface and aloft and a humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer was operated on the ground to measure size-resolved hygroscopicity. The aerosol in this arid environment is characterized by a persistent accumulation mode having hygroscopic and CCN efficiency properties consistent with a sulfate-rich aged aerosol. The particles in that background aerosol are generally sufficiently large and hygroscopic to activate at those supersaturations expected in the convective clouds responsible for most of the regional precipitation, which consequently acts as a lower bound on the resulting cloud droplet concentrations. Though the concentration, size distribution, and properties of the submicron aerosol generally changed very slowly over periods of several hours, abrupt ~doubling in concentration almost always accompanied the arrival of the sea breeze front that began along the Red Sea. Interestingly, the hygroscopicity and the shape of the size distribution differed little in the pre- and post-sea breeze air masses. The dust-dominated coarse mode typically contributed significantly more to the aerosol mass concentration than did the submicron mode and likely controlled the ice nuclei concentration, though no direct measurements were made

Characterization of a real-time tracer for isoprene epoxydiols-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) from aerosol mass spectrometer measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, W. W.; Campuzano-Jost, P.; Palm, B. B.; Day, D. A.; Ortega, A. M.; Hayes, P. L.; Krechmer, J. E.; Chen, Q.; Kuwata, M.; Liu, Y. J.; de Sá, S. S.; McKinney, K.; Martin, S. T.; Hu, M.; Budisulistiorini, S. H.; Riva, M.; Surratt, J. D.; St. Clair, J. M.; Isaacman-Van Wertz, G.; Yee, L. D.; Goldstein, A. H.; Carbone, S.; Brito, J.; Artaxo, P.; de Gouw, J. A.; Koss, A.; Wisthaler, A.; Mikoviny, T.; Karl, T.; Kaser, L.; Jud, W.; Hansel, A.; Docherty, K. S.; Alexander, M. L.; Robinson, N. H.; Coe, H.; Allan, J. D.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Paulot, F.; Jimenez, J. L.

2015-10-01

Substantial amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) can be formed from isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), which are oxidation products of isoprene mainly under low-NO conditions. Total IEPOX-SOA, which may include SOA formed from other parallel isoprene oxidation pathways, was quantified by applying positive matrix factorization (PMF) to aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements. The IEPOX-SOA fractions of organic aerosol (OA) in multiple field studies across several continents are summarized here and show consistent patterns with the concentration of gas-phase IEPOX simulated by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. During the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS), 78 % of PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA is accounted by the measured IEPOX-SOA molecular tracers (2-methyltetrols, C5-Triols, and IEPOX-derived organosulfate and its dimers), making it the highest level of molecular identification of an ambient SOA component to our knowledge. An enhanced signal at C5H6O+ (m/z 82) is found in PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA spectra. To investigate the suitability of this ion as a tracer for IEPOX-SOA, we examine fC5H6O (fC5H6O= C5H6O+/OA) across multiple field, chamber, and source data sets. A background of ~ 1.7 ± 0.1 ‰ (‰ = parts per thousand) is observed in studies strongly influenced by urban, biomass-burning, and other anthropogenic primary organic aerosol (POA). Higher background values of 3.1 ± 0.6 ‰ are found in studies strongly influenced by monoterpene emissions. The average laboratory monoterpene SOA value (5.5 ± 2.0 ‰) is 4 times lower than the average for IEPOX-SOA (22 ± 7 ‰), which leaves some room to separate both contributions to OA. Locations strongly influenced by isoprene emissions under low-NO levels had higher fC5H6O (~ 6.5 ± 2.2 ‰ on average) than other sites, consistent with the expected IEPOX-SOA formation in those studies. fC5H6O in IEPOX-SOA is always elevated (12-40 ‰) but varies substantially between locations, which is shown to reflect

Characterization of a real-time tracer for isoprene epoxydiols-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) from aerosol mass spectrometer measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, W. W.; Campuzano-Jost, P.; Palm, B. B.

Substantial amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) can be formed from isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), which are oxidation products of isoprene mainly under low-NO conditions. Total IEPOX-SOA, which may include SOA formed from other parallel isoprene oxidation pathways, was quantified by applying positive matrix factorization (PMF) to aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements. The IEPOX-SOA fractions of organic aerosol (OA) in multiple field studies across several continents are summarized here and show consistent patterns with the concentration of gas-phase IEPOX simulated by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. During the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS), 78 % of PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA is accountedmore » by the measured IEPOX-SOA molecular tracers (2-methyltetrols, C5-Triols, and IEPOX-derived organosulfate and its dimers), making it the highest level of molecular identification of an ambient SOA component to our knowledge. An enhanced signal at C 5H 6O + ( m/z 82) is found in PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA spectra. To investigate the suitability of this ion as a tracer for IEPOX-SOA, we examine f C5H6O ( f C5H6O= C 5H 6O +/OA) across multiple field, chamber, and source data sets. A background of ~ 1.7 ± 0.1 ‰ (‰ = parts per thousand) is observed in studies strongly influenced by urban, biomass-burning, and other anthropogenic primary organic aerosol (POA). Higher background values of 3.1 ± 0.6 ‰ are found in studies strongly influenced by monoterpene emissions. The average laboratory monoterpene SOA value (5.5 ± 2.0 ‰) is 4 times lower than the average for IEPOX-SOA (22 ± 7 ‰), which leaves some room to separate both contributions to OA. Locations strongly influenced by isoprene emissions under low-NO levels had higher f C5H6O (~ 6.5 ± 2.2 ‰ on average) than other sites, consistent with the expected IEPOX-SOA formation in those studies. f C5H6O in IEPOX-SOA is always elevated (12–40 ‰) but varies substantially between locations

Characterization of a real-time tracer for isoprene epoxydiols-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) from aerosol mass spectrometer measurements

DOE PAGES

Hu, W. W.; Campuzano-Jost, P.; Palm, B. B.; ...

2015-10-23

Substantial amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) can be formed from isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), which are oxidation products of isoprene mainly under low-NO conditions. Total IEPOX-SOA, which may include SOA formed from other parallel isoprene oxidation pathways, was quantified by applying positive matrix factorization (PMF) to aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements. The IEPOX-SOA fractions of organic aerosol (OA) in multiple field studies across several continents are summarized here and show consistent patterns with the concentration of gas-phase IEPOX simulated by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. During the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS), 78 % of PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA is accountedmore » by the measured IEPOX-SOA molecular tracers (2-methyltetrols, C5-Triols, and IEPOX-derived organosulfate and its dimers), making it the highest level of molecular identification of an ambient SOA component to our knowledge. An enhanced signal at C 5H 6O + ( m/z 82) is found in PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA spectra. To investigate the suitability of this ion as a tracer for IEPOX-SOA, we examine f C5H6O ( f C5H6O= C 5H 6O +/OA) across multiple field, chamber, and source data sets. A background of ~ 1.7 ± 0.1 ‰ (‰ = parts per thousand) is observed in studies strongly influenced by urban, biomass-burning, and other anthropogenic primary organic aerosol (POA). Higher background values of 3.1 ± 0.6 ‰ are found in studies strongly influenced by monoterpene emissions. The average laboratory monoterpene SOA value (5.5 ± 2.0 ‰) is 4 times lower than the average for IEPOX-SOA (22 ± 7 ‰), which leaves some room to separate both contributions to OA. Locations strongly influenced by isoprene emissions under low-NO levels had higher f C5H6O (~ 6.5 ± 2.2 ‰ on average) than other sites, consistent with the expected IEPOX-SOA formation in those studies. f C5H6O in IEPOX-SOA is always elevated (12–40 ‰) but varies substantially between locations

Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer Measurements of the Chemical Composition of the Atmosphere of Jupiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niemann, H. B.; Haberman, J. A.; Harpold, D. N.; Hartle, R. E.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Atreya, S. K.; Carignan, G. R.; Donahue, T. M.; Hunten, D. M.; Owen, T. C.; Spencer, N. W.

1996-09-01

The chemical and isotopic composition of the Jovian atmosphere was measured by the Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer (GPMS). This data was obtained on December 7, 1995 over a time period of approximately 1 hour during the probe descent in the 0.5 to 20 bar pressure region and transmitted to Earth over a period of several weeks. The sampling was either of atmospheric gases directly introduced into the ion source of the mass spectrometer through one of 2 capillary leak arrays or of gas which had been processed in enrichment cells to enhance the sensitivity of the measurement to trace species or heavy noble gases. Mixing ratios or limits were previously reported [Niemann et al., 1996] for atmospheric hydrogen, helium, methane, water, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. Ratios for isotopes of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, C, and H were also obtained. Additional molecules detected at the present stage of analysis include ethane, ethylene, propane, and hydrogen chloride as well as benzene and carbon/nitrogen compounds. The GPMS Flight Unit was not calibrated for some of these molecules and laboratory studies continue on an Engineering Unit. A substantial increase was observed in the mixing ratio of water, hydrogen sulfide, ethane and other species with increasing depth into the atmosphere over the 8 bar to 23 bar pressure regime. It has been suggested [Atreya et al., 1996] that the lower than expected abundance of many species in the early part of the descent and the observed increase with depth may be the signature of a large downdraft. H. B. Niemann et al., Science 272, 781 (1996). S. K. Atreya et al., Paper presented at the European Geophysical Society Meeting, The Hague, Netherlands, May 6, 1996, EGS Bull. 58, 197 (1996).

Fluorescence lifetime imaging of optically levitated aerosol: a technique to quantitatively map the viscosity of suspended aerosol particles.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, C; Hosny, N A; Tong, H; Seville, P C; Gallimore, P J; Davidson, N M; Athanasiadis, A; Botchway, S W; Ward, A D; Kalberer, M; Kuimova, M K; Pope, F D

2016-08-21

We describe a technique to measure the viscosity of stably levitated single micron-sized aerosol particles. Particle levitation allows the aerosol phase to be probed in the absence of potentially artefact-causing surfaces. To achieve this feat, we combined two laser based techniques: optical trapping for aerosol particle levitation, using a counter-propagating laser beam configuration, and fluorescent lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of molecular rotors for the measurement of viscosity within the particle. Unlike other techniques used to measure aerosol particle viscosity, this allows for the non-destructive probing of viscosity of aerosol particles without interference from surfaces. The well-described viscosity of sucrose aerosol, under a range of relative humidity conditions, is used to validate the technique. Furthermore we investigate a pharmaceutically-relevant mixture of sodium chloride and salbutamol sulphate under humidities representative of in vivo drug inhalation. Finally, we provide a methodology for incorporating molecular rotors into already levitated particles, thereby making the FLIM/optical trapping technique applicable to real world aerosol systems, such as atmospheric aerosols and those generated by pharmaceutical inhalers.

Collection efficiency of the soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) for internally mixed particulate black carbon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Willis, M. D.; Lee, A. K. Y.; Onasch, T. B.

The soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) uses an intra-cavity infrared laser to vaporize refractory black carbon (rBC) containing particles, making the particle beam–laser beam overlap critical in determining the collection efficiency (CE) for rBC and associated non-refractory particulate matter (NR-PM). This work evaluates the ability of the SP-AMS to quantify rBC and NR-PM mass in internally mixed particles with different thicknesses of organic coating. Using apparent relative ionization efficiencies for uncoated and thickly coated rBC particles, we report measurements of SP-AMS sensitivity to NR-PM and rBC, for Regal Black, the recommended particulate calibration material. Beam width probe (BWP) measurements aremore » used to illustrate an increase in sensitivity for highly coated particles due to narrowing of the particle beam, which enhances the CE of the SP-AMS by increasing the laser beam–particle beam overlap. Assuming complete overlap for thick coatings, we estimate CE for bare Regal Black particles of 0.6 ± 0.1, which suggests that previously measured SP-AMS sensitivities to Regal Black were underestimated by up to a factor of 2. The efficacy of the BWP measurements is highlighted by studies at a busy road in downtown Toronto and at a non-roadside location, which show particle beam widths similar to, but greater than that of bare Regal Black and coated Regal Black, respectively. Further BWP measurements at field locations will help to constrain the range of CE for fresh and aged rBC-containing particles. The ability of the SP-AMS to quantitatively assess the composition of internally mixed particles is validated through measurements of laboratory-generated organic coated particles, which demonstrate that the SP-AMS can quantify rBC and NR-PM over a wide range of particle compositions and rBC core sizes.« less

Collection efficiency of the soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) for internally mixed particulate black carbon

DOE PAGES

Willis, M. D.; Lee, A. K. Y.; Onasch, T. B.; ...

2014-12-18

The soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) uses an intra-cavity infrared laser to vaporize refractory black carbon (rBC) containing particles, making the particle beam–laser beam overlap critical in determining the collection efficiency (CE) for rBC and associated non-refractory particulate matter (NR-PM). This work evaluates the ability of the SP-AMS to quantify rBC and NR-PM mass in internally mixed particles with different thicknesses of organic coating. Using apparent relative ionization efficiencies for uncoated and thickly coated rBC particles, we report measurements of SP-AMS sensitivity to NR-PM and rBC, for Regal Black, the recommended particulate calibration material. Beam width probe (BWP) measurements aremore » used to illustrate an increase in sensitivity for highly coated particles due to narrowing of the particle beam, which enhances the CE of the SP-AMS by increasing the laser beam–particle beam overlap. Assuming complete overlap for thick coatings, we estimate CE for bare Regal Black particles of 0.6 ± 0.1, which suggests that previously measured SP-AMS sensitivities to Regal Black were underestimated by up to a factor of 2. The efficacy of the BWP measurements is highlighted by studies at a busy road in downtown Toronto and at a non-roadside location, which show particle beam widths similar to, but greater than that of bare Regal Black and coated Regal Black, respectively. Further BWP measurements at field locations will help to constrain the range of CE for fresh and aged rBC-containing particles. The ability of the SP-AMS to quantitatively assess the composition of internally mixed particles is validated through measurements of laboratory-generated organic coated particles, which demonstrate that the SP-AMS can quantify rBC and NR-PM over a wide range of particle compositions and rBC core sizes.« less

Construction of a magnetic bottle spectrometer and its application to pulse duration measurement of X-ray laser using a pump-probe method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Namba, S., E-mail: namba@hiroshima-u.ac.jp; Hasegawa, N.; Kishimoto, M.

To characterize the temporal evolution of ultrashort X-ray pulses emitted by laser plasmas using a pump-probe method, a magnetic bottle time-of-flight electron spectrometer is constructed. The design is determined by numerical calculations of a mirror magnetic field and of the electron trajectory in a flight tube. The performance of the spectrometer is characterized by measuring the electron spectra of xenon atoms irradiated with a laser-driven plasma X-ray pulse. In addition, two-color above-threshold ionization (ATI) experiment is conducted for measurement of the X-ray laser pulse duration, in which xenon atoms are simultaneously irradiated with an X-ray laser pump and an IRmore » laser probe. The correlation in the intensity of the sideband spectra of the 4d inner-shell photoelectrons and in the time delay of the two laser pulses yields an X-ray pulse width of 5.7 ps, in good agreement with the value obtained using an X-ray streak camera.« less

Global Survey of Submicron Aerosol Acidity (pH)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nault, B.; Day, D. A.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Hu, W.; Schroder, J. C.; Bian, H.; Chin, M.; Clegg, S. L.; Colarco, P. R.; Dibb, J. E.; Kim, M. J.; Kodros, J.; Marais, E. A.; Pierce, J. R.; Scheuer, E. M.; Wennberg, P. O.; Jimenez, J. L.

2017-12-01

Aerosol acidity (H+, often expressed as "pH" defined in various ways) is an important property that influences uptake and partitioning of gases, and homogeneous and surface aqueous reactions of key inorganic and organic compounds. As there is currently no rapid method to measure ambient aerosol acidity, a thermodynamic model, constrained by both inorganic aerosol species (e.g., NH4, NO3, SO4, Cl) and at least one inorganic gas (HNO3, NH3, or HCl), are currently understood to lead to the most reliable estimates of aerosol acidity. In this study, we calculated submicron (less than PM1) aerosol pH from the NASA ATom, "pole-to-pole," flights that covers both the Pacific and Atlantic ocean basins. The E-AIM thermodynamic model was used with measurements by an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol-mass-spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) of inorganic aerosol species, along with inorganic gas measurements from other mass spectrometers and ion chromatography. We compare the results with those for the NASA KORUS-AQ, SEAC4RS, DC3, and ARCTAS campaigns, as well as several ground-based campaigns and recently-published studies. This provides an opportunity to compare the aerosol acidity in urban, rural, and remote regions, by season, and between the boundary layer and free troposphere. In addition, we compare the submicron aerosol acidity from these various localities with results from global models, such as GEOS-Chem, in order to investigate the ability of the global models to simulate aerosol acidity, and the processes it affects, such as nitrate, ammonium, and MSA partitioning.

Probing chemical transformation in picolitre volume aerosol droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miloserdov, Anatolij; Day, Calum P. F.; Rosario, Gabriela L.; Horrocks, Benjamin R.; Carruthers, Antonia E.

2017-08-01

We have demonstrated chemical transformation in single microscopic-sized aerosol droplets localised in optical tweezers. Droplets in situ are measured during chemical transformation processes of solvent exchange and solute transformation through an ion exchange reaction. Solvent exchange between deionised water and heavy water in aerosol droplets is monitored through observation of the OH and OD Raman stretches. A change in solute chemistry of aerosol is achieved through droplet coalescence events between calcium chloride and sodium carbonate to promote ion exchange. The transformation forming meta-stable and stable states of CaCO3 is observed and analysed using Gaussian peak decomposition to reveal polymorphs.

Raman Lidar Measurements of Aerosol Extinction and Backscattering. Report 2; Derivation of Aerosol Real Refractive Index, Single-Scattering Albedo, and Humidification Factor using Raman Lidar and Aircraft Size Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrare, R. A.; Melfi, S. H.; Whiteman, D. N.; Evans, K. D.; Poellot, M.; Kaufman, Y. J.

1998-01-01

Aerosol backscattering and extinction profiles measured by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) during the remote cloud sensing (RCS) intensive operations period (IOP) at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) southern Great Plains (SGP) site during two nights in April 1994 are discussed. These profiles are shown to be consistent with the simultaneous aerosol size distribution measurements made by a PCASP (Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe) optical particle counter flown on the University of North Dakota Citation aircraft. We describe a technique which uses both lidar and PCASP measurements to derive the dependence of particle size on relative humidity, the aerosol real refractive index n, and estimate the effective single-scattering albedo Omega(sub 0). Values of n ranged between 1.4-1.5 (dry) and 1.37-1.47 (wet); Omega(sub 0) varied between 0.7 and 1.0. The single-scattering albedo derived from this technique is sensitive to the manner in which absorbing particles are represented in the aerosol mixture; representing the absorbing particles as an internal mixture rather than the external mixture assumed here results in generally higher values of Omega(sub 0). The lidar measurements indicate that the change in particle size with relative humidity as measured by the PCASP can be represented in the form discussed by Hattel with the exponent gamma = 0.3 + or - 0.05. The variations in aerosol optical and physical characteristics captured in the lidar and aircraft size distribution measurements are discussed in the context of the meteorological conditions observed during the experiment.

Raman lidar measurements of aerosol extinction and backscattering: 2. Derivation of aerosol real refractive index, single-scattering albedo, and humidification factor using Raman lidar and aircraft size distribution measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrare, R. A.; Melfi, S. H.; Whiteman, D. N.; Evans, K. D.; Poellot, M.; Kaufman, Y. J.

1998-08-01

Aerosol backscattering and extinction profiles measured by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) during the remote cloud sensing (RCS) intensive operations period (IOP) at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) southern Great Plains (SGP) site during two nights in April 1994 are discussed. These profiles are shown to be consistent with the simultaneous aerosol size distribution measurements made by a PCASP (Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe) optical particle counter flown on the University of North Dakota Citation aircraft. We describe a technique which uses both lidar and PCASP measurements to derive the dependence of particle size on relative humidity, the aerosol real refractive index n, and estimate the effective single-scattering albedo ω0. Values of n ranged between 1.4-1.5 (dry) and 1.37-1.47 (wet); ω0 varied between 0.7 and 1.0. The single-scattering albedo derived from this technique is sensitive to the manner in which absorbing particles are represented in the aerosol mixture; representing the absorbing particles as an internal mixture rather than the external mixture assumed here results in generally higher values of ω0. The lidar measurements indicate that the change in particle size with relative humidity as measured by the PCASP can be represented in the form discussed by Hanel [1976] with the exponent γ = 0.3 ± 0.05. The variations in aerosol optical and physical characteristics captured in the lidar and aircraft size distribution measurements are discussed in the context of the meteorological conditions observed during the experiment.

The Organic Aerosols of Titan's Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sotin, Christophe; Lawrence, Kenneth; Beauchamp, Patricia M.; Zimmerman, Wayne

2012-01-01

One of Titan's many characteristics is the presence of a haze that veils its surface. This haze is composed of heavy organic particles and determining the chemical composition of these particles is a primary objective for future probes that would conduct in situ analysis. Meanwhile, solar occultations provide constraints on the optical characteristics of the haze layer. This paper describes solar occultation observations obtained by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft. These observations strongly constrain the optical characteristics of the haze layer. We detail the different steps involved in the processing of these data and apply them to two occultations that were observed at the South Pole and at the equator in order to investigate the latitudinal dependence of optical properties. The light curves obtained in seven atmospheric windows between 0.933-microns to 5-microns allow us to characterize atmospheric layers from 300 km to the surface. Very good fits of the light curves are obtained using a simple profile of number density of aerosols that is characterized by a scale height. The main difference between the South Pole and the equator is that the value of the scale height increases with altitude at the South Pole whereas it decreases at the equator. The vertically integrated amount of aerosols is similar at the two locations. The curve describing the cross-section versus wavelength is identical at the two locations suggesting that the aerosols have similar characteristics. Finally, we find that the two-way vertical transmission at 5-microns is as large as 80% at both locations.

Optical and physical properties of stratospheric aerosols from balloon measurements in the visible and near-infrared domains. I. Analysis of aerosol extinction spectra from the AMON and SALOMON balloonborne spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berthet, Gwenaël; Renard, Jean-Baptiste; Brogniez, Colette; Robert, Claude; Chartier, Michel; Pirre, Michel

2002-12-01

Aerosol extinction coefficients have been derived in the 375-700-nm spectral domain from measurements in the stratosphere since 1992, at night, at mid- and high latitudes from 15 to 40 km, by two balloonborne spectrometers, Absorption par les Minoritaires Ozone et NOx (AMON) and Spectroscopie d'Absorption Lunaire pour l'Observation des Minoritaires Ozone et NOx (SALOMON). Log-normal size distributions associated with the Mie-computed extinction spectra that best fit the measurements permit calculation of integrated properties of the distributions. Although measured extinction spectra that correspond to background aerosols can be reproduced by the Mie scattering model by use of monomodal log-normal size distributions, each flight reveals some large discrepancies between measurement and theory at several altitudes. The agreement between measured and Mie-calculated extinction spectra is significantly improved by use of bimodal log-normal distributions. Nevertheless, neither monomodal nor bimodal distributions permit correct reproduction of some of the measured extinction shapes, especially for the 26 February 1997 AMON flight, which exhibited spectral behavior attributed to particles from a polar stratospheric cloud event.

Electrophoresis-mass spectrometry probe

DOEpatents

Andresen, B.D.; Fought, E.R.

1987-11-10

The invention involves a new technique for the separation of complex mixtures of chemicals, which utilizes a unique interface probe for conventional mass spectrometers which allows the electrophoretically separated compounds to be analyzed in real-time by a mass spectrometer. This new chemical analysis interface, which couples electrophoresis with mass spectrometry, allows complex mixtures to be analyzed very rapidly, with much greater specificity, and with greater sensitivity. The interface or probe provides a means whereby large and/or polar molecules in complex mixtures to be completely characterized. The preferred embodiment of the probe utilizes a double capillary tip which allows the probe tip to be continually wetted by the buffer, which provides for increased heat dissipation, and results in a continually operating interface which is more durable and electronically stable than the illustrated single capillary tip probe interface. 8 figs.

Electrophoresis-mass spectrometry probe

DOEpatents

Andresen, Brian D.; Fought, Eric R.

1987-01-01

The invention involves a new technique for the separation of complex mixtures of chemicals, which utilizes a unique interface probe for conventional mass spectrometers which allows the electrophoretically separated compounds to be analyzed in real-time by a mass spectrometer. This new chemical analysis interface, which couples electrophoresis with mass spectrometry, allows complex mixtures to be analyzed very rapidly, with much greater specificity, and with greater sensitivity. The interface or probe provides a means whereby large and/or polar molecules in complex mixtures to be completely characterized. The preferred embodiment of the probe utilizes a double capillary tip which allows the probe tip to be continually wetted by the buffer, which provides for increased heat dissipation, and results in a continually operating interface which is more durable and electronically stable than the illustrated single capillary tip probe interface.

Characterization of aerosol particles from grass mowing by joint deployment of ToF-AMS and ATOFMS instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drewnick, Frank; Dall'Osto, Manuel; Harrison, Roy

During a measurement campaign at a semi-urban/industrial site a grass-cutting event was observed, when the lawn in the immediate surrounding of the measurement site was mowed. Using a wide variety of state-of-the-art aerosol measurement technology allowed a broad characterization of the aerosol generated by the lawn mowing. The instrumentation included two on-line aerosol mass spectrometers: an Aerodyne Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (ToF-AMS) and a TSI Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS); in addition, a selection of on-line aerosol concentration and size distribution instruments (OPC, APS, SMPS, CPC, FDMS-TEOM, MAAP) was deployed. From comparison of background aerosol measurements during most of the day with the aerosol measured during the lawn mowing, the grass cutting was found to generate mainly two different types of aerosol particles: an intense ultrafine particle mode (1 h average: 4 μg m -3) of almost pure hydrocarbon-like organics and a distinct particle mode in the upper sub-micrometer size range containing particles with potassium and nitrogen-organic compounds. The ultrafine particles are probably lubricating oil particles from the lawn mower exhaust; the larger particles are swirled-up plant debris particles from the mowing process. While these particle types were identified in the data from the two mass spectrometers, the on-line aerosol concentration and size distribution data support these findings. The results presented here show that the combination of quantitative aerosol particle ensemble mass spectrometry (ToF-AMS) and single particle mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) provides much deeper insights into the nature of the aerosol properties than each of the instruments could do alone. Therefore a combined deployment of both types of instruments is strongly recommended.

NARSTO ICARTT NEAX 2004 DOE G-1 DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Probe Chemiluminescence UV Ozone Detector Pulsed Fluorescence HPLC Aerosol Spectrometer Probe Pyranometer Photometer ... Carbon Monixide Hydrogen Peroxide Sulfate Particles Nitrate Particles Crustal Particles Order Data:  ...

Calibration of the forward-scattering spectrometer probe - Modeling scattering from a multimode laser beam

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hovenac, Edward A.; Lock, James A.

1993-01-01

Scattering calculations using a detailed model of the multimode laser beam in the forward-scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) were carried out using a recently developed extension to Mie scattering theory. From this model, new calibration curves for the FSSP were calculated. The difference between the old calibration curves and the new ones is small for droplet diameters less than 10 microns, but the difference increases to approximately 10 percent at diameters of 50 microns. When using glass beads to calibrate the FSSP, calibration errors can be minimized by using glass beads of many different diameters, over the entire range of the FSSP. If the FSSP is calibrated using one-diameter glass beads, then the new formalism is necessary to extrapolate the calibration over the entire range.

Calibration of the Forward-scattering Spectrometer Probe: Modeling Scattering from a Multimode Laser Beam

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hovenac, Edward A.; Lock, James A.

1993-01-01

Scattering calculations using a more detailed model of the multimode laser beam in the forward-scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) were carried out by using a recently developed extension to Mie scattering theory. From this model, new calibration curves for the FSSP were calculated. The difference between the old calibration curves and the new ones is small for droplet diameters less than 10 micrometers, but the difference increases to approximately 10% at diameters of 50 micrometers. When using glass beads to calibrate the FSSP, calibration errors can be minimized, by using glass beads of many different diameters, over the entire range of the FSSP. If the FSSP is calibrated using one-diameter glass beads, then the new formalism is necessary to extrapolate the calibration over the entire range.

Vertical Distribution of Dust and Water Ice Aerosols from CRISM Limb-geometry Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Michael Doyle; Wolff, Michael J.; Clancy, Todd; Kleinbohl, Armin; Murchie, Scott L.

2013-01-01

[1] Near-infrared spectra taken in a limb-viewing geometry by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provide a useful tool for probing atmospheric structure. Specifically, the observed radiance as a function of wavelength and height above the limb enables the vertical distribution of both dust and water ice aerosols to be retrieved. More than a dozen sets of CRISM limb observations have been taken so far providing pole-to-pole cross sections, spanning more than a full Martian year. Radiative transfer modeling is used to model the observations taking into account multiple scattering from aerosols and the spherical geometry of the limb observations. Both dust and water ice vertical profiles often show a significant vertical structure for nearly all seasons and latitudes that is not consistent with the well-mixed or Conrath-v assumptions that have often been used in the past for describing aerosol vertical profiles for retrieval and modeling purposes. Significant variations are seen in the retrieved vertical profiles of dust and water ice aerosol as a function of season. Dust typically extends to higher altitudes (approx. 40-50km) during the perihelion season than during the aphelion season (<20km), and the Hellas region consistently shows more dust mixed to higher altitudes than other locations. Detached water ice clouds are common, and water ice aerosols are observed to cap the dust layer in all seasons.

Airborne observations of cloud condensation nuclei spectra and aerosols over East Inner Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jiefan; Lei, Hengchi; Lü, Yuhuan

2017-08-01

A set of vertical profiles of aerosol number concentrations, size distributions and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectra was observed using a passive cloud and aerosol spectrometer (PCASP) and cloud condensation nuclei counter, over the Tongliao area, East Inner Mongolia, China. The results showed that the average aerosol number concentration in this region was much lower than that in heavily polluted areas. Monthly average aerosol number concentrations within the boundary layer reached a maximum in May and a minimum in September, and the variations in CCN number concentrations at different supersaturations showed the same trend. The parameters c and k of the empirical function N = cS k were 539 and 1.477 under clean conditions, and their counterparts under polluted conditions were 1615 and 1.42. Measurements from the airborne probe mounted on a Yun-12 (Y12) aircraft, together with Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model backward trajectories indicated that the air mass from the south of Tongliao contained a high concentration of aerosol particles (1000-2500 cm-3) in the middle and lower parts of the troposphere. Moreover, detailed intercomparison of data obtained on two days in 2010 indicated that the activation efficiency in terms of the ratio of N CCN to N a (aerosols measured from PCASP) was 0.74 (0.4 supersaturations) when the air mass mainly came from south of Tongliao, and this value increased to 0.83 on the relatively cleaner day. Thus, long-range transport of anthropogenic pollutants from heavily polluted mega cities, such as Beijing and Tianjin, may result in slightly decreasing activation efficiencies.

The Galileo probe mass spectrometer: composition of Jupiter's atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niemann, H. B.; Atreya, S. K.; Carignan, G. R.; Donahue, T. M.; Haberman, J. A.; Harpold, D. N.; Hartle, R. E.; Hunten, D. M.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Mahaffy, P. R.;

The Galileo probe mass spectrometer: composition of Jupiter's atmosphere.

PubMed

Niemann, H B; Atreya, S K; Carignan, G R; Donahue, T M; Haberman, J A; Harpold, D N; Hartle, R E; Hunten, D M; Kasprzak, W T; Mahaffy, P R; Owen, T C; Spencer, N W; Way, S H

1996-05-10

The composition of the jovian atmosphere from 0.5 to 21 bars along the descent trajectory was determined by a quadrupole mass spectrometer on the Galileo probe. The mixing ratio of He (helium) to H2 (hydrogen), 0.156, is close to the solar ratio. The abundances of methane, water, argon, neon, and hydrogen sulfide were measured; krypton and xenon were detected. As measured in the jovian atmosphere, the amount of carbon is 2.9 times the solar abundance relative to H2, the amount of sulfur is greater than the solar abundance, and the amount of oxygen is much less than the solar abundance. The neon abundance compared with that of hydrogen is about an order of magnitude less than the solar abundance. Isotopic ratios of carbon and the noble gases are consistent with solar values. The measured ratio of deuterium to hydrogen (D/H) of (5 +/- 2) x 10(-5) indicates that this ratio is greater in solar-system hydrogen than in local interstellar hydrogen, and the 3He/4He ratio of (1.1 +/- 0.2) x 10(-4) provides a new value for protosolar (solar nebula) helium isotopes. Together, the D/H and 3He/4He ratios are consistent with conversion in the sun of protosolar deuterium to present-day 3He.

Single particles measured by a light scattering module coupled to a time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer onboard the NOAA P-3 aircraft during SENEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, J.; Middlebrook, A. M.; Welti, A.; Sueper, D.; Murphy, D. M.

2014-12-01

Single particles in the eastern US were characterized by a light scattering module coupled to a time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (LS-ToF-AMS) onboard the NOAA P-3 aircraft during the Southeastern Nexus (SENEX) campaign. Single particle data were collected for 30 seconds every 5 minutes. Aerosols larger than 200-300 nm in vacuum aerodynamic diameter can be optically detected by the 405 nm crystal laser and trigger the saving of single particle mass spectra. The measured single particles are internally-mixed as expected. The single particles were classified as prompt, delayed, and null based on the chemical ion signal arrival time difference between prediction from the light scattering signal and measurement by mass spectrometer and the presence or absence of a mass spectrum. On average the number fraction of particles detected as prompt, delayed, and null (no spectrum) is about 30%, 10%, and 60%. The number fraction of these three particle types varied with aerosol size, chemical composition and the investigation region and will be discussed in detail. For example, the number fraction of prompt particles was significantly higher for the flight to the Pennsylvania natural gas shale region on July 6, 2013, which is probably related to the chemical composition (more acidic) and phase of the ambient particles. These particle types and detection efficiency are related to the bouncing effect on the vaporizer and may provide insight into the non-unit AMS collection efficiency. Moreover, most of the particles larger than 800 nm in vacuum aerodynamic diameter sized with the traditional AMS PToF mode are delayed particles and their mass spectral signals appear to be affected by this process.

Interface for liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer

DOEpatents

Andresen, Brian D.; Fought, Eric R.

1989-01-01

A moving belt interface for real-time, high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC)/mass spectrometer (MS) analysis which strips away the HPLC solvent as it emerges from the end of the HPLC column and leaves a residue suitable for mass-spectral analysis. The interface includes a portable, stand-alone apparatus having a plural stage vacuum station, a continuous ribbon or belt, a drive train magnetically coupled to an external drive motor, a calibrated HPLC delivery system, a heated probe tip and means located adjacent the probe tip for direct ionization of the residue on the belt. The interface is also capable of being readily adapted to fit any mass spectrometer.

A fast integrated mobility spectrometer for rapid measurement of sub-micrometer aerosol size distribution, Part II: Experimental characterization

DOE PAGES

Wang, Jian; Pikridas, Michael; Pinterich, Tamara; ...

2017-06-08

A Fast Integrated Mobility Spectrometer (FIMS) with a wide dynamic size range has been developed for rapid aerosol size distribution measurements. The design and model evaluation of the FIMS are presented in the preceding paper (Paper I), and this paper focuses on the experimental characterization of the FIMS. Monodisperse aerosol with diameter ranging from 8 to 600 nm was generated using Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA), and was measured by the FIMS in parallel with a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC). The mean particle diameter measured by the FIMS is in good agreement with the DMA centroid diameter. Comparison of the particlemore » concentrations measured by the FIMS and CPC indicates the FIMS detection efficiency is essentially 100% for particles with diameters of 8 nm or larger. For particles smaller than 20 nm or larger than 200 nm, FIMS transfer function and resolution can be well represented by the calculated ones based on simulated particle trajectories in the FIMS. For particles between 20 and 200 nm, the FIMS transfer function is boarder than the calculated, likely due to non-ideality of the electric field, including edge effects near the end of the electrode, which are not represented by the 2-D electric field used to simulate particle trajectories.« less

A fast integrated mobility spectrometer for rapid measurement of sub-micrometer aerosol size distribution, Part II: Experimental characterization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Jian; Pikridas, Michael; Pinterich, Tamara

A Fast Integrated Mobility Spectrometer (FIMS) with a wide dynamic size range has been developed for rapid aerosol size distribution measurements. The design and model evaluation of the FIMS are presented in the preceding paper (Paper I), and this paper focuses on the experimental characterization of the FIMS. Monodisperse aerosol with diameter ranging from 8 to 600 nm was generated using Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA), and was measured by the FIMS in parallel with a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC). The mean particle diameter measured by the FIMS is in good agreement with the DMA centroid diameter. Comparison of the particlemore » concentrations measured by the FIMS and CPC indicates the FIMS detection efficiency is essentially 100% for particles with diameters of 8 nm or larger. For particles smaller than 20 nm or larger than 200 nm, FIMS transfer function and resolution can be well represented by the calculated ones based on simulated particle trajectories in the FIMS. For particles between 20 and 200 nm, the FIMS transfer function is boarder than the calculated, likely due to non-ideality of the electric field, including edge effects near the end of the electrode, which are not represented by the 2-D electric field used to simulate particle trajectories.« less

Measurements of the aerosol chemical composition and mixing state in the Po Valley using multiple spectroscopic techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decesari, S.; Allan, J.; Plass-Duelmer, C.; Williams, B. J.; Paglione, M.; Facchini, M. C.; O'Dowd, C.; Harrison, R. M.; Gietl, J. K.; Coe, H.; Giulianelli, L.; Gobbi, G. P.; Lanconelli, C.; Carbone, C.; Worsnop, D.; Lambe, A. T.; Ahern, A. T.; Moretti, F.; Tagliavini, E.; Elste, T.; Gilge, S.; Zhang, Y.; Dall'Osto, M.

2014-11-01

The use of co-located multiple spectroscopic techniques can provide detailed information on the atmospheric processes regulating aerosol chemical composition and mixing state. So far, field campaigns heavily equipped with aerosol mass spectrometers have been carried out mainly in large conurbations and in areas directly affected by their outflow, whereas lesser efforts have been dedicated to continental areas characterised by a less dense urbanisation. We present here the results obtained at a background site in the Po Valley, Italy, in summer 2009. For the first time in Europe, six state-of-the-art spectrometric techniques were used in parallel: aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS), two aerosol mass spectrometers (high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer - HR-ToF-AMS and soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer - SP-AMS), thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography (TAG), chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (CIMS) and (offline) proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy. The results indicate that, under high-pressure conditions, atmospheric stratification at night and early morning hours led to the accumulation of aerosols produced by anthropogenic sources distributed over the Po Valley plain. Such aerosols include primary components such as black carbon (BC), secondary semivolatile compounds such as ammonium nitrate and amines and a class of monocarboxylic acids which correspond to the AMS cooking organic aerosol (COA) already identified in urban areas. In daytime, the entrainment of aged air masses in the mixing layer is responsible for the accumulation of low-volatility oxygenated organic aerosol (LV-OOA) and also for the recycling of non-volatile primary species such as black carbon. According to organic aerosol source apportionment, anthropogenic aerosols accumulating in the lower layers overnight accounted for 38% of organic aerosol mass on average, another 21% was accounted for by aerosols recirculated in

Influences of upwind emission sources and atmospheric processing on aerosol chemistry and properties at a rural location in the Northeastern U.S.: URBAN INFLUENCE ON RURAL AEROSOL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Shan; Collier, Sonya; Xu, Jianzhong

2016-05-19

Continuous real-time measurements of atmospheric aerosol with an Aerodyne High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-AMS) coupled with a fast temperature-stepping thermodenuder were carried out in summer 2011 at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL, 40.871°N, 72.89°W) during the DOE Aerosol Life Cycle Intensive Operational Period (ALC-IOP) campaign.

ACTRIS ACSM intercomparison - Part 2: Intercomparison of ME-2 organic source apportionment results from 15 individual, co-located aerosol mass spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fröhlich, R.; Crenn, V.; Setyan, A.; Belis, C. A.; Canonaco, F.; Favez, O.; Riffault, V.; Slowik, J. G.; Aas, W.; Aijälä, M.; Alastuey, A.; Artiñano, B.; Bonnaire, N.; Bozzetti, C.; Bressi, M.; Carbone, C.; Coz, E.; Croteau, P. L.; Cubison, M. J.; Esser-Gietl, J. K.; Green, D. C.; Gros, V.; Heikkinen, L.; Herrmann, H.; Jayne, J. T.; Lunder, C. R.; Minguillón, M. C.; Močnik, G.; O'Dowd, C. D.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Petralia, E.; Poulain, L.; Priestman, M.; Ripoll, A.; Sarda-Estève, R.; Wiedensohler, A.; Baltensperger, U.; Sciare, J.; Prévôt, A. S. H.

2015-02-01

Chemically resolved atmospheric aerosol data sets from the largest intercomparison of the Aerodyne aerosol chemical speciation monitors (ACSM) performed to date were collected at the French atmospheric supersite SIRTA. In total 13 quadrupole ACSMs (Q-ACSM) from the European ACTRIS ACSM network, one time-of-flight ACSM (ToF-ACSM), and one high-resolution ToF aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) were operated in parallel for about three weeks in November and December 2013. Part 1 of this study reports on the accuracy and precision of the instruments for all the measured species. In this work we report on the intercomparison of organic components and the results from factor analysis source apportionment by positive matrix factorisation (PMF) utilising the multilinear engine 2 (ME-2). Except for the organic contribution of m/z 44 to the total organics (f44), which varied by factors between 0.6 and 1.3 compared to the mean, the peaks in the organic mass spectra were similar among instruments. The m/z 44 differences in the spectra resulted in a variable f44 in the source profiles extracted by ME-2, but had only a minor influence on the extracted mass contributions of the sources. The presented source apportionment yielded four factors for all 15 instruments: hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), cooking-related organic aerosol (COA), biomass burning-related organic aerosol (BBOA) and secondary oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA). Individual application and optimisation of the ME-2 boundary conditions (profile constraints) are discussed together with the investigation of the influence of alternative anchors (reference profiles). A comparison of the ME-2 source apportionment output of all 15 instruments resulted in relative SD from the mean between 13.7 and 22.7% of the source's average mass contribution depending on the factors (HOA: 14.3 ± 2.2%, COA: 15.0 ± 3.4%, OOA: 41.5 ± 5.7%, BBOA: 29.3 ± 5.0%). Factors which tend to be subject to minor factor mixing (in this case COA

Soft Particle Spectrometer, Langmuir Probe, and Data Analysis for Aerospace Magnetospheric/Thermospheric Coupling Rocket Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharber, J. R.; Frahm, R. A.; Scherrer, J. R.

1997-01-01

Under this grant two instruments, a soft particle spectrometer and a Langmuir probe, were refurbished and calibrated, and flown on three instrumented rocket payloads as part of the Magnetosphere/Thermosphere Coupling program. The flights took place at the Poker Flat Research Range on February 12, 1994 (T(sub o) = 1316:00 UT), February 2, 1995 (T(sub o) = 1527:20 UT), and November 27, 1995 (T(sub o) = 0807:24 UT). In this report the observations of the particle instrumentation flown on all three of the flights are described, and brief descriptions of relevant geophysical activity for each flight are provided. Calibrations of the particle instrumentation for all ARIA flights are also provided.

Exploration of Venus with the Venera-15 IR Fourier spectrometer and the Venus Express planetary Fourier spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zasova, L. V.; Moroz, V. I.; Formisano, V.; Ignatiev, N. I.; Khatuntsev, I. V.

2006-07-01

The infrared spectrometry of Venus in the range 6-45 μm allows one to sound the middle atmosphere of Venus in the altitude range 55-100 km and its cloud layer. This experiment was carried out onboard the Soviet automatic interplanetary Venera-15 station, where the Fourier spectrometer for this spectral range was installed. The measurements have shown that the main component of the cloud layer at all measured latitudes in the northern hemisphere is concentrated sulfuric acid (75-85%). The vertical profiles of temperature and aerosol were reconstructed in a self-consistent manner: the three-dimensional fields of temperature and zonal wind in the altitude range 55-100 km and aerosol at altitudes 55-70 km have been obtained, as well as vertical SO2 profiles and H2O concentration in the upper cloud layer. The solar-related waves at isobaric levels in the fields of temperature, zonal wind, and aerosol were investigated. This experiment has shown the efficiency of the method for investigation of the Venusian atmosphere. The Planetary Fourier Spectrometer has the spectral interval 0.9-45 μm and a spectral resolution of 1.8 cm-1. It will allow one to sound the middle atmosphere (55-100 km) of Venus and its cloud layer on the dayside, as well as the lower atmosphere and the planetary surface on the night side.

Direct Observations of Isoprene Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation in Ambient Cloud Droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zelenyuk, A.; Bell, D.; Thornton, J. A.; Fast, J. D.; Shrivastava, M. B.; Berg, L. K.; Imre, D. G.; Mei, F.; Shilling, J.; Suski, K. J.; Liu, J.; Tomlinson, J. M.; Wang, J.

2017-12-01

Multiphase chemistry of isoprene photooxidation products has been shown to be one of the major sources of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere. A number of recent studies indicate that aqueous aerosol phase provides a medium for reactive uptake of isoprene photooxidation products, and in particular, isomeric isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), with reaction rates and yields being dependent on aerosol acidity, water content, sulfate concentration, and organic coatings. However, very few studies focused on chemistry occurring within actual cloud droplets. We will present data acquired during recent Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) Campaign, which provide direct evidence for IEPOX-SOA formation in cloud droplets. Single particle mass spectrometer, miniSPLAT, and a high-resolution, time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer were used to characterize the composition of aerosol particles and cloud droplet residuals, while a high-resolution, time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-CIMS) was used to characterize gas-phase compounds. We find that the composition of cloud droplet residuals was markedly different than that of aerosol particles sampled outside the cloud. Cloud droplet residuals were comprised of individual particles with high relative fractions of sulfate and nitrate and significant fraction of particles with mass spectra that are nearly identical to those of laboratory-generated IEPOX-SOA particles. The observed cloud-induced formation of IEPOX-SOA was accompanied by simultaneous decrease in measured concentrations of IEPOX and other gas-phase isoprene photooxidation products. Ultimately, the combined cloud, aerosol, and gas-phase measurements conducted during HI-SCALE will be used to develop and evaluate model treatments of aqueous-phase isoprene SOA formation.

Validation of TOMS Aerosol Products using AERONET Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhartia, P. K.; Torres, O.; Sinyuk, A.; Holben, B.

2002-01-01

The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) aerosol algorithm uses measurements of radiances at two near UV channels in the range 331-380 nm to derive aerosol optical depth and single scattering albedo. Because of the low near UV surface albedo of all terrestrial surfaces (between 0.02 and 0.08), the TOMS algorithm has the capability of retrieving aerosol properties over the oceans and the continents. The Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) routinely derives spectral aerosol optical depth and single scattering albedo at a large number of sites around the globe. We have performed comparisons of both aerosol optical depth and single scattering albedo derived from TOMS and AERONET. In general, the TOMS aerosol products agree well with the ground-based observations, Results of this validation will be discussed.

Aerosol in the Pacific troposphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, Antony D.

1989-01-01

The use of near real-time optical techniques is emphasized for the measurement of mid-tropospheric aerosol over the Central Pacific. The primary focus is on measurement of the aerosol size distribution over the range of particle diameters from 0.15 to 5.0 microns that are essential for modeling CO2 backscatter values in support of the laser atmospheric wind sounder (LAWS) program. The measurement system employs a LAS-X (Laser Aerosol Spectrometer-PMS, Boulder, CO) with a custom 256 channel pulse height analyzer and software for detailed measurement and analysis of aerosol size distributions. A thermal preheater system (Thermo Optic Aerosol Descriminator (TOAD) conditions the aerosol in a manner that allows the discrimination of the size distribution of individual aerosol components such as sulfuric acid, sulfates and refractory species. This allows assessment of the relative contribution of each component to the BCO2 signal. This is necessary since the different components have different sources, exhibit independent variability and provide different BCO2 signals for a given mass and particle size. Field activities involve experiments designed to examine both temporal and spatial variability of these aerosol components from ground based and aircraft platforms.

Characterization of a real-time tracer for Isoprene Epoxydiols-derived Secondary Organic Aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) from aerosol mass spectrometer measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, W. W.; Campuzano-Jost, P.; Palm, B. B.; Day, D. A.; Ortega, A. M.; Hayes, P. L.; Krechmer, J. E.; Chen, Q.; Kuwata, M.; Liu, Y. J.; de Sá, S. S.; Martin, S. T.; Hu, M.; Budisulistiorini, S. H.; Riva, M.; Surratt, J. D.; St. Clair, J. M.; Isaacman-Van Wertz, G.; Yee, L. D.; Goldstein, A. H.; Carbone, S.; Artaxo, P.; de Gouw, J. A.; Koss, A.; Wisthaler, A.; Mikoviny, T.; Karl, T.; Kaser, L.; Jud, W.; Hansel, A.; Docherty, K. S.; Robinson, N. H.; Coe, H.; Allan, J. D.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Paulot, F.; Jimenez, J. L.

2015-04-01

Substantial amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) can be formed from isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), which are oxidation products of isoprene mainly under low-NO conditions. Total IEPOX-SOA, which may include SOA formed from other parallel isoprene low-NO oxidation pathways, was quantified by applying Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) to aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements. The IEPOX-SOA fractions of OA in multiple field studies across several continents are summarized here and show consistent patterns with the concentration of gas-phase IEPOX simulated by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. During the SOAS study, 78% of IEPOX-SOA is accounted for the measured molecular tracers, making it the highest level of molecular identification of an ambient SOA component to our knowledge. Enhanced signal at C5H6O+ (m/z 82) is found in PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA spectra. To investigate the suitability of this ion as a tracer for IEPOX-SOA, we examine fC5H6O ( fC5H6O = C5H6O+/OA) across multiple field, chamber and source datasets. A background of ~ 1.7 ± 0.1‰ is observed in studies strongly influenced by urban, biomass-burning and other anthropogenic primary organic aerosol (POA). Higher background values of 3.1 ± 0.8‰ are found in studies strongly influenced by monoterpene emissions. The average laboratory monoterpene SOA value (5.5 ± 2.0‰) is 4 times lower than the average for IEPOX-SOA (22 ± 7‰). Locations strongly influenced by isoprene emissions under low-NO levels had higher fC5H6O (~ 6.5 ± 2.2‰ on average) than other sites, consistent with the expected IEPOX-SOA formation in those studies. fC5H6O in IEPOX-SOA is always elevated (12-40‰) but varies substantially between locations, which is shown to reflect large variations in its detailed molecular composition. The low fC5H6O (< 3‰) observed in non IEPOX-derived isoprene-SOA indicates that this tracer ion is specifically enhanced from IEPOX-SOA, and is not a tracer for all SOA from

Martian atmospheric O3 retrieval development for the NOMAD-UVIS spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hewson, W.; Mason, J. P.; Leese, M.; Hathi, B.; Holmes, J.; Lewis, S. R.; Iriwin, P. G. J.; Patel, M. R.

2017-09-01

The composition of atmospheric trace gases and aerosols is a highly variable and poorly constrained component of the martian atmosphere, and by affecting martian climate and UV surface dose, represents a key parameter in the assessment of suitability for martian habitability. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) carries the Open University (OU) designed Ultraviolet and VIsible Spectrometer (UVIS) instrument as part of the Belgian-led Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) spectrometer suite. NOMAD will begin transmitting science observations of martian surface and atmosphere back-scattered UltraViolet (UV) and visible radiation in Spring 2018, which will be processed to derive spatially and temporally averaged atmospheric trace gas and aerosol concentrations, intended to provide a better understanding of martian atmospheric photo-chemistry and dynamics, and will also improve models of martian atmospheric chemistry, climate and habitability. Work presented here illustrates initial development and testing of the OU's new retrieval algorithm for determining O3 and aerosol concentrations from the UVIS instrument.

Airborne Aerosol in Situ Measurements during TCAP: A Closure Study of Total Scattering

DOE PAGES

Kassianov, Evgueni I.; Berg, Larry K.; Pekour, Mikhail S.; ...

2015-07-31

We present here a framework for calculating the total scattering of both non-absorbing and absorbing aerosol at ambient conditions from aircraft data. The synergistically employed aircraft data involve aerosol microphysical, chemical, and optical components and ambient relative humidity measurements. Our framework is developed emphasizing the explicit use of the complementary chemical composition data for estimating the complex refractive index (RI) of particles, and thus obtaining improved ambient size spectra derived from Optical Particle Counter (OPC) measurements. The feasibility of our framework for improved calculations of total aerosol scattering is demonstrated for different ambient conditions with a wide range of relativemore » humidities (from 5 to 80%) using three types of data collected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) G-1 aircraft during the recent Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP). Namely, these three types of data employed are: (1) size distributions measured by an Ultra High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS; 0.06-1 µm), a Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer (PCASP; 0.1-3 µm) and a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS; 0.6- >10 µm), (2) chemical composition data measured by an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS; 0.06-0.6 µm) and a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2; 0.06-0.6 µm), and (3) the dry total scattering coefficient measured by a TSI integrating nephelometer at three wavelengths (0.45, 0.55, 0.7 µm) and scattering enhancement factor measured with a humidification system at three RHs (near 45%, 65% and 90%) at a single wavelength (0.525 µm). We demonstrate that good agreement (~10% on average) between the observed and calculated scattering at these three wavelengths can be obtained using the best available chemical composition data for the RI-based correction of the OPC-derived size spectra. We also demonstrate that ignoring the RI-based correction and using non-representative RI values can cause a substantial

Spatio-temporal variability in cloud microphysical properties over the South East Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Poellot, M.; O'Brien, J.; Delene, D. J.

2016-12-01

The ObseRvations of Aerosols above Clouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) project will provide in-situ measurements and remotely sensed retrievals of aerosol and cloud properties over the South East Atlantic off the coast of Namibia during August-September 2016. Biomass burning aerosol from Southern Africa is advected toward the South East Atlantic at elevated altitudes and overlies the ubiquitous stratocumulus cloud deck over the ocean. The aerosols subside farther from the coast so that the vertical displacement between the clouds and aerosols varies, and whose effect on aerosol-cloud interaction is poorly known. A NASA P-3 aircraft will be equipped with a Cloud Droplet Probe CDP sizing particles between 2 and 50μm, a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer CAS sizing between 0.51 and 50μm, a 2D-stereo probe 2DS, nominally sizing between 10 and 1280μm, a Cloud Imaging Probe CIP, from 25 to 1600μm, and a High Volume Precipitation Sampler HVPS-3, from 150μm to 1.92cm for measuring number distribution functions (n(D)) along with a King probe and hot wire probe for measuring the total liquid water content, LWC. A Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe PCASP will measure aerosol particles between 0.1 to 3μm. By examining consistency between n(D) measured by probes in the overlap ranges and by conducting closure tests whereby the bulk LWC is compared against that derived from n(D), a probe-independent product will be generated to provide the best estimate of the following cloud parameters: total concentration, extinction, n(D), effective radius and LWC. The resulting database will be used to determine how cloud properties vary with distance away from the coast of Africa and with aerosol concentrations measured in the accumulation mode by the PCASP above and below cloud. The impact of the changing separation between the cloud and aerosol layers will be examined and potential impacts of the variation of cloud microphysical properties with aerosol concentrations on

Chemical composition measurements of the atmosphere of Jupiter with the Galileo Probe mass spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niemann, H. B.; Atreya, S. K.; Carignan, G. R.; Donahue, T. M.; Haberman, J. A.; Harpold, D. N.; Hartle, R. E.; Hunten, D. M.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Mahaffy, P. R.;

Chemical composition measurements of the atmosphere of Jupiter with the Galileo Probe mass spectrometer.

PubMed

Niemann, H B; Atreya, S K; Carignan, G R; Donahue, T M; Haberman, J A; Harpold, D N; Hartle, R E; Hunten, D M; Kasprzak, W T; Mahaffy, P R; Owen, T C; Spencer, N W

1998-01-01

The Galileo Probe entered the atmosphere of Jupiter on December 7, 1995. Measurements of the chemical and isotopic composition of the Jovian atmosphere were obtained by the mass spectrometer during the descent over the 0.5 to 21 bar pressure region over a time period of approximately 1 hour. The sampling was either of atmospheric gases directly introduced into the ion source of the mass spectrometer through capillary leaks or of gas, which had been chemically processed to enhance the sensitivity of the measurement to trace species or noble gases. The analysis of this data set continues to be refined based on supporting laboratory studies on an engineering unit. The mixing ratios of the major constituents of the atmosphere hydrogen and helium have been determined as well as mixing ratios or upper limits for several less abundant species including: methane, water, ammonia, ethane, ethylene, propane, hydrogen sulfide, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. Analysis also suggests the presence of trace levels of other 3 and 4 carbon hydrocarbons, or carbon and nitrogen containing species, phosphine, hydrogen chloride, and of benzene. The data set also allows upper limits to be set for many species of interest which were not detected. Isotope ratios were measured for 3He/4He, D/H, 13C/12C, 20Ne/22Ne, 38Ar/36Ar and for isotopes of both Kr and Xe.

Chemical composition measurements of the atmosphere of jupiter with the galileo probe mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niemann, H. B.; Atreya, S. K.; Carignan, G. R.; Donahue, T. M.; Haberman, J. A.; Harpold, D. N.; Hartle, R. E.; Hunten, D. M.; Kasprzak, W. T.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Owen, T. C.; Spencer, N. W.

The Galileo Probe entered the atmosphere of Jupiter on December 7, 1995. Measurements of the chemical and isotopic composition of the Jovian atmosphere were obtained by the mass spectrometer during the descent over the 0.5 to 21 bar pressure region over a time period of approximately 1 hour. The sampling was either of atmospheric gases directly introduced into the ion source of the mass spectrometer through capillary leaks or of gas, which had been chemically processed to enhance the sensitivity of the measurement to trace species or noble gases. The analysis of this data set continues to be refined based on supporting laboratory studies on an engineering unit. The mixing ratios of the major constituents of the atmosphere hydrogen and helium have been determined as well as mixing ratios or upper limits for several less abundant species including: methane, water, ammonia, ethane, ethylene, propane, hydrogen sulfide, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. Analysis also suggests the presence of trace levels of other 3 and 4 carbon hydrocarbons, or carbon and nitrogen containing species, phosphine, hydrogen chloride, and of benzene. The data set also allows upper limits to be set for many species of interest which were not detected. Isotope ratios were measured for ^3He/^4He, D/H, ^13C/^12C, ^20Ne/^22Ne, ^38Ar/^36Ar and for isotopes of both Kr and Xe.

Interface for liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer

DOEpatents

Andresen, B.D.; Fought, E.R.

1989-09-19

A moving belt interface is described for real-time, high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC)/mass spectrometer (MS) analysis which strips away the HPLC solvent as it emerges from the end of the HPLC column and leaves a residue suitable for mass-spectral analysis. The interface includes a portable, stand-alone apparatus having a plural stage vacuum station, a continuous ribbon or belt, a drive train magnetically coupled to an external drive motor, a calibrated HPLC delivery system, a heated probe tip and means located adjacent the probe tip for direct ionization of the residue on the belt. The interface is also capable of being readily adapted to fit any mass spectrometer. 8 figs.

Development of a new corona discharge based ion source for high resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer to measure gaseous H2SO4 and aerosol sulfate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jun; Yang, Dongsen; Ma, Yan; Chen, Mindong; Cheng, Jin; Li, Shizheng; Wang, Ming

2015-10-01

A new corona discharge (CD) based ion source was developed for a commercial high-resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (HRToF-CIMS) (Aerodyne Research Inc.) to measure both gaseous sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and aerosol sulfate after thermal desorption. Nitrate core ions (NO3-) were used as reagent ions and were generated by a negative discharge in zero air followed by addition of excess nitrogen dioxide (NO2) to convert primary ions and hydroxyl radicals (OH) into NO3- ions and nitric acid (HNO3). The CD-HRToF-CIMS showed no detectable interference from hundreds parts per billion by volume (ppbv) of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Unlike the atmospheric pressure ionization (API) ToF-CIMS, the CD ion source was integrated onto the ion-molecule reaction (IMR) chamber and which made it possible to measure aerosol sulfate by coupling to a filter inlet for gases and aerosols (FIGAERO). Moreover, compared with a quadrupole-based mass spectrometer, the desired HSO4- signal was detected by its exact mass of m/z 96.960, which was well resolved from the potential interferences of HCO3-ṡ(H2O)2 (m/z 97.014) and O-ṡH2OṡHNO3 (m/z 97.002). In this work, using laboratory-generated standards the CD-HRToF-CIMS was demonstrated to be able to detect as low as 3.1 × 105 molecules cm-3 gaseous H2SO4 and 0.5 μg m-3 ammonium sulfate based on 10-s integration time and two times of the baseline noise. The CD ion source had the advantages of low cost and a simple but robust structure. Since the system was non-radioactive and did not require corrosive HNO3 gas, it can be readily field deployed. The CD-HRToF-CIMS can be a powerful tool for both field and laboratory studies of aerosol formation mechanism and the chemical processes that were critical to understand the evolution of aerosols in the atmosphere.

Eddy Covariance Measurements of the Sea-Spray Aerosol Flu

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, I. M.; Norris, S. J.; Yelland, M. J.; Pascal, R. W.; Prytherch, J.

2015-12-01

Historically, almost all estimates of the sea-spray aerosol source flux have been inferred through various indirect methods. Direct estimates via eddy covariance have been attempted by only a handful of studies, most of which measured only the total number flux, or achieved rather coarse size segregation. Applying eddy covariance to the measurement of sea-spray fluxes is challenging: most instrumentation must be located in a laboratory space requiring long sample lines to an inlet collocated with a sonic anemometer; however, larger particles are easily lost to the walls of the sample line. Marine particle concentrations are generally low, requiring a high sample volume to achieve adequate statistics. The highly hygroscopic nature of sea salt means particles change size rapidly with fluctuations in relative humidity; this introduces an apparent bias in flux measurements if particles are sized at ambient humidity. The Compact Lightweight Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (CLASP) was developed specifically to make high rate measurements of aerosol size distributions for use in eddy covariance measurements, and the instrument and data processing and analysis techniques have been refined over the course of several projects. Here we will review some of the issues and limitations related to making eddy covariance measurements of the sea spray source flux over the open ocean, summarise some key results from the last decade, and present new results from a 3-year long ship-based measurement campaign as part of the WAGES project. Finally we will consider requirements for future progress.

Near real time vapor detection and enhancement using aerosol adsorption

DOEpatents

Novick, Vincent J.; Johnson, Stanley A.

1999-01-01

A vapor sample detection method where the vapor sample contains vapor and ambient air and surrounding natural background particles. The vapor sample detection method includes the steps of generating a supply of aerosol that have a particular effective median particle size, mixing the aerosol with the vapor sample forming aerosol and adsorbed vapor suspended in an air stream, impacting the suspended aerosol and adsorbed vapor upon a reflecting element, alternatively directing infrared light to the impacted aerosol and adsorbed vapor, detecting and analyzing the alternatively directed infrared light in essentially real time using a spectrometer and a microcomputer and identifying the vapor sample.

Remote sensing of cloud, aerosol and water vapor properties from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, M. D.

1992-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) is an Earth-viewing sensor being developed as a facility instrument for the Earth Observing System (EOS) to be launched in the late 1990s. MODIS consists of two separate instruments that scan a swath width sufficient to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from a polar-orbiting, Sun-synchronous, platform at an altitude of 705 km. Of primary interest for studies of atmospheric physics is the MODIS-N (nadir) instrument which will provide images in 36 spectral bands between 0.415 and 14.235 micrometers with spatial resoulutions of 250 m (2 bands), 500 m (5 bands) and 1000 m (29 bands). These bands have been carefully selected to enable advanced studies of land, ocean and atmosperhic processes. The intent of this lecture is to describe the current status of MODIS-N and its companion instrument MODIS-T (tilt), a tiltable cross-track scanning radiometer with 32 uniformly spaced channels between 0.410 and 0.875 micrometers, and to describe the physical principles behind the development of MODIS for the remote sensing of atmospheric properties. Primary emphasis will be placed on the main atmospheric applications of determining the optical, microphysical and physical properties of clouds and aerosol particles form spectral-reflection and thermal-emission measurements. In addition to cloud and aerosol properties, MODIS-N will be utilized for the determination of the total precipitable water vapor over land and atmospheric stability. The physical principles behind the determination of each of these atmospheric products will be described herein.

Highly time-resolved chemical characterization of atmospheric submicron particles during 2008 Beijing Olympic Games using an Aerodyne High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, X.-F.; He, L.-Y.; Hu, M.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Sun, Y.; Zhang, Q.; Zhu, T.; Xue, L.; Zeng, L.-W.; Liu, X.-G.; Zhang, Y.-H.; Jayne, J. T.; Ng, N. L.; Worsnop, D. R.

2010-09-01

As part of Campaigns of Air Quality Research in Beijing and Surrounding Region-2008 (CAREBeijing-2008), an Aerodyne High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed in urban Beijing to characterize submicron aerosol particles during the time of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (24 July to 20 September 2008). The campaign mean PM1 mass concentration was 63.1 ± 39.8 μg m-3; the mean composition consisted of organics (37.9%), sulfate (26.7%), ammonium (15.9%), nitrate (15.8%), black carbon (3.1%), and chloride (0.87%). The average size distributions of the species (except BC) were all dominated by an accumulation mode peaking at about 600 nm in vacuum aerodynamic diameter, and organics was characterized by an additional smaller mode extending below 100 nm. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis of the high resolution organic mass spectral dataset differentiated the organic aerosol into four components, i.e., hydrocarbon-like (HOA), cooking-related (COA), and two oxygenated organic aerosols (OOA-1 and OOA-2), which on average accounted for 18.1, 24.4, 33.7 and 23.7% of the total organic mass, respectively. The HOA was identified to be closely associated with primary combustion sources, while the COA mass spectrum and diurnal pattern showed similar characteristics to that measured for cooking emissions. The OOA components correspond to aged secondary organic aerosol. Although the two OOA components have similar elemental (O/C, H/C) compositions, they display differences in mass spectra and time series which appear to correlate with the different source regions sampled during the campaign. Back trajectory clustering analysis indicated that the southerly air flows were associated with the highest PM1 pollution during the campaign. Aerosol particles in southern airmasses were especially rich in inorganic and oxidized organic species. Aerosol particles in northern airmasses contained a large fraction of primary HOA

Single-particle characterization of urban aerosol particles collected in three Korean cites using low-Z electron probe X-ray microanalysis.

PubMed

Ro, Chul-Un; Kim, HyeKyeong; Oh, Keun-Young; Yea, Sun Kyung; Lee, Chong Bum; Jang, Meongdo; Van Grieken, René

2002-11-15

A recently developed single-particle analytical technique, called low-Z electron probe X-ray microanalysis (low-Z EPMA), was applied to characterize urban aerosol particles collected in three cities of Korea (Seoul, CheongJu, and ChunCheon) on single days in the winter of 1999. In this study, it is clearly demonstrated that the low-Z EPMA technique can provide detailed and quantitative information on the chemical composition of particles in the urban atmosphere. The collected aerosol particles were analyzed and classified on the basis of their chemical species. Various types of particles were identified, such as soil-derived, carbonaceous, marine-originated, and anthropogenic particles. In the sample collected in Seoul, carbonaceous, aluminosilicates, silicon dioxide, and calcium carbonate aerosol particles were abundantly encountered. In the CheongJu and ChunCheon samples, carbonaceous, aluminosilicates, reacted sea salts, and ammonium sulfate aerosol particles were often seen. However, in the CheongJu sample, ammonium sulfate particles were the most abundant in the fine fraction. Also, calcium sulfate and nitrate particles were significantly observed. In the ChunCheon sample, organic particles were the most abundant in the fine fraction. Also, sodium nitrate particles were seen at high levels. The ChunCheon sample seemed to be strongly influenced by sea-salt aerosols originating from the Yellow Sea, which is located about 115 km away from the city.

A new description of Titan's aerosol optical properties from the analysis of VIMS Emission Phase Function observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maltagliati, Luca; Rodriguez, Sebastien; Sotin, Christophe; Rannou, Pascal; Bezard, Bruno; Cornet, Thomas

2016-06-01

The Huygens probe gave unprecedented information on the properties of Titan's aerosols (vertical distribution, opacity as a function of wavelength, phase function, single scattering albedo) by in-situ measurements (Tomasko et al. 2008). Being the only existing in-situ atmospheric probing for Titan, this aerosol model currently is the reference for many Titan studies (e.g. by being applied as physical input in radiative transfer models of the atmosphere). Recently a reanalysis of the DISR dataset, corroborated by data from the Downward-Looking Visible Spectrometer (DLVS), was carried out by the same group (Doose et al. 2016), leading to significant changes to the indications given by Tomasko et al. (2008). Here we present the analysis of the Emission Phase Function observation (EPF) performed by VIMS during the Cassini flyby T88 (November 2012). An EPF observes the same spot on the surface (and thus the same atmosphere) with the same emergence angle but with different incidence angles. In this way, our EPF allows, for the first time, to have direct information on the phase function of Titan's aerosols, as well as on other important physical parameters of the aerosols as the behavior of their extinction as a function of wavelength and the single scattering albedo (also as a function of wavelength) for the whole VIMS range (0.8-5.2 µm). The T88 EPF is composed of 25 VIMS datacubes spanning a scattering angle range approximately from 0°to 70°. We used the radiative transfer model described in Hirtzig et al. (2013) as baseline, updated with improved methane (+ related isotopes) spectroscopy. By changing the aerosol description in the model, we found the combination of aerosol optical parameters that fits best a constant aerosol column density over the whole set of the VIMS datacubes. We confirmed that the new results from Doose et al. (2016) do improve the fit for what concerns the vertical profile and the extinction as a function of wavelength. However, a different

A new description of Titan's aerosol optical properties from the analysis of VIMS Emission Phase Function observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Sebastien; Maltagliati, Luca; Sotin, Christophe; Rannou, Pascal; Bézard, Bruno; Cornet, Thomas

2016-10-01

The Huygens probe gave unprecedented information on the properties of Titan's aerosols (vertical distribution, opacity as a function of wavelength, phase function, single scattering albedo) by in-situ measurements (Tomasko et al. 2008). Being the only existing in-situ atmospheric probing for Titan, this aerosol model currently is the reference for many Titan studies (e.g. by being applied as physical input in radiative transfer models of the atmosphere). Recently a reanalysis of the DISR dataset, corroborated by data from the Downward-Looking Visible Spectrometer (DLVS), was carried out by the same group (Doose et al. 2016), leading to significant changes to the indications given by Tomasko et al. (2008).Here we present the analysis of the Emission Phase Function observation (EPF) performed by VIMS during the Cassini flyby T88 (November 2012). An EPF observes the same spot on the surface (and thus the same atmosphere) with the same emergence angle but with different incidence angles. In this way, our EPF allows, for the first time, to have direct information on the phase function of Titan's aerosols, as well as on other important physical parameters of the aerosols as the behavior of their extinction as a function of wavelength and the single scattering albedo (also as a function of wavelength) for the whole VIMS range (0.8-5.2 μm). The T88 EPF is composed of 25 VIMS datacubes spanning a scattering angle range approximately from 0°to 70°.We used the radiative transfer model described in Hirtzig et al. (2013) as baseline, updated with improved methane (+ related isotopes) spectroscopy. By changing the aerosol description in the model, we found the combination of aerosol optical parameters that fits best a constant aerosol column density over the whole set of the VIMS datacubes. We confirmed that the new results from Doose et al. (2016) do improve the fit for what concerns the vertical profile and the extinction as a function of wavelength. However, a different

An Intercomparison of Research Scanning Polarimeter Cloud Droplet Number Concentrations with Aerosol Properties over the Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinclair, K.; van Diedenhoven, B.; Cairns, B.; Alexandrov, M. D.; Ziemba, L. D.; Moore, R.; Crosbie, E.; Hostetler, C. A.

2016-12-01

Cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) is a key parameter of of liquid clouds and is essential for the understanding of aerosol-cloud interaction. It couples surface aerosol composition and chemistry on the one hand and cloud reflectivity on the other. It impacts radiative forcing, cloud evolution, precipitation, global climate and, through observation, can be used to monitor the cloud albedo effect, or the first indirect effect. The North Atlantic and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES), which is a NASA-led ship and air campaign that takes place off the east coast of Newfoundland, observed many low cloud decks and aerosols over a marine environment. This campaign has completed two of four deployments and provides an excellent opportunity for the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) to cross-validate its approach of sensing CDNC with the Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment's (LARGE's) Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP). The RSP is an airborne scanning sensor that provides high-precision measurements of polarized and full-intensity radiances at multiple angles over a wide spectral range. Each of the four NAAMES deployments are aligned to a specific annual event in the plankton cycle, along with other variations in environmental conditions. The Fall 2015 and spring 2016 deployments allow us to demonstrate and characterize the RSP's performance over a range of CDNCs and cloud types. We also assess correlations between the RSP CDNC measurements and atmospheric aerosol load. Using the LARGE Cloud Particle Counter (CPC) and Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), links between the size and type of aerosols and the RSP CDNC retrievals are explored.

ACTRIS ACSM intercomparison - Part 2: Intercomparison of ME-2 organic source apportionment results from 15 individual, co-located aerosol mass spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fröhlich, R.; Crenn, V.; Setyan, A.; Belis, C. A.; Canonaco, F.; Favez, O.; Riffault, V.; Slowik, J. G.; Aas, W.; Aijälä, M.; Alastuey, A.; Artiñano, B.; Bonnaire, N.; Bozzetti, C.; Bressi, M.; Carbone, C.; Coz, E.; Croteau, P. L.; Cubison, M. J.; Esser-Gietl, J. K.; Green, D. C.; Gros, V.; Heikkinen, L.; Herrmann, H.; Jayne, J. T.; Lunder, C. R.; Minguillón, M. C.; Močnik, G.; O'Dowd, C. D.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Petralia, E.; Poulain, L.; Priestman, M.; Ripoll, A.; Sarda-Estève, R.; Wiedensohler, A.; Baltensperger, U.; Sciare, J.; Prévôt, A. S. H.

2015-06-01

Chemically resolved atmospheric aerosol data sets from the largest intercomparison of the Aerodyne aerosol chemical speciation monitors (ACSMs) performed to date were collected at the French atmospheric supersite SIRTA. In total 13 quadrupole ACSMs (Q-ACSM) from the European ACTRIS ACSM network, one time-of-flight ACSM (ToF-ACSM), and one high-resolution ToF aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) were operated in parallel for about 3 weeks in November and December~2013. Part 1 of this study reports on the accuracy and precision of the instruments for all the measured species. In this work we report on the intercomparison of organic components and the results from factor analysis source apportionment by positive matrix factorisation (PMF) utilising the multilinear engine 2 (ME-2). Except for the organic contribution of mass-to-charge ratio m/z 44 to the total organics (f44), which varied by factors between 0.6 and 1.3 compared to the mean, the peaks in the organic mass spectra were similar among instruments. The m/z 44 differences in the spectra resulted in a variable f44 in the source profiles extracted by ME-2, but had only a minor influence on the extracted mass contributions of the sources. The presented source apportionment yielded four factors for all 15 instruments: hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), cooking-related organic aerosol (COA), biomass burning-related organic aerosol (BBOA) and secondary oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA). ME-2 boundary conditions (profile constraints) were optimised individually by means of correlation to external data in order to achieve equivalent / comparable solutions for all ACSM instruments and the results are discussed together with the investigation of the influence of alternative anchors (reference profiles). A comparison of the ME-2 source apportionment output of all 15 instruments resulted in relative standard deviations (SD) from the mean between 13.7 and 22.7 % of the source's average mass contribution depending on the

A scattering methodology for droplet sizing of e-cigarette aerosols.

PubMed

Pratte, Pascal; Cosandey, Stéphane; Goujon-Ginglinger, Catherine

2016-10-01

Knowledge of the droplet size distribution of inhalable aerosols is important to predict aerosol deposition yield at various respiratory tract locations in human. Optical methodologies are usually preferred over the multi-stage cascade impactor for high-throughput measurements of aerosol particle/droplet size distributions. Evaluate the Laser Aerosol Spectrometer technology based on Polystyrene Sphere Latex (PSL) calibration curve applied for the experimental determination of droplet size distributions in the diameter range typical of commercial e-cigarette aerosols (147-1361 nm). This calibration procedure was tested for a TSI Laser Aerosol Spectrometer (LAS) operating at a wavelength of 633 nm and assessed against model di-ethyl-hexyl-sebacat (DEHS) droplets and e-cigarette aerosols. The PSL size response was measured, and intra- and between-day standard deviations calculated. DEHS droplet sizes were underestimated by 15-20% by the LAS when the PSL calibration curve was used; however, the intra- and between-day relative standard deviations were < 3%. This bias is attributed to the fact that the index of refraction of PSL calibrated particles is different in comparison to test aerosols. This 15-20% does not include the droplet evaporation component, which may reduce droplet size prior a measurement is performed. Aerosol concentration was measured accurately with a maximum uncertainty of 20%. Count median diameters and mass median aerodynamic diameters of selected e-cigarette aerosols ranged from 130-191 nm to 225-293 nm, respectively, similar to published values. The LAS instrument can be used to measure e-cigarette aerosol droplet size distributions with a bias underestimating the expected value by 15-20% when using a precise PSL calibration curve. Controlled variability of DEHS size measurements can be achieved with the LAS system; however, this method can only be applied to test aerosols having a refractive index close to that of PSL particles used

Near real time vapor detection and enhancement using aerosol adsorption

DOEpatents

Novick, V.J.; Johnson, S.A.

1999-08-03

A vapor sample detection method is described where the vapor sample contains vapor and ambient air and surrounding natural background particles. The vapor sample detection method includes the steps of generating a supply of aerosol that have a particular effective median particle size, mixing the aerosol with the vapor sample forming aerosol and adsorbed vapor suspended in an air stream, impacting the suspended aerosol and adsorbed vapor upon a reflecting element, alternatively directing infrared light to the impacted aerosol and adsorbed vapor, detecting and analyzing the alternatively directed infrared light in essentially real time using a spectrometer and a microcomputer and identifying the vapor sample. 13 figs.

Evaluating aerosol influence on cloud models using in-situ measurements during the INUPIAQ campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrington, R.; Connolly, P.; Choularton, T.; Bower, K.; Lloyd, G.; Flynn, M.; Crosier, J.; Field, P.

2014-12-01

At temperatures between -35°C and 0°C, the presence of insoluble aerosols acting as ice nuclei (IN) initiate the nucleation of ice under atmospheric conditions. Previous field and laboratory campaigns have suggested that mineral dust present in the atmosphere act as IN at temperatures around -20°C (e.g. Sassen et al. 2003), however the cause of ice nucleation at temperatures of around -5°C is less certain. Coupled with the limited representation of aerosol and cloud processes in large-scale weather and climate models, the need for improved in-situ measurements of aerosol properties and cloud micro-physical processes to drive the improvement of aerosol-clouds processes in models is evident. As part of the Ice NUcleation Process Investigation and Quantification (INUPIAQ) project, two field campaigns were conducted in early 2013 and early 2014. Both campaigns included measurements of cloud micro-physical properties at the summit of Jungfraujoch in Switzerland (3580m asl). Using data from the 2013 campaign and modelling simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF), an upwind site, located at Schilthorn (2970m asl), was determined for measuring aerosol properties out of cloud during the 2014 campaign. Further measurements of the cloud and aerosols properties were taken remotely using a doppler LiDAR located at Kleine Scheidegg (2061m asl). The aim of this project is to determine whether detailed aerosol information is important to determining cloud and precipitation properties downwind. To this end WRF was run using the aerosol number concentrations and size distributions measured at the Schilthorn site to compare modelled ice number concentrations with measurements taken at Jungfraujoch using state of the science cloud ice probes, including the Three-View Cloud Particle Imager (3V-CPI) and the Cloud Aerosol Spectrometer with Depolarization (CAS-DPOL), with the results of the comparison presented and discussed at this meeting. References

Sugars in Antarctic aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbaro, Elena; Kirchgeorg, Torben; Zangrando, Roberta; Vecchiato, Marco; Piazza, Rossano; Barbante, Carlo; Gambaro, Andrea

2015-10-01

The processes and transformations occurring in the Antarctic aerosol during atmospheric transport were described using selected sugars as source tracers. Monosaccharides (arabinose, fructose, galactose, glucose, mannose, ribose, xylose), disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose, lactulose), alcohol-sugars (erythritol, mannitol, ribitol, sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, galactitol) and anhydrosugars (levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan) were measured in the Antarctic aerosol collected during four different sampling campaigns. For quantification, a sensitive high-pressure anion exchange chromatography was coupled with a single quadrupole mass spectrometer. The method was validated, showing good accuracy and low method quantification limits. This study describes the first determination of sugars in the Antarctic aerosol. The total mean concentration of sugars in the aerosol collected at the ;Mario Zucchelli; coastal station was 140 pg m-3; as for the aerosol collected over the Antarctic plateau during two consecutive sampling campaigns, the concentration amounted to 440 and 438 pg m-3. The study of particle-size distribution allowed us to identify the natural emission from spores or from sea-spray as the main sources of sugars in the coastal area. The enrichment of sugars in the fine fraction of the aerosol collected on the Antarctic plateau is due to the degradation of particles during long-range atmospheric transport. The composition of sugars in the coarse fraction was also investigated in the aerosol collected during the oceanographic cruise.

Attenuated total reflectance FT-IR imaging and quantitative energy dispersive-electron probe X-ray microanalysis techniques for single particle analysis of atmospheric aerosol particles.

PubMed

Ryu, JiYeon; Ro, Chul-Un

2009-08-15

This work demonstrates the practical applicability of the combined use of attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FT-IR imaging and low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) techniques for the characterization of individual aerosol particles. These two single particle analytical techniques provide complementary information on the physicochemical characteristics of the same individual particles, that is, the low-Z particle EPMA for the information on the morphology and elemental concentration and the ATR-FT-IR imaging on the functional group, molecular species, and crystal structure. It was confirmed that the ATR-FT-IR imaging technique can provide sufficient FT-IR absorption signals to perform molecular speciation of individual particles of micrometer size when applied to artificially generated aerosol particles such as ascorbic acid and NaNO(3) aerosols. An exemplar indoor atmospheric aerosol sample was investigated to demonstrate the practical feasibility of the combined application of ATR-FT-IR imaging and low-Z particle EPMA techniques for the characterization of individual airborne particles.

13C and 15N fractionation of CH4/N2 mixtures during photochemical aerosol formation: Relevance to Titan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebree, Joshua A.; Stern, Jennifer C.; Mandt, Kathleen E.; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn D.; Trainer, Melissa G.

2016-05-01

The ratios of the stable isotopes that comprise each chemical species in Titan's atmosphere provide critical information towards understanding the processes taking place within its modern and ancient atmosphere. Several stable isotope pairs, including 12C/13C and 14N/15N, have been measured in situ or probed spectroscopically by Cassini-borne instruments, space telescopes, or through ground-based observations. Current attempts to model the observed isotope ratios incorporate fractionation resulting from atmospheric diffusion, hydrodynamic escape, and primary photochemical processes. However, the effect of a potentially critical pathway for isotopic fractionation - organic aerosol formation and subsequent deposition onto the surface of Titan - has not been considered due to insufficient data regarding fractionation during aerosol formation. To better understand the nature of this process, we have conducted a laboratory study to measure the isotopic fractionation associated with the formation of Titan aerosol analogs, commonly referred to as 'tholins', via far-UV irradiation of several methane (CH4) and dinitrogen (N2) mixtures. Analysis of the δ13C and δ15N isotopic signatures of the photochemical aerosol products using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) show that fractionation direction and magnitude are dependent on the initial bulk composition of the gas mixture. In general, the aerosols showed enrichment in 13C and 14N, and the observed fractionation trends can provide insight into the chemical mechanisms controlling photochemical aerosol formation.

The evolution of Titan's high-altitude aerosols under ultraviolet irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrasco, Nathalie; Tigrine, Sarah; Gavilan, Lisseth; Nahon, Laurent; Gudipati, Murthy S.

2018-04-01

The Cassini-Huygens space mission revealed that Titan's thick brownish haze is initiated high in the atmosphere at an altitude of about 1,000 km, before a slow transportation down to the surface. Close to the surface, at altitudes below 130 km, the Huygens probe provided information on the chemical composition of the haze. So far, we have not had insights into the possible photochemical evolution of the aerosols making up the haze during their descent. Here, we address this atmospheric aerosol aging process, simulating in the laboratory how solar vacuum ultraviolet irradiation affects the aerosol optical properties as probed by infrared spectroscopy. An important evolution was found that could explain the apparent contradiction between the nitrogen-poor infrared spectroscopic signature observed by Cassini below 600 km of altitude in Titan's atmosphere and a high nitrogen content as measured by the aerosol collector and pyrolyser of the Huygens probe at the surface of Titan.

The evolution of Titan's high-altitude aerosols under ultraviolet irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrasco, Nathalie; Tigrine, Sarah; Gavilan, Lisseth; Nahon, Laurent; Gudipati, Murthy S.

2018-06-01

The Cassini-Huygens space mission revealed that Titan's thick brownish haze is initiated high in the atmosphere at an altitude of about 1,000 km, before a slow transportation down to the surface. Close to the surface, at altitudes below 130 km, the Huygens probe provided information on the chemical composition of the haze. So far, we have not had insights into the possible photochemical evolution of the aerosols making up the haze during their descent. Here, we address this atmospheric aerosol aging process, simulating in the laboratory how solar vacuum ultraviolet irradiation affects the aerosol optical properties as probed by infrared spectroscopy. An important evolution was found that could explain the apparent contradiction between the nitrogen-poor infrared spectroscopic signature observed by Cassini below 600 km of altitude in Titan's atmosphere and a high nitrogen content as measured by the aerosol collector and pyrolyser of the Huygens probe at the surface of Titan.

Ubiquitous influence of wildfire emissions and secondary organic aerosol on summertime atmospheric aerosol in the forested Great Lakes region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunsch, Matthew J.; May, Nathaniel W.; Wen, Miao; Bottenus, Courtney L. H.; Gardner, Daniel J.; VanReken, Timothy M.; Bertman, Steven B.; Hopke, Philip K.; Ault, Andrew P.; Pratt, Kerri A.

2018-03-01

Long-range aerosol transport affects locations hundreds of kilometers from the point of emission, leading to distant particle sources influencing rural environments that have few major local sources. Source apportionment was conducted using real-time aerosol chemistry measurements made in July 2014 at the forested University of Michigan Biological Station near Pellston, Michigan, a site representative of the remote forested Great Lakes region. Size-resolved chemical composition of individual 0.5-2.0 µm particles was measured using an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS), and non-refractory aerosol mass less than 1 µm (PM1) was measured with a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS). The field site was influenced by air masses transporting Canadian wildfire emissions and urban pollution from Milwaukee and Chicago. During wildfire-influenced periods, 0.5-2.0 µm particles were primarily aged biomass burning particles (88 % by number). These particles were heavily coated with secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed during transport, with organics (average O/C ratio of 0.8) contributing 89 % of the PM1 mass. During urban-influenced periods, organic carbon, elemental carbon-organic carbon, and aged biomass burning particles were identified, with inorganic secondary species (ammonium, sulfate, and nitrate) contributing 41 % of the PM1 mass, indicative of atmospheric processing. With current models underpredicting organic carbon in this region and biomass burning being the largest combustion contributor to SOA by mass, these results highlight the importance for regional chemical transport models to accurately predict the impact of long-range transported particles on air quality in the upper Midwest, United States, particularly considering increasing intensity and frequency of Canadian wildfires.

Measurements of the aerosol chemical composition and mixing state in the Po Valley using multiple spectroscopic techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decesari, S.; Allan, J.; Plass-Duelmer, C.; Williams, B. J.; Paglione, M.; Facchini, M. C.; O'Dowd, C.; Harrison, R. M.; Gietl, J. K.; Coe, H.; Giulianelli, L.; Gobbi, G. P.; Lanconelli, C.; Carbone, C.; Worsnop, D.; Lambe, A. T.; Ahern, A. T.; Moretti, F.; Tagliavini, E.; Elste, T.; Gilde, S.; Zhang, Y.; Dall'Osto, M.

2014-04-01

The use of co-located multiple spectroscopic techniques can provide detailed information on the atmospheric processes regulating aerosol chemical composition and mixing state. So far, field campaigns heavily equipped with aerosol mass spectrometers have been carried out mainly in large conurbations and in areas directly affected by their outflow, whereas lesser efforts have been dedicated to continental areas characterized by a less dense urbanization. We present here the results obtained in San Pietro Capofiume, which is located in a sparsely inhabited sector of the Po Valley, Italy. The experiment was carried out in summer 2009 in the framework of the EUCAARI project ("European Integrated Project on Aerosol, Cloud Climate Aerosol Interaction"). For the first time in Europe, six state-of-the-art techniques were used in parallel: (1) on-line TSI aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS), (2) on-line Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-TOF-AMS), (3) soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS), (4) on-line high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer-thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatograph (HR-ToFMS-TAG), (5) off-line twelve-hour resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR) spectroscopy, and (6) chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) for the analysis of gas-phase precursors of secondary aerosol. Data from each aerosol spectroscopic method were analysed individually following ad-hoc tools (i.e. PMF for AMS, Art-2a for ATOFMS). The results obtained from each techniques are herein presented and compared. This allows us to clearly link the modifications in aerosol chemical composition to transitions in air mass origin and meteorological regimes. Under stagnant conditions, atmospheric stratification at night and early morning hours led to the accumulation of aerosols produced by anthropogenic sources distributed over the Po Valley plain. Such aerosols include primary components such as black carbon (BC

Black carbon aerosol mixing state, organic aerosols and aerosol optical properties over the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMeeking, G. R.; Morgan, W. T.; Flynn, M.; Highwood, E. J.; Turnbull, K.; Haywood, J.; Coe, H.

2011-05-01

Black carbon (BC) aerosols absorb sunlight thereby leading to a positive radiative forcing and a warming of climate and can also impact human health through their impact on the respiratory system. The state of mixing of BC with other aerosol species, particularly the degree of internal/external mixing, has been highlighted as a major uncertainty in assessing its radiative forcing and hence its climate impact, but few in situ observations of mixing state exist. We present airborne single particle soot photometer (SP2) measurements of refractory BC (rBC) mass concentrations and mixing state coupled with aerosol composition and optical properties measured in urban plumes and regional pollution over the UK. All data were obtained using instrumentation flown on the UK's BAe-146-301 large Atmospheric Research Aircraft (ARA) operated by the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM). We measured sub-micron aerosol composition using an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and used positive matrix factorization to separate hydrocarbon-like (HOA) and oxygenated organic aerosols (OOA). We found a higher number fraction of thickly coated rBC particles in air masses with large OOA relative to HOA, higher ozone-to-nitrogen oxides (NOx) ratios and large concentrations of total sub-micron aerosol mass relative to rBC mass concentrations. The more ozone- and OOA-rich air masses were associated with transport from continental Europe, while plumes from UK cities had higher HOA and NOx and fewer thickly coated rBC particles. We did not observe any significant change in the rBC mass absorption efficiency calculated from rBC mass and light absorption coefficients measured by a particle soot absorption photometer despite observing significant changes in aerosol composition and rBC mixing state. The contributions of light scattering and absorption to total extinction (quantified by the single scattering albedo; SSA) did change for different air masses, with lower SSA observed in

A fast integrated mobility spectrometer for rapid measurement of sub-micrometer aerosol size distribution, Part I: Design and model evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Jian; Pikridas, Michael; Spielman, Steven R.

This study discusses, a fast integrated mobility spectrometer (FIMS) was previously developed to characterize submicron aerosol size distributions at a frequency of 1 Hz and with high size resolution and counting statistics. However, the dynamic size range of the FIMS was limited to one decade in particle electrical mobility. It was proposed that the FIMS dynamic size range can be greatly increased by using a spatially varying electric field. This electric field creates regions with drastically different field strengths in the separator, such that particles of a wide diameter range can be simultaneously classified and subsequently measured. A FIMS incorporatingmore » this spatially varying electric field is developed. This paper describes the theoretical frame work and numerical simulations of the FIMS with extended dynamic size range, including the spatially varying electric field, particle trajectories, activation of separated particles in the condenser, and the transfer function, transmission efficiency, and mobility resolution. The influences of the particle Brownian motion on FIMS transfer function and mobility resolution are examined. The simulation results indicate that the FIMS incorporating the spatially varying electric field is capable of measuring aerosol size distribution from 8 to 600 nm with high time resolution. As a result, the experimental characterization of the FIMS is presented in an accompanying paper.« less

A fast integrated mobility spectrometer for rapid measurement of sub-micrometer aerosol size distribution, Part I: Design and model evaluation

DOE PAGES

Wang, Jian; Pikridas, Michael; Spielman, Steven R.; ...

2017-06-01

This study discusses, a fast integrated mobility spectrometer (FIMS) was previously developed to characterize submicron aerosol size distributions at a frequency of 1 Hz and with high size resolution and counting statistics. However, the dynamic size range of the FIMS was limited to one decade in particle electrical mobility. It was proposed that the FIMS dynamic size range can be greatly increased by using a spatially varying electric field. This electric field creates regions with drastically different field strengths in the separator, such that particles of a wide diameter range can be simultaneously classified and subsequently measured. A FIMS incorporatingmore » this spatially varying electric field is developed. This paper describes the theoretical frame work and numerical simulations of the FIMS with extended dynamic size range, including the spatially varying electric field, particle trajectories, activation of separated particles in the condenser, and the transfer function, transmission efficiency, and mobility resolution. The influences of the particle Brownian motion on FIMS transfer function and mobility resolution are examined. The simulation results indicate that the FIMS incorporating the spatially varying electric field is capable of measuring aerosol size distribution from 8 to 600 nm with high time resolution. As a result, the experimental characterization of the FIMS is presented in an accompanying paper.« less

In-situ droplet monitoring for self-tuning spectrometers

DOEpatents

Montaser, Akbar; Jorabchi, Kaveh; Kahen, Kaveh

2010-09-28

A laser scattering based imaging technique is utilized in order to visualize the aerosol droplets in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) torch from an aerosol source to the site of analytical measurements. The resulting snapshots provide key information about the spatial distribution of the aerosol introduced by direct and indirect injection devices: 1) a direct injection high efficiency nebulizer (DIHEN); 2) a large-bore DIHEN (LB-DIHEN); and 3) a PFA microflow nebulizer with a PFA Scott-type spray chamber. Moreover, particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to study the in-situ behavior of the aerosol before interaction with, for example, plasma, while the individual surviving droplets are explored by particle tracking velocimetry (PTV). Further, the velocity distribution of the surviving droplets demonstrates the importance of the initial droplet velocities in complete desolvation of the aerosol for optimum analytical performance in ICP spectrometries. These new observations are important in the design of the next-generation direct injection devices for lower sample consumption, higher sensitivity, lower noise levels, suppressed matrix effects, and for developing smart spectrometers. For example, a controller can be provided to control the output of the aerosol source by controlling the configuration of the source or the gas flow rate via feedback information concerning the aerosol.

Multiplexing in astrophysics with a UV multi-object spectrometer on CETUS, a probe-class mission study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kendrick, Stephen E.; Woodruff, Robert A.; Hull, Tony; Heap, Sara R.; Kutyrev, Alexander; Danchi, William; Purves, Lloyd

2017-09-01

The ultraviolet multi-object spectrograph (MOS) for the Cosmic Evolution Through UV Spectroscopy (CETUS) concept1,2 is a slit-based instrument allowing multiple simultaneous observations over a wide field of view. It utilizes a next-generation micro-shutter array, an efficient aspheric Offner spectrometer design with a convex grating, and carbon nanotube light traps for suppressing unwanted wavelengths. The optical coatings are also designed to optimize the UV throughput while minimizing out-of-band signal at the detector. The UV MOS will be able to target up to 100 objects at a time without the issues of confusion with nearby sources or unwanted background like zodiacal stray light. With this multiplexing, the scientific yield of both Probe and Great Observatories will be greatly enhanced.

Mixing state of particles with secondary species by single particle aerosol mass spectrometer in an atmospheric pollution event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lingling; Chen, Jinsheng

2016-04-01

Single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) was used to characterize size distribution, chemical composition, and mixing state of particles in an atmospheric pollution event during 20 Oct. - 5 Nov., 2015 in Xiamen, Southeast China. A total of 533,012 particle mass spectra were obtained and clustered into six groups, comprising of industry metal (4.5%), dust particles (2.6%), carbonaceous species (70.7%), K-Rich particles (20.7%), seasalt (0.6%) and other particles (0.9%). Carbonaceous species were further divided into EC (70.6%), OC (28.5%), and mixed ECOC (0.9%). There were 61.7%, 58.3%, 4.0%, and 14.6% of particles internally mixed with sulfate, nitrate, ammonium and C2H3O, respectively, indicating that these particles had undergone significant aging processing. Sulfate was preferentially mixed with carbonaceous particles, while nitrate tended to mix with metal-containing and dust particles. Compared to clear days, the fractions of EC-, metal- and dust particles remarkably increased, while the fraction of OC-containing particles decreased in pollution days. The mixing state of particles, excepted for OC-containing particles with secondary species was much stronger in pollution days than that in clear days, which revealed the significant influence of secondary particles in atmospheric pollution. The different activity of OC-containing particles might be related to their much smaller aerodynamic diameter. These results could improve our understanding of aerosol characteristics and could be helpful to further investigate the atmospheric process of particles.

Formation of Oxidized Organic Aerosol (OOA) through Fog Processing in the Po Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilardoni, S.; Paglione, M.; Rinaldi, M.; Giulianelli, L.; Massoli, P.; Hillamo, R. E.; Carbone, S.; Lanconelli, C.; Laaksonen, A. J.; Russell, L. M.; Poluzzi, V.; Fuzzi, S.; Facchini, C.

2014-12-01

Aqueous phase chemistry might be responsible for the formation of a significant fraction of the organic aerosol (OA) observed in the atmosphere, and could explain some of the discrepancies between OA concentration and properties predicted by models and observed in the environment. Aerosol - fog interaction and its effect on submicron aerosol properties were investigated in the Po Valley (northern Italy) during fall 2011, in the framework of the Supersite project (ARPA Emilia Romagna). Composition and physical properties of submicron aerosol were measured online by a High Resolution- Time of Flight - Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-TOF-AMS), a Soot Photometer - Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (SP-AMS), and a Tandem Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (TDMPS). Organic functional group analysis was performed off-line by Hydrogen - Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (H-NMR) spectrometry and by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. Aerosol absorption, scattering, and total extinction were measured simultaneously with a Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), a Nephelometer, and a Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift Spectrometer particle extinction monitor (CAPS PMex), respectively. Water-soluble organic carbon in fog-water was characterized off-line by HR-TOF-AMS. Fourteen distinct fog events were observed. Fog dissipation left behind an aerosol enriched in particles larger than 400 nm, typical of fog and cloud processing, and dominated by secondary species, including ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and oxidized OA (OOA). Source apportionment of OA allowed us to identify OOA as the difference between total OA and primary OA (hydrocarbon like OA and biomass burning OA). The formation of OOA through fog processing is proved by the correlation of OOA concentration with hydroxyl methyl sulfonate signal and by the similarity of OOA spectra with organic mass spectra obtained by re-aerosolization of fog water samples. The oxygen to carbon ratio and the hydrogen to carbon ratio of

Black carbon aerosol mixing state, organic aerosols and aerosol optical properties over the United Kingdom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMeeking, G. R.; Morgan, W. T.; Flynn, M.; Highwood, E. J.; Turnbull, K.; Haywood, J.; Coe, H.

2011-09-01

Black carbon (BC) aerosols absorb sunlight thereby leading to a positive radiative forcing and a warming of climate and can also impact human health through their impact on the respiratory system. The state of mixing of BC with other aerosol species, particularly the degree of internal/external mixing, has been highlighted as a major uncertainty in assessing its radiative forcing and hence its climate impact, but few in situ observations of mixing state exist. We present airborne single particle soot photometer (SP2) measurements of refractory BC (rBC) mass concentrations and mixing state coupled with aerosol composition and optical properties measured in urban plumes and regional pollution over the United Kingdom. All data were obtained using instrumentation flown on the UK's BAe-146-301 large Atmospheric Research Aircraft (ARA) operated by the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM). We measured sub-micron aerosol composition using an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and used positive matrix factorization to separate hydrocarbon-like (HOA) and oxygenated organic aerosols (OOA). We found a higher number fraction of thickly coated rBC particles in air masses with large OOA relative to HOA, higher ozone-to-nitrogen oxides (NOx) ratios and large concentrations of total sub-micron aerosol mass relative to rBC mass concentrations. The more ozone- and OOA-rich air masses were associated with transport from continental Europe, while plumes from UK cities had higher HOA and NOx and fewer thickly coated rBC particles. We did not observe any significant change in the rBC mass absorption efficiency calculated from rBC mass and light absorption coefficients measured by a particle soot absorption photometer despite observing significant changes in aerosol composition and rBC mixing state. The contributions of light scattering and absorption to total extinction (quantified by the single scattering albedo; SSA) did change for different air masses, with lower SSA

Organic Aerosols from SÃO Paulo and its Relationship with Aerosol Absorption and Scattering Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artaxo, P.; Brito, J. F.; Rizzo, L. V.

2012-12-01

The megacity of São Paulo with its 19 million people and 7 million cars is a challenge from the point of view of air pollution. High levels of organic aerosols, PM10, black carbon and ozone and the peculiar situation of the large scale use of ethanol fuel makes it a special case. Little is known about the impact of ethanol on air quality and human health and the increase of ethanol as vehicle fuel is rising worldwide An experiment was designed to physico-chemical properties of aerosols in São Paulo, as well as their optical properties. Aerosol size distribution in the size range of 1nm to 10 micrometers is being measured with a Helsinki University SMPS (Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer), an NAIS (Neutral ion Spectrometer) and a GRIMM OPC (Optical Particle Counter). Optical properties are being measured with a TSI Nephelometer and a Thermo MAAP (Multi Angle Absorption Photometer). A CIMEL sunphotometer from the AERONET network measure the aerosol optical depth. Furthermore, a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) and an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) are used to real-time VOC analysis and aerosol composition, respectively. The ACSM was operated for 3 months continuosly during teh wintertime of 2012. The measured total particle concentration typically varies between 10,000 and 30,000 cm-3 being the lowest late in the night and highest around noon and frequently exceeding 50,000 cm-3. Clear diurnal patterns in aerosol optical properties were observed. Scattering and absorption coefficients typically range between 20 and 100 Mm-1 at 450 nm, and between 10 to 40 Mm-1 at 637 nm, respectively, both of them peaking at 7:00 local time, the morning rush hour. The corresponding single scattering albedo varies between 0.50 and 0.85, indicating a significant contribution of primary absorbing particles to the aerosol population. During the first month a total of seven new particle formation events were observed with growth rates ranging from 9 to 25

Physical and Optical/Radiative Characteristics of Aerosol and Cloud Particles in Tropical Cirrus: Importance in Radiation Balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pueschel, R. F.; Howard, S. D.; Foster, T. C.; Hallett, J.; Arnott, W. P.; Condon, Estelle P. (Technical Monitor)

1996-01-01

Whether cirrus clouds heat or cool the Earth-atmosphere system depends on the relative importance of the cloud shortwave albedo effect and the cloud thermal greenhouse effect. Both are determined by the distribution of ice condensate with cloud particle size. The microphysics instrument package flown aboard the NASA DC-8 in TOGA/COARE included an ice crystal replicator, a 2D Greyscale Cloud Particle Probe and a Forward Scattering Spectrometer Aerosol Probe. In combination, the electro-optical instruments permitted particle size measurements between 0.5 micrometer and 2.6 millimeter diameter. Ice crystal replicas were used to validate signals from the electrooptical instruments. Both optical and scanning electron microscopy were utilized to analyze aerosol and ice particle replicas between 0.1 micrometer and several 100 micrometer diameter. In first approximation, the combined aerosol-cloud particle spectrum in several clouds followed a power law N alpha D(sup -2.5). Thus, large cloud particles carried most of the condensate mass, while small cloud and aerosol particles determined the surface area. The mechanism of formation of small particles is growth of (hygroscopic, possibly ocean-derived) aerosol particles along the Kohler curves. The concentration of small particles is higher and less variable in space and time, and their tropospheric residence time is longer, than those of large cloud particles because of lower sedimentation velocities. Small particles shift effective cloud particle radii to sizes much smaller than the mean diameter of the cloud particles. This causes an increase in shortwave reflectivity and IR emissivity, and a decrease in transmissivity. Occasionally, the cloud reflectivity increased with altitude (decreasing temperature) stronger than did cloud emissivity, yielding enhanced radiative cooling at higher altitudes. Thus, cirrus produced by deep convection in the tropics may be critical in controlling processes whereby energy from warm

Environmental Temperature Effect on the Far-Infrared Absorption Features of Aromatic-Based Titan's Aerosol Analogs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gautier, Thomas; Trainer, Melissa G.; Loeffler, Mark J.; Sebree, Joshua A.; Anderson, Carrie M.

2016-01-01

Benzene detection has been reported in Titans atmosphere both in the stratosphere at ppb levels by remote sensing and in the thermosphere at ppm levels by the Cassini's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer. This detection supports the idea that aromatic and heteroaromatic reaction pathways may play an important role in Titans atmospheric chemistry, especially in the formation of aerosols. Indeed, aromatic molecules are easily dissociated by ultraviolet radiation and can therefore contribute significantly to aerosol formation. It has been shown recently that aerosol analogs produced from a gas mixture containing a low concentration of aromatic and/or heteroaromatic molecules (benzene, naphthalene, pyridine, quinoline and isoquinoline) have spectral signatures below 500/cm, a first step towards reproducing the aerosol spectral features observed by Cassini's Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) in the far infrared. In this work we investigate the influence of environmental temperature on the absorption spectra of such aerosol samples, simulating the temperature range to which aerosols, once formed, are exposed during their transport through Titans stratosphere. Our results show that environmental temperature does not have any major effect on the spectral shape of these aerosol analogs in the far-infrared, which is consistent with the CIRS observations.

Ion and aerosol precursor densities in Titan's ionosphere: A multi-instrument case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shebanits, O.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Edberg, N. J. T.; Crary, F. J.; Wellbrock, A.; Andrews, D. J.; Vigren, E.; Desai, R. T.; Coates, A. J.; Mandt, K. E.; Waite, J. H.

2016-10-01

The importance of the heavy ions and dust grains for the chemistry and aerosol formation in Titan's ionosphere has been well established in the recent years of the Cassini mission. In this study we combine independent in situ plasma (Radio Plasma and Wave Science Langmuir Probe (RPWS/LP)) and particle (Cassini Plasma Science Electron Spectrometer, Cassini Plasma Science Ion Beam Spectrometer, and Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer) measurements of Titan's ionosphere for selected flybys (T16, T29, T40, and T56) to produce altitude profiles of mean ion masses including heavy ions and develop a Titan-specific method for detailed analysis of the RPWS/LP measurements (applicable to all flybys) to further constrain ion charge densities and produce the first empirical estimate of the average charge of negative ions and/or dust grains. Our results reveal the presence of an ion-ion (dusty) plasma below 1100 km altitude, with charge densities exceeding the primary ionization peak densities by a factor ≥2 in the terminator and nightside ionosphere (ne/ni ≤ 0.1). We suggest that ion-ion (dusty) plasma may also be present in the dayside ionosphere below 900 km (ne/ni < 0.5 at 1000 km altitude). The average charge of the dust grains (≥1000 amu) is estimated to be between -2.5 and -1.5 elementary charges, increasing toward lower altitudes.

Laboratory Experiments and Instrument Intercomparison Studies of Carbonaceous Aerosol Particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davidovits, Paul

particles: (a) two well-characterized source of soot particles and (b) a flow reactor for controlled OH and/or O3 oxidation of relevant gas phase species to produce well-characterized SOA particles. After formation, the aerosol particles are subjected to physical and chemical processes that simulate aerosol growth and aging. A suite of instruments in our laboratory is used to characterize the physical and chemical properties of aerosol particles before and after processing. The Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (ToF-AMS) together with a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) measures particle mass, volume, density, composition (including black carbon content), dynamic shape factor, and fractal dimension. The–ToF-AMS was developed at ARI with Boston College participation. About 120 AMS instruments are now in service (including 5 built for DOE laboratories) performing field and laboratory studies world-wide. Other major instruments include a thermal denuder, two Differential Mobility Analyzers (DMA), a Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter (CCN), a Thermal desorption Aerosol GC/MS (TAG) and the new Soot Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (SP-AMS). Optical instrumentation required for the studies have been brought to our laboratory as part of ongoing and planned collaborative projects with colleagues from DOE, NOAA and university laboratories. Optical instruments that will be utilized include a Photoacoustic Spectrometer (PAS), a Cavity Ring Down Aerosol Extinction Spectrometer (CRD-AES), a Photo Thermal Interferometer (PTI), a new 7-wavelength Aethalometer and a Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift Extinction Monitor (CAPS). These instruments are providing aerosol absorption, extinction and scattering coefficients at a range of atmospherically relevant wavelengths. During the past two years our work has continued along the lines of our original proposal. We report on 12 completed and/or continuing projects conducted during the period 08/14 to 0814/2015. These projects are

Variability of Biomass Burning Aerosols Layers and Near Ground

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilescu, Jeni; Belegante, Livio; Marmureanu, Luminita; Toanca, Flori

2016-06-01

The aim of this study is to characterize aerosols from both chemical and optical point of view and to explore the conditions to sense the same particles in elevated layers and at the ground. Three days of continuous measurements using a multi-wavelength depolarization lidar(RALI) and a C-ToF-AMS aerosol mass spectrometer are analyzed. The presence of smoke particles was assessed in low level layers from RALI measurements. Chemical composition of submicronic volatile/semi-volatile aerosols at ground level was monitored by the CTOF AMS Several episodes of biomass burning aerosols have been identified by both techniques due to the presence of specific markers (f60, linear particle depolarization ratio, Ängström exponent).

Global Particle Size Distributions: Measurements during the Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brock, C. A.; Williamson, C.; Kupc, A.; Froyd, K. D.; Richardson, M.; Weinzierl, B.; Dollner, M.; Schuh, H.; Erdesz, F.

2016-12-01

The Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) project is a three-year NASA-sponsored program to map the spatial and temporal distribution of greenhouse gases, reactive species, and aerosol particles from the Arctic to the Antarctic. In situ measurements are being made on the NASA DC-8 research aircraft, which will make four global circumnavigations of the Earth over the mid-Pacific and mid-Atlantic Oceans while continuously profiling between 0.2 and 13 km altitude. In situ microphysical measurements will provide an unique and unprecedented dataset of aerosol particle size distributions between 0.004 and 50 µm diameter. This unbiased, representative dataset allows investigation of new particle formation in the remote troposphere, placing strong observational constraints on the chemical and physical mechanisms that govern particle formation and growth to cloud-active sizes. Particles from 0.004 to 0.055 µm are measured with 10 condensation particle counters. Particles with diameters from 0.06 to 1.0 µm are measured with one-second resolution using two ultra-high sensitivity aerosol size spectrometers (UHSASes). A laser aerosol spectrometer (LAS) measures particle size distributions between 0.12 and 10 µm in diameter. Finally, a cloud, aerosol and precipitation spectrometer (CAPS) underwing optical spectrometer probe sizes ambient particles with diameters from 0.5 to 50 µm and images and sizes precipitation-sized particles. Additional particle instruments on the payload include a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer and a single particle laser-ablation aerosol mass spectrometer. The instruments are calibrated in the laboratory and on the aircraft. Calibrations are checked in flight by introducing four sizes of polystyrene latex (PSL) microspheres into the sampling inlet. The CAPS probe is calibrated using PSL and glass microspheres that are aspirated into the sample volume. Comparisons between the instruments and checks with the calibration aerosol

Synthesizing Scientific Progress: Outcomes from US EPA’s Carbonaceous Aerosols and Source Apportionment STAR Grants

EPA Science Inventory

ABSTRACTA number of studies in the past decade have transformed the way we think about atmospheric aerosols. The advances include, but are not limited to, source apportionment of organics using aerosol mass spectrometer data, the volatility basis set approach, quantifying isopre...

The use of the ion probe mass spectrometer in the measurement of hydrogen concentration gradients in Monel K 500

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truhan, J. J., Jr.; Hehemann, R. F.

1974-01-01

The ion probe mass spectrometer was used to measure hydrogen concentration gradients in cathodically charged Monel K 500. Initial work with the ion probe involved the calibration of the instrument and the establishment of a suitable experimental procedure for this application. Samples of Monel K 500 were cathodically charged in a weak sulfuric acid solution. By varying the current density, different levels of hydrogen were introduced into the samples. Hydrogen concentration gradients were taken by ion sputtering on the surface of these samples and monitoring the behavior of the hydrogen mass peak as a function of time. An attempt was made to determine the relative amounts of hydrogen in the bulk and grain boundaries by analyzing a fresh fracture surface with a higher proportion of grain boundary area. It was found that substantially more hydrogen was detected in the grain boundaries than in the bulk, confirming the predictions of previous workers. A sputter rate determination was made in order to establish the rate of erosion.

Evaluation of Organic Aerosol Formation and Apportionment in a polluted Megacity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsimpidi, A. P.; Karydis, V. A.; Zavala, M.; Lei, W.; Decarlo, P. F.; Ulbrich, I.; Jimenez, J. L.; Molina, L. T.; Pandis, S. N.

2009-04-01

Pollution from megacities and large urban areas is important not only for local effects on health, visibility, and ecosystems but also because of their collective influence on atmospheric chemistry and radiative forcing in regional and global scale. Organic species account for a large fraction of the submicron aerosol mass at most megacities. Urban areas are large sources of organic aerosols and their precursors. Nevertheless, the contributions of primary (POA) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) have been difficult to quantify. In this study, new primary and secondary organic aerosol modules were added to PMCAMx, a three dimensional chemical transport model (Gaydos et al., 2007). The new modeling framework is based on the volatility basis-set approach (Lane et al., 2007): both primary and secondary organic components are assumed to be semivolatile and photochemically reactive and are distributed in logarithmically spaced volatility bins. The emission inventory is modified and the POA emissions are distributed by volatility based on dilution experiments (Robinson et al., 2007). PMCAMx is applied in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area during April 2003 and March 2006. The model predictions are compared with Aerodyne's Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) observations from the MCMA and MILAGRO campaigns respectively. Furthermore, the predicted concentrations over Mexico City are compared against measurements from a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) which was onboard the NSF/NCAR C-130 aircraft as part of the MILAGRO field campaign (DeCarlo et al., 2008). The organic aerosol (OA) to CO ratio is used as an indicator in order to evaluate the photo-oxidation of the predicted OA after its horizontal and vertical advection. References Gaydos, T.M.; Pinder, R.W.; Koo, B.; Fahey, K.M.; Pandis, S.N., 2007. Development and application of a three-dimensional aerosol chemical transport model, PMCAMx. Atmospheric Environment 41, 2594-2611. Lane, T

Measuring Aerosol Size Distributions from the NASA DC-8 in SOLVE II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeves, Michael

2003-01-01

The University of Denver Focused Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer (FCAS 11) and Nucleation-Mode Aerosol Size Spectrometer (N-MASS) were successfully integrated and flown aboard NASA s DC-8 for the second SAGE I11 Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE 11). Both instruments performed well during SOLVE, with virtually complete data coverage for all mission and test flights. The few exceptions to this were the occasional simultaneous zero-check for the instruments, and some data loss for channel 4 of the N-MASS. The only consequence of the latter is reduced resolution in the 15 to 60 nm range for the affected size distributions.

Peak fitting and integration uncertainties for the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbin, J. C.; Othman, A.; Haskins, J. D.; Allan, J. D.; Sierau, B.; Worsnop, D. R.; Lohmann, U.; Mensah, A. A.

2015-04-01

The errors inherent in the fitting and integration of the pseudo-Gaussian ion peaks in Aerodyne High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometers (HR-AMS's) have not been previously addressed as a source of imprecision for these instruments. This manuscript evaluates the significance of these uncertainties and proposes a method for their estimation in routine data analysis. Peak-fitting uncertainties, the most complex source of integration uncertainties, are found to be dominated by errors in m/z calibration. These calibration errors comprise significant amounts of both imprecision and bias, and vary in magnitude from ion to ion. The magnitude of these m/z calibration errors is estimated for an exemplary data set, and used to construct a Monte Carlo model which reproduced well the observed trends in fits to the real data. The empirically-constrained model is used to show that the imprecision in the fitted height of isolated peaks scales linearly with the peak height (i.e., as n1), thus contributing a constant-relative-imprecision term to the overall uncertainty. This constant relative imprecision term dominates the Poisson counting imprecision term (which scales as n0.5) at high signals. The previous HR-AMS uncertainty model therefore underestimates the overall fitting imprecision. The constant relative imprecision in fitted peak height for isolated peaks in the exemplary data set was estimated as ~4% and the overall peak-integration imprecision was approximately 5%. We illustrate the importance of this constant relative imprecision term by performing Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) on a~synthetic HR-AMS data set with and without its inclusion. Finally, the ability of an empirically-constrained Monte Carlo approach to estimate the fitting imprecision for an arbitrary number of known overlapping peaks is demonstrated. Software is available upon request to estimate these error terms in new data sets.

Insights into Submicron Aerosol Composition and Sources from the WINTER Aircraft Campaign Over the Eastern US.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroder, J. C.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Day, D. A.; Fibiger, D. L.; McDuffie, E. E.; Blake, N. J.; Hills, A. J.; Hornbrook, R. S.; Apel, E. C.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Campos, T. L.; Brown, S. S.; Jimenez, J. L.

2015-12-01

The WINTER aircraft campaign was a recent field experiment to probe the sources and evolution of gas pollutants and aerosols in Northeast US urban and industrial plumes during the winter. A highly customized Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) was flown on the NCAR C-130 to characterize submicron aerosol composition and evolution. Thirteen research flights were conducted covering a wide range of conditions, including rural, urban, and marine environments during day and night. Organic aerosol (OA) was a large component of the submicron aerosol in the boundary layer. The fraction of OA (fOA) was smaller (35-40%) than in recent US summer campaigns (~60-70%). Biomass burning was observed to be an important source of OA in the boundary layer, which is consistent with recent wintertime studies that show a substantial contribution of residential wood burning to the OA loadings. OA oxygenation (O/C ratio) shows a broad distribution with a substantial fraction of smaller O/C ratios when compared to previous summertime campaigns. Since measurements were rarely made very close to primary sources (i.e. directly above urban areas), this is consistent with oxidative chemistry being slower during winter. SOA formation and aging in the NYC plume was observed during several flights and compared with summertime results from LA (CalNex) and Mexico City (MILAGRO). Additionally, an oxidation flow reactor (OFR) capable of oxidizing ambient air up to several equivalent days of oxidation was deployed for the first time in an aircraft platform. The aerosol outflow of the OFR was sampled with the AMS to provide real-time snapshots of the potential for aerosol formation and aging. For example, a case study of a flight through the Ohio River valley showed evidence of oxidation of SO2 to sulfate. The measured sulfate enhancements were in good agreement with our OFR chemical model. OFR results for SOA will be discussed.

Characterization of ambient aerosols at the San Francisco International Airport using BioAerosol Mass Spectrometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steele, P T; McJimpsey, E L; Coffee, K R

2006-03-16

The BioAerosol Mass Spectrometry (BAMS) system is a rapidly fieldable, fully autonomous instrument that can perform correlated measurements of multiple orthogonal properties of individual aerosol particles. The BAMS front end uses optical techniques to nondestructively measure a particle's aerodynamic diameter and fluorescence properties. Fluorescence can be excited at 266nm or 355nm and is detected in two broad wavelength bands. Individual particles with appropriate size and fluorescence properties can then be analyzed more thoroughly in a dual-polarity time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Over the course of two deployments to the San Francisco International Airport, more than 6.5 million individual aerosol particles were fullymore » analyzed by the system. Analysis of the resulting data has provided a number of important insights relevant to rapid bioaerosol detection, which are described here.« less

Identification of secondary aerosol precursors emitted by an aircraft turbofan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kılıç, Doğuşhan; El Haddad, Imad; Brem, Benjamin T.; Bruns, Emily; Bozetti, Carlo; Corbin, Joel; Durdina, Lukas; Huang, Ru-Jin; Jiang, Jianhui; Klein, Felix; Lavi, Avi; Pieber, Simone M.; Rindlisbacher, Theo; Rudich, Yinon; Slowik, Jay G.; Wang, Jing; Baltensperger, Urs; Prévôt, Andre S. H.

2018-05-01

Oxidative processing of aircraft turbine-engine exhausts was studied using a potential aerosol mass (PAM) chamber at different engine loads corresponding to typical flight operations. Measurements were conducted at an engine test cell. Organic gases (OGs) and particle emissions pre- and post-PAM were measured. A suite of instruments, including a proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) for OGs, a multigas analyzer for CO, CO2, NOx, and an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) for nonrefractory particulate matter (NR-PM1) were used. Total aerosol mass was dominated by secondary aerosol formation, which was approximately 2 orders of magnitude higher than the primary aerosol. The chemical composition of both gaseous and particle emissions were also monitored at different engine loads and were thrust-dependent. At idling load (thrust 2.5-7 %), more than 90 % of the secondary particle mass was organic and could mostly be explained by the oxidation of gaseous aromatic species, e.g., benzene; toluene; xylenes; tri-, tetra-, and pentamethyl-benzene; and naphthalene. The oxygenated-aromatics, e.g., phenol, furans, were also included in this aromatic fraction and their oxidation could alone explain up to 25 % of the secondary organic particle mass at idling loads. The organic fraction decreased with thrust level, while the inorganic fraction increased. At an approximated cruise load sulfates comprised 85 % of the total secondary particle mass.

Chemical Properties of Brown Carbon Aerosol Generated at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washenfelder, R. A.; Womack, C.; Franchin, A.; Middlebrook, A. M.; Wagner, N.; Manfred, K.

2017-12-01

Aerosol scattering and absorption are still among the largest uncertainties in quantifying radiative forcing. Biomass burning is a major source of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosol in the United States. These aerosol are generally classified into two categories: black carbon (graphitic-like aerosol that absorbs broadly across the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions) and brown carbon (organic aerosol that absorbs strongly in the ultraviolet and near-visible spectral regions). The composition, volatility, and chemical aging of brown carbon are poorly known, but are important to understanding its radiative effects. We deployed three novel instruments to the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in 2016 to measure brown carbon absorption: a photoacoustic spectrometer, broadband cavity enhanced spectrometer, and particle-into-liquid sampler coupled to a liquid waveguide capillary cell. The instruments sampled from a shared inlet with well-characterized dilution and thermal denuding. We sampled smoke from 32 controlled burns of fuels relevant to western U.S. wildfires. We use these measurements to determine the volatility of water-soluble brown carbon, and compare this to the volatility of water-soluble organic aerosol and total organic aerosol. We further examine the wavelength-dependence of the water-soluble brown carbon absorption as a function of denuder temperature. Together this gives new information about the solubility, volatility, and chemical composition of brown carbon.

Evaluation of the new capture vapourizer for aerosol mass spectrometers (AMS) through laboratory studies of inorganic species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Weiwei; Campuzano-Jost, Pedro; Day, Douglas A.; Croteau, Philip; Canagaratna, Manjula R.; Jayne, John T.; Worsnop, Douglas R.; Jimenez, Jose L.

2017-08-01

Aerosol mass spectrometers (AMSs) and Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitors (ACSMs) commercialized by Aerodyne are widely used to measure the non-refractory species in submicron particles. With the standard vapourizer (SV) that is installed in all commercial instruments to date, the quantification of ambient aerosol mass concentration requires the use of the collection efficiency (CE) to correct for the loss of particles due to bounce. A new capture vapourizer (CV) has been designed to reduce the need for a bounce-related CE correction. Two high-resolution AMS instruments, one with a SV and one with a CV, were operated side by side in the laboratory. Four standard species, NH4NO3, NaNO3, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4Cl, which typically constitute the majority of the mass of ambient submicron inorganic species, are studied. The effect of vapourizer temperature (Tv ˜ 200-800 °C) on the detected fragments, CE and size distributions are investigated. A Tv of 500-550 °C for the CV is recommended. In the CV, CE was identical (around unity) for more volatile species (e.g. NH4NO3) and comparable to or higher than the SV for less-volatile species (e.g. (NH4)2SO4), demonstrating an improvement in CE for laboratory inorganic species in the CV. The detected relative intensities of fragments of NO3 and SO4 species observed with the CV are different from those observed with the SV, and are consistent with additional thermal decomposition arising from the increased residence time and multiple collisions. Increased residence times with the CV also lead to broader particle size distribution measurements than with the SV. A method for estimating whether pure species will be detected in AMS sizing mode is proposed. Production of CO2(g) from sampled nitrate on the vapourizer surface, which has been reported for the SV, is negligible for the CV for NH4NO3 and comparable to the SV for NaNO3. . We observe an extremely consistent fragmentation for ammonium compared to very large changes for the

Probing into the aging dynamics of biomass burning aerosol by using satellite measurements of aerosol optical depth and carbon monoxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konovalov, Igor B.; Beekmann, Matthias; Berezin, Evgeny V.; Formenti, Paola; Andreae, Meinrat O.

2017-04-01

Carbonaceous aerosol released into the atmosphere from open biomass burning (BB) is known to undergo considerable chemical and physical transformations (aging). However, there is substantial controversy about the nature and observable effects of these transformations. A shortage of consistent observational evidence on BB aerosol aging processes under different environmental conditions and at various temporal scales hinders development of their adequate representations in chemistry transport models (CTMs). In this study, we obtain insights into the BB aerosol dynamics by using available satellite measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and carbon monoxide (CO). The basic concept of our method is to consider AOD as a function of the BB aerosol photochemical age (that is, the time period characterizing the exposure of BB aerosol emissions to atmospheric oxidation reactions) predicted by means of model tracers. We evaluate the AOD enhancement ratio (ER) defined as the ratio of optical depth of actual BB aerosol with respect to that of a modeled aerosol tracer that is assumed to originate from the same fires as the real BB aerosol but that is not affected by any aging processes. To limit possible effects of model transport errors, the AOD measurements are normalized to CO column amounts that are also retrieved from satellite measurements. The method is applied to the analysis of the meso- and synoptic-scale evolution of aerosol in smoke plumes from major wildfires that occurred in Siberia in summer 2012. AOD and CO retrievals from MODIS and IASI measurements, respectively, are used in combination with simulations performed with the CHIMERE CTM. The analysis indicates that aging processes strongly affected the evolution of BB aerosol in the situation considered, especially in dense plumes (with spatial average PM2. 5 concentration exceeding 100 µg m-3). For such plumes, the ER is found to increase almost 2-fold on the scale of ˜ 10 h of daytime aerosol

Three optical methods for remotely measuring aerosol size distributions.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reagan, J. A.; Herman, B. M.

1971-01-01

Three optical probing methods for remotely measuring atmospheric aerosol size distributions are discussed and contrasted. The particular detection methods which are considered make use of monostatic lidar (laser radar), bistatic lidar, and solar radiometer sensing techniques. The theory of each of these measurement techniques is discussed briefly, and the necessary constraints which must be applied to obtain aerosol size distribution information from such measurements are pointed out. Theoretical and/or experimental results are also presented which demonstrate the utility of the three proposed probing methods.

Aerodynamic design of gas and aerosol samplers for aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soderman, Paul T.; Hazen, Nathan L.; Brune, William H.

1991-01-01

The aerodynamic design of airborne probes for the capture of air and aerosols is discussed. Emphasis is placed on the key parameters that affect proper sampling, such as inlet-lip design, internal duct components for low pressure drop, and exhaust geometry. Inlet designs that avoid sonic flow conditions on the lip and flow separation in the duct are shown. Cross-stream velocities of aerosols are expressed in terms of droplet density and diameter. Flow curvature, which can cause aerosols to cross streamlines and impact on probe walls, can be minimized by means of a proper inlet shape and proper probe orientation, and by avoiding bends upstream of the test section. A NASA panel code called PMARC was used successfully to compute streamlines around aircraft and probes, as well as to compute to local velocity and pressure distributions in inlets. A NACA 1-series inlet with modified lip radius was used for the airborne capture of stratospheric chlorine monoxide at high altitude and high flight speed. The device has a two-stage inlet that decelerates the inflow with little disturbance to the flow through the test section. Diffuser design, exhaust hood design, valve loss, and corner vane geometry are discussed.

Mass Spectrometry for Planetary Probes: Past, Present and Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niemann, Hasso B.; Harpold, Dan N.; Jamieson, Brian G.; Mahaffy, Paul R.

2005-01-01

Atmospheric entry probes present a unique opportunity for performing quantitative analysis of extra-terrestrial atmospheres in cases where remote sensing alone may not be sufficient and measurements with balloons or aircraft is not practical. An entry probe can provide a complete vertical profile of atmospheric parameters including chemical composition, which cannot be obtained with most other techniques. There are, however, unique challenges associated with building instruments for an entry probe, as compared to orbiters, landers, or rovers. Conditions during atmospheric entry are extreme, there are inherent time constraints due to the short duration of the experiment, and the instrument experiences rapid environmental changes in temperature and pressure as it descends. In addition, there are resource limitations, i.e. mass, power, size and bandwidth. Finally, the demands on the instrument design are determined in large part by conditions (pressure, temperature, composition) unique to the particular body under study, and as a result there is no one-size-fits-all instrument for an atmospheric probe. Many of these requirements can be more easily met by miniaturizing the probe instrument. Our experience building mass spectrometers for atmospheric entry probes leads us to believe that the time is right for a fundamental change in the way spaceflight mass spectrometers are built. The emergence over the past twenty years of Micro-electro- mechanical Systems (MEMS), utilizing lithographic semiconductor fabrication techniques to produce instrument systems in miniature, holds great promise for application to spaceflight mass spectrometry. A highly miniaturized, high performance and low-power mass spectrometer would be an enormous benefit to future entry probe missions, allowing, for example, parallel measurements (e.g., multiple simultaneous gas chromatographic analyses and direct atmospheric leaks.) Such an instrument would also enable mass spectrometry on board small

Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) Instrument Improvements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunagan, Stephen E.; Redemann, Jens; Chang, Cecilia; Dahlgren, Robert; Fahey, Lauren; Flynn, Connor; Johnson, Roy; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe; Leblanc, Samuel; Liss, Jordan;

Aerosol volatility in a boreal forest environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Häkkinen, S. A. K.; ńijälä, M.; Lehtipalo, K.; Junninen, H.; Virkkula, A.; Worsnop, D. R.; Kulmala, M.; Petäjä, T.; Riipinen, I.

2012-04-01

Climate and health effects of atmospheric aerosols are determined by their properties such as their chemical composition. Aerosol chemical composition can be studied indirectly by measuring volatility of aerosol particles. The volatility of submicron aerosol particles (20-500 nm) was studied in a boreal forest site at SMEAR II (Station for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations II) station (Vesala et al., 1998) in Hyytiälä, Finland, during 01/2008-05/2010. The instrument used for the measurements was VDMPS (Volatility Differential Mobility Particle Sizer), which consists of two separate instruments: DMPS (Differential Mobility Particle Sizer, Aalto et al., 2001) and TD (Thermodenuder, Wehner et al., 2002). Aerosol evaporation was examined by heating the aerosol and comparing the total aerosol mass before and after heating. In the VDMPS system ambient aerosol sample was heated up to temperatures ranging from 80 °C to 280 °C. The higher the heating temperature was the more aerosol material was evaporated. There was a non-volatile residual present in aerosol particles when heated up to 280 °C. This residual explained (20±8)% of the total aerosol mass. Aerosol non-volatile mass fraction was highest during winter and smallest during summer months. The role of black carbon in the observed non-volatile residual was determined. Black carbon explained 40 to 90% of the non-volatile mass. Especially during colder seasons noticeable amount of non-volatile material, something else than black carbon, was observed. According to Kalberer et al. (2004) some atmospheric organic species can form polymers that have high evaporation temperatures. Also low-volatile organic salts may contribute to the non-volatile aerosol (Smith et al., 2010). Aerosol mass composition measured directly with AMS (Aerosol Mass Spectrometer, Jayne et al., 2000) was analyzed in order to examine the properties of the non-volatile material (other than black carbon). The AMS measurements were performed

Multilaser Herriott Cell for Planetary Tunable Laser Spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarsitano, Christopher G.; Webster, Christopher R.

2007-01-01

Geometric optics and matrix methods are used to mathematically model multilaser Herriott cells for tunable laser absorption spectrometers for planetary missions. The Herriott cells presented accommodate several laser sources that follow independent optical paths but probe a single gas cell. Strategically placed output holes located in the far mirrors of the Herriott cells reduce the size of the spectrometers. A four-channel Herriott cell configuration is presented for the specific application as the sample cell of the tunable laser spectrometer instrument selected for the sample analysis at Mars analytical suite on the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory mission.

A COMPARISON OF PARTICLE MASS SPECTROMETERS DURING THE 1999 ATLANTA SUPERSITES EXPERIMENT

EPA Science Inventory

During the Atlanta SuperSite Experiment, four particle mass spectrometers were operated together for the first time: NOAA's PALMS (Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry), U. C. Riverside's ATOFMS (Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry), U. Delaware's RSMS-II (Rapid Si...

Satellite remote sensing of dust aerosol indirect effects on ice cloud formation.

PubMed

Ou, Steve Szu-Cheng; Liou, Kuo-Nan; Wang, Xingjuan; Hansell, Richard; Lefevre, Randy; Cocks, Stephen

2009-01-20

We undertook a new approach to investigate the aerosol indirect effect of the first kind on ice cloud formation by using available data products from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) and obtained physical understanding about the interaction between aerosols and ice clouds. Our analysis focused on the examination of the variability in the correlation between ice cloud parameters (optical depth, effective particle size, cloud water path, and cloud particle number concentration) and aerosol optical depth and number concentration that were inferred from available satellite cloud and aerosol data products. Correlation results for a number of selected scenes containing dust and ice clouds are presented, and dust aerosol indirect effects on ice clouds are directly demonstrated from satellite observations.

Toward Creating A Global Retrospective Climatology of Aerosol Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curran, Robert J.; Mishchenko, Michael I.; Hansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Tropospheric aerosols are thought to cause a significant direct and indirect climate forcing, but the magnitude of this forcing remains highly uncertain because of poor knowledge of global aerosol characteristics and their temporal changes. The standard long-term global product, the one-channel Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) aerosol optical thickness over the ocean, relies on a single predefined aerosol model and can be inaccurate in many cases. Furthermore, it provides no information on aerosol column number density, thus making it impossible to estimate the indirect aerosol effect on climate. Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data can be used to detect absorbing aerosols over land, but are insensitive to aerosols located below one kilometer. It is thus clear that innovative approaches must be employed in order to extract a more quantitative and accurate aerosol climatology from available satellite and other measurements, thus enabling more reliable estimates of the direct and indirect aerosol forcings. The Global Aerosol Climatology Project (GACP) was established in 1998 as part of the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX). Its main objective is to analyze satellite radiance measurements and field observations to infer the global distribution of aerosols, their properties, and their seasonal and interannual variations. The overall goal is to develop advanced global aerosol climatologies for the period of satellite data and to make the aerosol climatologies broadly available through the GACP web site.

The Mars Microbeam Raman Spectrometer: An Improved Advanced Brassboard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haskin, L. A.; Wang, Alian

2003-01-01

An advanced brassboard (ADBB) of the Mars Miscrobeam Raman Spectrometer is being developed. The probe and spectrograph have been redesigned with improved optics and the electronics have been miniaturized. The modified optical design in the probe and spectrograph provides better spectral resolution than the previous model and enables the probe design to be more compatible with robotic arm deployment. The CCD detector is now cooled thermoelectrically in anticipation of eventual terrestrial field testing of the instrument.

Multichannel Dynamic Fourier-Transform IR Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balashov, A. A.; Vaguine, V. A.; Golyak, Il. S.; Morozov, A. N.; Khorokhorin, A. I.

2017-09-01

A design of a multichannel continuous scan Fourier-transform IR spectrometer for simultaneous recording and analysis of the spectral characteristics of several objects is proposed. For implementing the design, a multi-probe fiber is used, constructed from several optical fibers connected into a single optical connector and attached at the output of the interferometer. The Fourier-transform spectrometer is used as a signal modulator. Each fiber is individually mated with an investigated sample and a dedicated radiation detector. For the developed system, the radiation intensity of the spectrometer is calculated from the condition of the minimum spectral resolution and parameters of the optical fibers. Using the proposed design, emission spectra of a gas-discharge neon lamp have been recorded using a single fiber 1 mm in diameter with a numerical aperture NA = 0.22.

Optical, physical, and chemical properties of springtime aerosol over Barrow Alaska in 2008

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shantz, Nicole C.; Gultepe, Ismail; Andrews, Elisabeth

2014-03-06

Airborne observations from four flights during the 2008 Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) are used to examine some cloud-free optical, physical, and chemical properties of aerosol particles in the springtime Arctic troposphere. The number concentrations of particles larger than 0.12 μm (Na>120), important for light extinction and cloud droplet formation, ranged from 15 to 2260 cm -3, with the higher Na>120 cases dominated by measurements from two flights of long-range transported biomass burning (BB) aerosols. The two other flights examined here document a relatively clean aerosol and an Arctic Haze aerosol impacted by larger particles largely composed of dust.more » For observations from the cleaner case and the BB cases, the particle light scattering coefficients at low relative humidity (RH<20%) increased nonlinearly with increasing Na>120, driven mostly by an increase in mean sizes of particles with increasing Na>120 (BB cases). For those three cases, particle light absorption coefficients also increased nonlinearly with increasing Na>120 and linearly with increasing submicron particle volume concentration. In addition to black carbon, brown carbon was estimated to have increased light absorption coefficients by 27% (450 nm wavelength) and 14% (550 nm) in the BB cases. For the case with strong dust influence, the absorption relative to submicron particle volume was small compared with the other cases. There was a slight gradient of Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP) mean volume diameter (MVD) towards smaller sizes with increasing height, which suggests more scavenging of the more elevated particles, consistent with a typically longer lifetime of particles higher in the atmosphere. However, in approximately 10% of the cases, the MVD increased (>0.4 μm) with increasing altitude, suggesting transport of larger fine particle mass (possibly coarse particle mass) at high levels over the Arctic. This may be because of transport of

The backscatter cloud probe - a compact low-profile autonomous optical spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beswick, K.; Baumgardner, D.; Gallagher, M.; Volz-Thomas, A.; Nedelec, P.; Wang, K.-Y.; Lance, S.

2014-05-01

A compact (500 cm3), lightweight (500 g), near-field, single particle backscattering optical spectrometer is described that mounts flush with the skin of an aircraft and measures the concentration and optical equivalent diameter of particles from 5 to 75 μm. The backscatter cloud probe (BCP) was designed as a real-time qualitative cloud detector primarily for data quality control of trace gas instruments developed for the climate monitoring instrument packages that are being installed on commercial passenger aircraft as part of the European Union In-Service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) program (http://www.iagos.org/). Subsequent evaluations of the BCP measurements on a number of research aircraft, however, have revealed it capable of delivering quantitative particle data products including size distributions, liquid-water content and other information on cloud properties. We demonstrate the instrument's capability for delivering useful long-term climatological, as well as aviation performance information, across a wide range of environmental conditions. The BCP has been evaluated by comparing its measurements with those from other cloud particle spectrometers on research aircraft and several BCPs are currently flying on commercial A340/A330 Airbus passenger airliners. The design and calibration of the BCP is described in this article, along with an evaluation of measurements made on the research and commercial aircraft. Preliminary results from more than 7000 h of airborne measurements by the BCP on two Airbus A340s operating on routine global traffic routes (one Lufthansa, the other China Airlines) show that more than 340 h of cloud data have been recorded at normal cruise altitudes (> 10 km) and more than 40% of the > 1200 flights were through clouds at some point between takeoff and landing. These data are a valuable contribution to databases of cloud properties, including sub-visible cirrus

Analysis of reflectance spectra of UV-absorbing aerosol scenes measured by SCIAMACHY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Graaf, M.; Stammes, P.; Aben, E. A. A.

2007-01-01

Reflectance spectra from 280-1750 nm of typical desert dust aerosol (DDA) and biomass burning aerosol (BBA) scenes over oceans are presented, measured by the space-borne spectrometer Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY). DDA and BBA are both UV-absorbing aerosols, but their effect on the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance is different due to differences in the way mineral aerosols and smoke reflect and absorb radiation. Mineral aerosols are typically large, inert particles, found in warm, dry continental air. Smoke particles, on the other hand, are usually small particles, although often clustered, chemically very active and highly variable in composition. Moreover, BBA are hygroscopic and over oceans BBA were invariably found in cloudy scenes. TOA reflectance spectra of typical DDA and BBA scenes were analyzed, using radiative transfer simulations, and compared. The DDA spectrum was successfully simulated using a layer with a bimodal size distribution of mineral aerosols in a clear sky. The spectrum of the BBA scene, however, was determined by the interaction between cloud droplets and smoke particles, as is shown by simulations with a model of separate aerosol and cloud layers and models with internally and externally mixed aerosol/cloud layers. The occurrence of clouds in smoke scenes when sufficient water vapor is present usually prevents the detection of optical properties of these aerosol plumes using space-borne sensors. However, the Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI), a UV color index, is not sensitive to scattering aerosols and clouds and can be used to detect these otherwise obscured aerosol plumes over clouds. The amount of absorption of radiation can be expressed using the absorption optical thickness. The absorption optical thickness in the DDA case was 0.42 (340 nm) and 0.14 (550 nm) for an aerosol layer of optical thickness 1.74 (550 nm). In the BBA case the absorption optical thickness was 0.18 (340 nm) and 0

The physico-chemical evolution of atmospheric aerosols and the gas-particle partitioning of inorganic aerosol during KORUS-AQ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, T.; Park, T.; Lee, J. B.; Lim, Y. J.; Ahn, J.; Park, J. S.; Soo, C. J.; Desyaterik, Y.; Collett, J. L., Jr.

2017-12-01

Aerosols influence climate change directly by scattering and absorption and indirectly by acting as cloud condensation nuclei and some of the effects of aerosols are reduction in visibility, deterioration of human health, and deposition of pollutants to ecosystems. Urban area is large source of aerosols and aerosol precursors. Aerosol sources are both local and from long-range transport. Long-range transport processed aerosol are often dominant sources of aerosol pollution in Korea. To improve our knowledge of aerosol chemistry, Korea and U.S-Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) of Aircraft-based aerosol measurement took place in and around Seoul, Korea during May and June 2016. KORUS-AQ campaigns were conducted to study the chemical characterization and processes of pollutants in the Seoul Metropolitan area to regional scales of Korean peninsula. Aerodyne High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed on aircraft platforms on-board DC-8 (NASA) aircraft. We characterized aerosol chemical properties and mass concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, ammonium and organics in polluted air plumes and investigate the spatial and vertical distribution of the species. The results of studies show that organics is predominant in Aerosol and a significant fraction of the organics is oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) at the high altitude. Both Nitrate and sulfate can partition between the gas and particle phases. The ratios for HNO3/(N(V) (=gaseous HNO3 + particulate Nitrate) and SO2/(SO2+Sulfate) were found to exhibit quite different distributions between the particles and gas phase for the locations during KORUS-AQ campaign, representing potential for formation of additional particulate nitrate and sulfate. The results of those studies can provide highly resolved temporal and spatial air pollutant, which are valuable for air quality model input parameters for aerosol behaviour.

Environmental temperature effect on the far-infrared absorption features of aromatic-based Titan's aerosol analogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautier, Thomas; Trainer, Melissa G.; Loeffler, Mark J.; Sebree, Joshua A.; Anderson, Carrie M.

2017-01-01

Benzene detection has been reported in Titan's atmosphere both in the stratosphere at ppb levels by remote sensing (Coustenis et al., 2007; Vinatier et al., 2007) and in the thermosphere at ppm levels by the Cassini's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (Waite et al., 2007). This detection supports the idea that aromatic and heteroaromatic reaction pathways may play an important role in Titan's atmospheric chemistry, especially in the formation of aerosols. Indeed, aromatic molecules are easily dissociated by ultraviolet radiation and can therefore contribute significantly to aerosol formation. It has been shown recently that aerosol analogs produced from a gas mixture containing a low concentration of aromatic and/or heteroaromatic molecules (benzene, naphthalene, pyridine, quinoline and isoquinoline) have spectral signatures below 500 cm-1, a first step towards reproducing the aerosol spectral features observed by Cassini's Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) in the far infrared (Anderson and Samuelson 2011, and references therein). In this work we investigate the influence of environmental temperature on the absorption spectra of such aerosol samples, simulating the temperature range to which aerosols, once formed, are exposed during their transport through Titan's stratosphere. Our results show that environmental temperature does not have any major effect on the spectral shape of these aerosol analogs in the far-infrared, which is consistent with the CIRS observations.

Airborne measurements of multi-wavelength aerosol optical depth and cloud-transmitted radiances in the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinozuka, Y.; Johnson, R. R.; LeBlanc, S. E.; Chang, C. S.; Redemann, J.

2016-12-01

We report on our recent airborne measurements of multi-wavelength aerosol optical depth and cloud-transmitted radiances over the North Atlantic. We ran the Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) in November 2015 and the 14-channel Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) in May and June 2016, both aboard the NASA C-130 aircraft. These sunphotometers provide measurements of overlying cirrus and aerosol optical depths of up to about 0.5 and constrain ecosystem and aerosol retrievals from the accompanying nadir-viewing remote sensing instruments. In addition, 4STAR measures hyperspectral transmitted light, which enables the retrieval of cloud optical depth, effective radius, and thermodynamic phase from below cloud. Our measurements contribute to the science objectives of the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES), an interdisciplinary investigation resolving key processes controlling marine ecosystems and aerosols that are essential to our understanding of Earth system function and future change.

Coordinated Airborne, Spaceborne, and Ground-Based Measurements of Massive, Thick Aerosol Layers During the Dry Season in Southern Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmid, B.; Redemann, J.; Russell, P. B.; Hobbs, P. V.; Hlavka, D. L.; McGill, M. J.; Holben, B. N.; Welton, E. J.; Campbell, J.; Torres, O.;

Two-Column Aerosol Project: Aerosol Light Extinction Measurements Field Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dubey, Manvendra; Aiken, Allison; Berg, Larry

We deployed Aerodyne Research Inc.’s first Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift extinction (CAPS PMex) monitor (built by Aerodyne) that measures light extinction by using a visible-light-emitting diode (LED) as a light source, a sample cell incorporating two high-reflectivity mirrors centered at the wavelength of the LED, and a vacuum photodiode detector in Cape Cod in 2012/13 for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP). The efficacy of this instrument is based on the fact that aerosols are broadband scatterers and absorbers of light. The input LED is square-wave modulated and passedmore » through the sample cell that distorts it due to exponential decay by aerosol light absorption and scattering; this is measured at the detector. The amount of phase shift of the light at the detector is used to determine the light extinction. This extinction measurement provides an absolute value, requiring no calibration. The goal was to compare the CAPS performance with direct measurements of absorption with ARM’s baseline photoacoustic soot spectrometer (PASS-3) and nephelometer instruments to evaluate its performance.« less

Photoacoustic absorption spectroscopy of single optically trapped aerosol droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Covert, Paul A.; Cremer, Johannes W.; Signorell, Ruth

2017-08-01

Photoacoustics have been widely used for the study of aerosol optical properties. To date, these studies have been performed on particle ensembles, with minimal ability to control for particle size. Here, we present our singleparticle photoacoustic spectrometer. The sensitivity and stability of the instrument is discussed, along with results from two experiments that illustrate the unique capabilities of this instrument. In the first experiment, we present a measurement of the particle size-dependence of the photoacoustic response. Our results confirm previous models of aerosol photoacoustics that had yet to be experimentally tested. The second set of results reveals a size-dependence of photochemical processes within aerosols that results from the nanofocusing of light within individual droplets.

A New Method Using Single-Particle Mass Spectrometry Data to Distinguish Mineral Dust and Biological Aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Mashat, H.; Kristensen, L.; Sultana, C. M.; Prather, K. A.

2016-12-01

The ability to distinguish types of particles present within a cloud is important for determining accurate inputs to climate models. The chemical composition of particles within cloud liquid droplets and ice crystals can have a significant impact on the timing, location, and amount of precipitation that falls. Precipitation efficiency is increased by the presence of ice crystals in clouds, and both mineral dust and biological aerosols have been shown to be effective ice nucleating particles (INPs) in the atmosphere. A current challenge in aerosol science is distinguishing mineral dust and biological material in the analysis of real-time, ambient, single-particle mass spectral data. Single-particle mass spectrometers are capable of measuring the size-resolved chemical composition of individual atmospheric particles. However, there is no consistent analytical method for distinguishing dust and biological aerosols. Sampling and characterization of control samples (i.e. of known identity) of mineral dust and bacteria were performed by the Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) as part of the Fifth Ice Nucleation (FIN01) Workshop at the Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere (AIDA) facility in Karlsruhe, Germany. Using data collected by the ATOFMS of control samples, a new metric has been developed to classify single particles as dust or biological independent of spectral cluster analysis. This method, involving the use of a ratio of mass spectral peak areas for organic nitrogen and silicates, is easily reproducible and does not rely on extensive knowledge of particle chemistry or the ionization characteristics of mass spectrometers. This represents a step toward rapidly distinguishing particle types responsible for ice nucleation activity during real-time sampling in clouds. The ability to distinguish types of particles present within a cloud is important for determining accurate inputs to climate models. The chemical composition of particles

Wavelength dependence of dust aerosol single scattering albedo as observed by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, M. J.; Smith, M. D.; Clancy, R. T.; Arvidson, R.; Kahre, M.; Seelos, F.; Murchie, S.; Savijärvi, H.

2009-06-01

Observations by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer (CRISM) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) over the range 440-2920 nm of the very dusty Martian atmosphere of the 2007 planet-encircling dust event are combined with those made by both Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) to better characterize the single scattering albedo (ω 0) of Martian dust aerosols. Using the diagnostic geometry of the CRISM emission phase function (EPF) sequences and the “ground truth” connection provided at both MER locations allows one to more effectively isolate the single scattering albedo (ω 0). This approach eliminates a significant portion of the type of uncertainty involved in many of the earlier radiative transfer analyses. Furthermore, the use of a “first principles” or microphysical representation of the aerosol scattering properties offers a direct path to produce a set of complex refractive indices (m = n + ik) that are consistent with the retrieved ω 0 values. We consider a family of effective particle radii: 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8 μm. The resulting set of model data comparisons, ω 0, and m are presented along with an assessment of potential sources of error and uncertainty. We discuss our results within the context of previous work, including the apparent dichotomy of the literature values: “dark” (solar band ω 0 = 0.89-0.90) and “bright” (solar band ω 0 = 0.92-0.94). Previous work suggests that a mean radius of 1.8 μm is representative for the conditions sampled by the CRISM observations. Using the m for this case and a smaller effective particle radius more appropriate for diffuse dust conditions (1.4 μm), we examine EPF-derived optical depths relative to the MER 880 nm optical depths. Finally, we explore the potential impact of the resulting brighter solar band ω 0 of 0.94 to atmospheric temperatures in the planetary boundary layer.

Evaluation of the new capture vapourizer for aerosol mass spectrometers (AMS) through laboratory studies of inorganic species

DOE PAGES

Hu, Weiwei; Campuzano-Jost, Pedro; Day, Douglas A.; ...

2017-08-15

Aerosol mass spectrometers (AMSs) and Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitors (ACSMs) commercialized by Aerodyne are widely used to measure the non-refractory species in submicron particles. With the standard vapourizer (SV) that is installed in all commercial instruments to date, the quantification of ambient aerosol mass concentration requires the use of the collection efficiency (CE) to correct for the loss of particles due to bounce. A new capture vapourizer (CV) has been designed to reduce the need for a bounce-related CE correction. Two high-resolution AMS instruments, one with a SV and one with a CV, were operated side by side in themore » laboratory. Four standard species, NH 4NO 3, NaNO 3, (NH 4) 2SO 4 and NH 4Cl, which typically constitute the majority of the mass of ambient submicron inorganic species, are studied. The effect of vapourizer temperature ( T v ∼ 200–800 °C) on the detected fragments, CE and size distributions are investigated. A T v of 500–550 °C for the CV is recommended. In the CV, CE was identical (around unity) for more volatile species (e.g. NH 4NO 3) and comparable to or higher than the SV for less-volatile species (e.g. (NH 4) 2SO 4), demonstrating an improvement in CE for laboratory inorganic species in the CV. The detected relative intensities of fragments of NO 3 and SO 4 species observed with the CV are different from those observed with the SV, and are consistent with additional thermal decomposition arising from the increased residence time and multiple collisions. Increased residence times with the CV also lead to broader particle size distribution measurements than with the SV. A method for estimating whether pure species will be detected in AMS sizing mode is proposed. Production of CO 2(g) from sampled nitrate on the vapourizer surface, which has been reported for the SV, is negligible for the CV for NH 4NO 3 and comparable to the SV for NaNO 3. . We observe an extremely consistent fragmentation for

Evaluation of the new capture vapourizer for aerosol mass spectrometers (AMS) through laboratory studies of inorganic species

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, Weiwei; Campuzano-Jost, Pedro; Day, Douglas A.

Aerosol mass spectrometers (AMSs) and Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitors (ACSMs) commercialized by Aerodyne are widely used to measure the non-refractory species in submicron particles. With the standard vapourizer (SV) that is installed in all commercial instruments to date, the quantification of ambient aerosol mass concentration requires the use of the collection efficiency (CE) to correct for the loss of particles due to bounce. A new capture vapourizer (CV) has been designed to reduce the need for a bounce-related CE correction. Two high-resolution AMS instruments, one with a SV and one with a CV, were operated side by side in themore » laboratory. Four standard species, NH 4NO 3, NaNO 3, (NH 4) 2SO 4 and NH 4Cl, which typically constitute the majority of the mass of ambient submicron inorganic species, are studied. The effect of vapourizer temperature ( T v ∼ 200–800 °C) on the detected fragments, CE and size distributions are investigated. A T v of 500–550 °C for the CV is recommended. In the CV, CE was identical (around unity) for more volatile species (e.g. NH 4NO 3) and comparable to or higher than the SV for less-volatile species (e.g. (NH 4) 2SO 4), demonstrating an improvement in CE for laboratory inorganic species in the CV. The detected relative intensities of fragments of NO 3 and SO 4 species observed with the CV are different from those observed with the SV, and are consistent with additional thermal decomposition arising from the increased residence time and multiple collisions. Increased residence times with the CV also lead to broader particle size distribution measurements than with the SV. A method for estimating whether pure species will be detected in AMS sizing mode is proposed. Production of CO 2(g) from sampled nitrate on the vapourizer surface, which has been reported for the SV, is negligible for the CV for NH 4NO 3 and comparable to the SV for NaNO 3. . We observe an extremely consistent fragmentation for

Spacecraft Applications of Compact Optical and Mass Spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davinic, N. M.; Nagel, D. J.

1995-01-01

Optical spectrometers, and mass spectrometers to a lesser extent, have a long and rich history of use aboard spacecraft. Space mission applications include deep space science spacecraft, earth orbiting satellites, atmospheric probes, and surface landers, rovers, and penetrators. The large size of capable instruments limited their use to large, expensive spacecraft. Because of the novel application of micro-fabrication technologies, compact optical and mass spectrometers are now available. The new compact devices are especially attractive for spacecraft because of their small mass and volume, as well as their low power consumption. Dispersive optical multi-channel analyzers which cover the 0.4-1.1 micrometer wavelength are now commercially available in packages as small as 3 x 6 x 18 mm exclusive of drive and recording electronics. Mass spectrometers as small as 3 x 3 mm, again without electronics, are under development. A variety of compact optical and mass spectrometers are reviewed in this paper. A number of past space applications are described, along with some upcoming opportunities that are likely candidate missions to fly this new class of compact spectrometers.

Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Glyoxal: photochemical versus dark uptake and reversible versus irreversible SOA formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waxman, E.; Slowik, J. G.; Kampf, C. J.; Timkovsky, J.; Noziere, B.; Praplan, A. P.; Pfaffenberger, L.; Holzinger, R.; Hoffmann, T.; Dommen, J.; Prevot, A. S.; Baltensperger, U.; Volkamer, R.

2011-12-01

Glyoxal forms secondary organic aerosol (SOA) by partitioning to the aerosol aqueous phase according to Henry's law. The subsequent processing by heterogeneous and multiphase reactions shifts the partitioning towards aerosols. Currently it is not well understood whether these reactions result in reversible or irreversible SOA formation, and what parameters influence the rate limiting step of multiphase processing. We conducted a series of simulation chamber experiments at PSI in April and May 2011 to investigate processing under dark conditions, UV and/or visible light irradiated conditions, and in the presence and absence of OH radicals. Experiments used ammonium sulfate or ammonium sulfate/fulvic acid mixtures as seed aerosols, and were conducted between 50% and 85% relative humidity at approximately constant RH over the course of any given experiment. Glyoxal was produced photochemically from acetylene, using HONO photolysis as the OH radical source. Gas-phase glyoxal was measured by the CU LED-Cavity Enhanced-DOAS. The Thermal-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (TD-PTR-MS) and Ion Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (IC-MS) monitored both gas and aerosol-phase organic reaction products. Particle composition was monitored by High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (HR-ToF-AMS), and HPLC-ESI MS/MS and LC-MS analysis of filter samples.

Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Glyoxal: photochemical versus dark uptake and reversible versus irreversible SOA formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waxman, E.; Slowik, J.; Kampf, C.; Timkovsky, J.; Noziere, B.; Praplan, A.; Pffafenberger, L.; Holzinger, R.; Hoffmann, T.; Dommen, J.; Prevot, A.; Baltensperger, U.; Volkamer, R.

2012-04-01

Glyoxal forms secondary organic aerosol (SOA) by partitioning to the aerosol aqueous phase according to Henry's law. The subsequent processing by heterogeneous and multiphase reactions shifts the partitioning towards aerosols. Currently it is not well understood whether these reactions result in reversible or irreversible SOA formation, and what parameters influence the rate limiting step of multiphase processing. We conducted a series of simulation chamber experiments at PSI in April and May 2011 to investigate processing under dark conditions, UV and/or visible light irradiated conditions, and in the presence and absence of OH radicals. Experiments used ammonium sulfate or ammonium sulfate/fulvic acid mixtures as seed aerosols, and were conducted between 50% and 85% relative humidity at approximately constant RH over the course of any given experiment. Glyoxal was produced photochemically from acetylene, using HONO photolysis as the OH radical source. Gas-phase glyoxal was measured by the CU LED-Cavity Enhanced-DOAS. The Thermal-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (TD-PTR-MS) and Ion Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (IC-MS) monitored both gas and aerosol-phase organic reaction products. Particle composition was monitored by High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (HR-ToF-AMS), and HPLC-ESI MS/MS and LC-MS analysis of filter samples.

Micrometeorological flux measurements of aerosol and gases above Beijing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemitz, Eiko; Langford, Ben; Mullinger, Neil; Cowan, Nicholas; Coyle, Mhairi; Acton, William Joe; Lee, James; Fu, Pingqing

2017-04-01

Air pollution is estimated to cause 1.6 million premature deaths in China every year and in the winter 2016/17 Beijing had to issue health alerts and put in place ad hoc limitations on industrial and vehicular activity. Much of this pollution is attributed to emissions from industrial processes and in particular coal combustion. By contrast, the diffuse pollutant sources within the city are less well understood. This includes, e.g., emissions from the Beijing traffic fleet, the sewage system, food preparation, solid fuel combustion in the streets and small industrial processes. Within the framework of a major UK-Chinese collaboration to study air pollution and its impact on human health in Beijing, we therefore measured fluxes of a large range of pollutants from a height of 102 m on the 325 m meteorological tower at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics. Several instruments were mounted at 102 m: fluxes of CO2 and H2O were measured with an infrared gas analyser (LiCOR 7500) and fluxes of ozone with a combination of a relative fast-response ozone analyser (ROFI) and a 2B absolute O3 instrument. Total particle number fluxes were measured with a condensation particle counter (TSI CPC 3785), and size-segregated fluxes over the size range 0.06 to 20 μm with a combination of an optical Ultrafine High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS) and an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer Spectrometer (TSI APS3321). Ammonia (NH3) fluxes were measured for the first time above the urban environment using an Aerodyne compact quantum cascade laser (QCL). In addition, composition resolved aerosol fluxes were measured with an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS), operated in a measurement container at the bottom of the tower, which subsampled from a 120 m long copper tube (15 mm OD). The analysis so far suggests that, due to often low wind speeds, fluxes were at times de-coupled from the surface. Fluxes normalised by CO2, a tracer for the amount of fossil fuel consumed, should be

Light absorption by secondary organic aerosol from α-pinene: Effects of oxidants, seed aerosol acidity, and relative humidity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Song, Chen; Gyawali, Madhu; Zaveri, Rahul A.

2013-10-25

It is well known that light absorption from dust and black carbon aerosols has a warming effect on climate while light scattering from sulfate, nitrate, and sea salt aerosols has a cooling effect. However, there are large uncertainties associated with light absorption and scattering by different types of organic aerosols, especially in the near-UV and UV spectral regions. In this paper, we present the results from a systematic laboratory study focused on measuring light absorption by secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) generated from dark α-pinene + O 3 and α-pinene + NO x + O 3 systems in the presence ofmore » neutral and acidic sulfate seed aerosols. Light absorption was monitored using photoacoustic spectrometers at four different wavelengths: 355, 405, 532, and 870 nm. Significant light absorption at 355 and 405 nm was observed for the SOA formed from α-pinene + O 3 + NO 3 system only in the presence of highly acidic sulfate seed aerosols under dry conditions. In contrast, no absorption was observed when the relative humidity was elevated to greater than 27% or in the presence of neutral sulfate seed aerosols. Organic nitrates in the SOA formed in the presence of neutral sulfate seed aerosols were found to be nonabsorbing, while the light-absorbing compounds are speculated to be aldol condensation oligomers with nitroxy organosulfate groups that are formed in highly acidic sulfate aerosols. Finally and overall, these results suggest that dark α-pinene + O 3 and α-pinene + NO x + O 3 systems do not form light-absorbing SOA under typical atmospheric conditions.« less

The Influence of Chemical Composition and Relative Humidity on the Optical Properties of Aerosols During the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attwood, A. R.; Washenfelder, R. A.; Brock, C. A.; Brown, S. S.; Hu, W.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Day, D. A.; Palm, B. B.; Simoes de Sa, S.; Jimenez, J. L.

2013-12-01

Atmospheric particles are produced from a wide variety of both anthropogenic and natural sources and play an important role in the Earth's radiative budget by direct scattering and absorption of radiation. To address this impact, in situ measurements of aerosol optical, chemical and hygroscopic properties were performed during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS), which took place in the summer of 2013. Ground based measurements of sub-micron aerosol in the southeastern United States were made to investigate the influence of chemical composition and hygroscopicity on aerosol optical properties. We report the wavelength dependence of aerosol extinction cross sections measured with a novel broadband cavity enhanced spectrometer covering a wavelength range of 360-420 nm using two light emitting diodes (LED) and a separate cavity ring down (CRDS) channel. The sensitivity of the relative humidity dependence of extinction based on the type of aerosol present is examined and we show that the optical properties and hygroscopicity of aerosols are greatly influenced by the fraction of sulfate and organics within the particles. Additional data analysis from the SOAS campaign will be presented. The results, thus far, illustrate that the variability in aerosol chemical composition can impact visibility and climate forcing in this region.

Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) Field Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fast, J. D.; Berg, L. K.; Burleyson, C.

average and soil moisture was low during the late summer IOP. These factors likely influence the occurrence and lifecycle of shallow clouds. Most of the instrumentation was deployed on the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) Gulfstream 1 (G-1) aircraft, including those that measure atmospheric turbulence, cloud water content and drop size distributions, aerosol precursor gases, aerosol chemical composition and size distributions, and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations. The specific instrumentation is listed in Table 1. The team of scientists participating in the G-1 flights were from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), and the University of Washington. Routine ARM aerosol measurements made at the surface were supplemented with aerosol microphysical properties measurements, with support from the DOE Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) User Facility and the Atmospheric System Radiation (ASR) program. This included deploying a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) to measure aerosol size distribution, a proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) to measure volatile organic compounds, an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) to measure bulk aerosol composition, and the single-particle laser ablation time-of-flight mass spectrometer (SPLAT II) to measure single-particle aerosol composition at the SGP site Guest Instrumentation Facility. In this way, characterization of aerosol properties at the surface and on the G-1 were consistent. In addition, the HI-SCALE: Nanoparticle Composition and Precursors add-on campaign was conducted during the second IOP in which several state-of-the-science chemical ionization mass spectrometers were deployed to measure nanoparticle composition and precursors. Scientists participating in the surface measurements were from PNNL, BNL, University California–Irvine, Augsberg College, Colorado University, Aerodyne Inc., and Aerosol Dynamics Inc.« less

Measurements of aerosol chemical composition in boreal forest summer conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ńijälä, M.; Junninen, H.; Ehn, M.; Petäjä, T.; Vogel, A.; Hoffmann, T.; Corrigan, A.; Russell, L.; Makkonen, U.; Virkkula, A.; Mäntykenttä, J.; Kulmala, M.; Worsnop, D.

2012-04-01

Boreal forests are an important biome, covering vast areas of the northern hemisphere and affecting the global climate change via various feedbacks [1]. Despite having relatively few anthropogenic primary aerosol sources, they always contain a non-negligible aerosol population [2]. This study describes aerosol chemical composition measurements using Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (C-ToF AMS, [3]), carried out at a boreal forest area in Hyytiälä, Southern Finland. The site, Helsinki University SMEAR II measurement station [4], is situated at a homogeneous Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest stand. In addition to the station's permanent aerosol, gas phase and meteorological instruments, during the HUMPPA (Hyytiälä United Measurements of Photochemistry and Particles in Air) campaign in July 2010, a very comprehensive set of atmospheric chemistry measurement instrumentation was provided by the Max Planck Institute for chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University, University of California and the Finnish Meteorological institute. In this study aerosol chemical composition measurements from the campaign are presented. The dominant aerosol chemical species during the campaign were the organics, although periods with elevated amounts of particulate sulfates were also seen. The overall AMS measured particle mass concentrations varied from near zero to 27 μg/m observed during a forest fire smoke episode. The AMS measured aerosol mass loadings were found to agree well with DMPS derived mass concentrations (r2=0.998). The AMS data was also compared with three other aerosol instruments. The Marga instrument [5] was used to provide a quantitative semi-online measurement of inorganic chemical compounds in particle phase. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was performed on daily filter samples, enabling the identification and quantification of organic aerosol subspecies. Finally an Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (APCI

Does the Madden-Julian Oscillation influence aerosol variability?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Baijun; Waliser, Duane E.; Kahn, Ralph A.; Li, Qinbin; Yung, Yuk L.; Tyranowski, Tomasz; Geogdzhayev, Igor V.; Mishchenko, Michael I.; Torres, Omar; Smirnov, Alexander

2008-06-01

We investigate the modulation of aerosols by the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) using multiple, global satellite aerosol products: aerosol index (AI) from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) on Nimbus-7, and aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on NOAA satellites. A composite MJO analysis indicates that large variations in the TOMS AI and MODIS/AVHRR AOT are found over the equatorial Indian and western Pacific Oceans where MJO convection is active, as well as the tropical Africa and Atlantic Ocean where MJO convection is weak but the background aerosol level is high. A strong inverse linear relationship between the TOMS AI and rainfall anomalies, but a weaker, less coherent positive correlation between the MODIS/AVHRR AOT and rainfall anomalies, were found. The MODIS/AVHRR pattern is consistent with ground-based Aerosol Robotic Network data. These results indicate that the MJO and its associated cloudiness, rainfall, and circulation variability systematically influence the variability in remote sensing aerosol retrieval results. Several physical and retrieval algorithmic factors that may contribute to the observed aerosol-rainfall relationships are discussed. Preliminary analysis indicates that cloud contamination in the aerosol retrievals is likely to be a major contributor to the observed relationships, although we cannot exclude possible contributions from other physical mechanisms. Future research is needed to fully understand these complex aerosol-rainfall relationships.

Design of a miniaturized integrated spectrometer for spectral tissue sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belay, Gebirie Yizengaw; Hoving, Willem; Ottevaere, Heidi; van der Put, Arthur; Weltjens, Wim; Thienpont, Hugo

2016-04-01

Minimally-invasive image-guided procedures become increasingly used by physicians to obtain real-time characterization feedback from the tissue at the tip of their interventional device (needle, catheter, endoscopic or laparoscopic probes, etc…) which can significantly improve the outcome of diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately reduce cost of the medical treatment. Spectral tissue sensing using compact photonic probes has the potential to be a valuable tool for screening and diagnostic purposes, e.g. for discriminating between healthy and tumorous tissue. However, this technique requires a low-cost broadband miniature spectrometer so that it is commercially viable for screening at point-of-care locations such as physicians' offices and outpatient centers. Our goal is therefore to develop a miniaturized spectrometer based on diffractive optics that combines the functionalities of a visible/near-infrared (VIS/NIR) and shortwave-infrared (SWIR) spectrometer in one very compact housing. A second goal is that the hardware can be produced in high volume at low cost without expensive time consuming alignment and calibration steps. We have designed a miniaturized spectrometer which operates both in the visible/near-infrared and shortwave-infrared wavelength regions ranging from 400 nm to 1700 nm. The visible/near-infrared part of the spectrometer is designed for wavelengths from 400 nm to 800 nm whereas the shortwave-infrared segment ranges from 850 nm to 1700 nm. The spectrometer has a resolution of 6 nm in the visible/near-infrared wavelength region and 10 nm in the shortwave-infrared. The minimum SNR of the spectrometer for the intended application is about 151 in the VIS/NIR range and 6000 for SWIR. In this paper, the modelling and design, and power budget analysis of the miniaturized spectrometer are presented. Our work opens a door for future affordable micro- spectrometers which can be integrated with smartphones and tablets, and used for point

Multiple-Diode-Laser Gas-Detection Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webster, Christopher R.; Beer, Reinhard; Sander, Stanley P.

1988-01-01

Small concentrations of selected gases measured automatically. Proposed multiple-laser-diode spectrometer part of system for measuring automatically concentrations of selected gases at part-per-billion level. Array of laser/photodetector pairs measure infrared absorption spectrum of atmosphere along probing laser beams. Adaptable to terrestrial uses as monitoring pollution or control of industrial processes.

LC-MS-MS-TOF analysis of oxygenated organic compounds in ambient aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roempp, A.; Moortgat, G.

2003-04-01

Ambient aerosol samples were taken at different sites across Europe. The fine mode aerosol was collected on quartz filters at flow rates of 160 L/min and 500 L/min. These samples were analyzed for organic acids (C>4) by an HPLC system coupled to a hybrid mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer consists of a quadrupole mass analyzer, a quadrupole collision cell and a time-of-flight mass analyzer (TOF). Analytes were identified by standards when available or MS-MS experiments and exact mass measurements utilizing the high mass resolution of the TOF instrument. Monoterpenes (alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, sabinene, limonene, 3-carene) were ozonolyzed in the laboratory and compared with field samples. Besides the commonly measured organic acids (pinic, pinonic and norpinic acid) sabinic, caric and caronic acid were identified for the first time in ambient aerosol. In addition, nearly all samples showed significant concentrations of newly identified keto dicarboxylic acids (C9 - C12). Laboratory experiments were used to investigate the formation mechanisms of these compounds. By comparing laboratory measurements of wood combustion and field samples from the Eastern Mediterranean region, nitrocatechol was identified as a possible tracer for biomass burning. The data obtained is used to determine the role of biogenic sources in secondary organic aerosol formation.

Spectrometer ISEM for ExoMars-2020 space mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrolenskiy, Y. S.; Korablev, O. I.; Fedorova, A. A.; Mantsevich, S. N.; Kalinnikov, Y. K.; Vyazovetskiy, N. A.; Titov, A. Y.; Stepanov, A. V.; Sapgir, A. G.; Alexandrov, K. V.; Evdokimova, N. A.; Kuzmin, R. O.

2017-09-01

Robust design, small dimensions and mass, the absence of moving parts in acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs) make them popular for space applications. Here we introduce a pencil-beam near-infrared AOTF-based spectrometer ISEM for context assessment of the surface mineralogy in the vicinity of a planetary probe or a rover analyzing the reflected solar radiation in the near infrared range. The ISEM (Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars) instrument is to be deployed on the mast of ExoMars Rover planned for launch in 2020.

LASER DESORPTION IONIZATION OF ULTRAFINE AEROSOL PARTICLES. (R823980)

EPA Science Inventory

On-line analysis of ultrafine aerosol particle in the 12 to 150 nm size range is performed by
laser desorption/ionization. Particles are size selected with a differential mobility analyzer and then
sent into a linear time-of-flight mass spectrometer where they are ablated w...

Investigating the Chemical Pathways to PAH- and PANH-Based Aerosols in Titan's Atmospheric chemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sciamma-O'Brien, Ella Marion; Contreras, Cesar; Ricketts, Claire Louise; Salama, Farid

2011-01-01

A complex organic chemistry between Titan's two main constituents, N2 and CH4, leads to the production of more complex molecules and subsequently to solid organic aerosols. These aerosols are at the origin of the haze layers giving Titan its characteristic orange color. In situ measurements by the Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) and Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) instruments onboard Cassini have revealed the presence of large amounts of neutral, positively and negatively charged heavy molecules in the ionosphere of Titan. In particular, benzene (C6H6) and toluene (C6H5CH3), which are critical precursors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds, have been detected, suggesting that PAHs might play a role in the production of Titan s aerosols. Moreover, results from numerical models as well as laboratory simulations of Titan s atmospheric chemistry are also suggesting chemical pathways that link the simple precursor molecules resulting from the first steps of the N2-CH4 chemistry (C2H2, C2H4, HCN ...) to benzene, and to PAHs and nitrogen-containing PAHs (or PANHs) as precursors to the production of solid aerosols.

Single particle characterization using a light scattering module coupled to a time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cross, E. S.; Onasch, T. B.; Canagaratna, M.; Jayne, J. T.; Kimmel, J.; Yu, X.-Y.; Alexander, M. L.; Worsnop, D. R.; Davidovits, P.

2008-12-01

We present the first single particle results obtained using an Aerodyne time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer coupled with a light scattering module (LS-ToF-AMS). The instrument was deployed at the T1 ground site approximately 40 km northeast of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) as part of the MILAGRO field study in March of 2006. The instrument was operated as a standard AMS from 12-30 March, acquiring average chemical composition and size distributions for the ambient aerosol, and in single particle mode from 27-30 March. Over a 75-h sampling period, 12 853 single particle mass spectra were optically triggered, saved, and analyzed. The correlated optical and chemical detection allowed detailed examination of single particle collection and quantification within the LS-ToF-AMS. The single particle data enabled the mixing states of the ambient aerosol to be characterized within the context of the size-resolved ensemble chemical information. The particulate mixing states were examined as a function of sampling time and most of the particles were found to be internal mixtures containing many of the organic and inorganic species identified in the ensemble analysis. The single particle mass spectra were deconvolved, using techniques developed for ensemble AMS data analysis, into HOA, OOA, NH4NO3, (NH4)2SO4, and NH4Cl fractions. Average single particle mass and chemistry measurements are shown to be in agreement with ensemble MS and PTOF measurements. While a significant fraction of ambient particles were internal mixtures of varying degrees, single particle measurements of chemical composition allowed the identification of time periods during which the ambient ensemble was externally mixed. In some cases the chemical composition of the particles suggested a likely source. Throughout the full sampling period, the ambient ensemble was an external mixture of combustion-generated HOA particles from local sources (e.g. traffic), with number concentrations peaking

Indirect and semi-direct aerosol campaign: The impact of Arctic aerosols on clouds

DOE PAGES

McFarquhar, Greg M.; Ghan, Steven; Verlinde, Johannes; ...

2011-02-01

A comprehensive dataset of microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols and clouds in the boundary layer in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska, was collected in April 2008 during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC). ISDAC's primary aim was to examine the effects of aerosols, including those generated by Asian wildfires, on clouds that contain both liquid and ice. ISDAC utilized the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Pro- gram's permanent observational facilities at Barrow and specially deployed instruments measuring aerosol, ice fog, precipitation, and radiation. The National Research Council of Canada Convair-580 flew 27 sorties and collected data using an unprecedented 41more » stateof- the-art cloud and aerosol instruments for more than 100 h on 12 different days. Aerosol compositions, including fresh and processed sea salt, biomassburning particles, organics, and sulfates mixed with organics, varied between flights. Observations in a dense arctic haze on 19 April and above, within, and below the single-layer stratocumulus on 8 and 26 April are enabling a process-oriented understanding of how aerosols affect arctic clouds. Inhomogeneities in reflectivity, a close coupling of upward and downward Doppler motion, and a nearly constant ice profile in the single-layer stratocumulus suggests that vertical mixing is responsible for its longevity observed during ISDAC. Data acquired in cirrus on flights between Barrow and Fairbanks, Alaska, are improving the understanding of the performance of cloud probes in ice. Furthermore, ISDAC data will improve the representation of cloud and aerosol processes in models covering a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and determine the extent to which surface measurements can provide retrievals of aerosols, clouds, precipitation, and radiative heating.« less

Determination of mixing state and sources of wintertime organic aerosol in Paris using single particle mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Healy, R. M.; Sciare, J.; Poulain, L.; Wiedensohler, A.; Jeong, C.; McGuire, M.; Evans, G. J.; McGillicuddy, E.; O'Connor, I. P.; Sodeau, J. R.; Wenger, J.

2012-12-01

The size-resolved chemical composition of single particles at an urban background site in Paris, France, was determined using an Aerosol Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) as part of the MEGAPOLI winter campaign in January/February 2010. A variety of mixing states were identified for organic aerosol by mass spectral clustering and apportioned to both fossil fuel and biomass burning sources. The ATOFMS data were scaled in order to produce mass concentration estimates for each organic aerosol particle type identified. Potassium-containing organic aerosol internally mixed with nitrate, associated with local wood burning, was observed to dominate during periods characterised by marine air masses. Sulfate-rich potassium-containing organic aerosol, associated with transboundary transport of biomass burning emissions, dominated during periods influenced by continental air masses. The scaled total mass concentration for potassium-containing particles was well correlated (R2 = 0.79) with concurrent measurements of potassium mass concentration measured with a Particle-Into-Liquid-Sampler (PILS). Another organic particle type, also containing potassium but rich in trimethylamine and sulfate, was detected exclusively during continental air mass events. These particles are postulated to have accumulated gas phase trimethylamine through heterogeneous reaction before arriving at the sampling site. Potential source regions for transboundary organic aerosols have been investigated using the potential source contribution function (PSCF). Comparison with aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements will also be discussed.

Laboratory Studies of Temperature and Relative Humidity Dependence of Aerosol Nucleation during the TANGENT 2017 IOP Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouyang, Q.; Tiszenkel, L.; Stangl, C. M.; Krasnomowitz, J.; Johnston, M. V.; Lee, S.

2017-12-01

In this poster, we will present recent measurements of temperature and relative humidity dependence of aerosol nucleation of sulfuric acid under the conditions representative of the ground level to the free troposphere. Aerosol nucleation is critically dependent on temperature, but the current global aerosol models use nucleation algorithms that are independent of temperature and relative humidity due to the lack of experimental data. Thus, these models fail to simulate nucleation in a wide range of altitude and latitude conditions. We are currently conducting the Tandem Aerosol Nucleation and Growth Environment Tube (TANGENT) the intense observation period (IOP) experiments to investigate the aerosol nucleation and growth properties independently, during nucleation and growth. Nucleation takes place from sulfuric acid, water and some base compounds in a fast flow nucleation tube (FT-1). Nucleation precursors are detected with two chemical ionization mass spectrometers (CIMS) and newly nucleated particles are measured with a particle size magnifier (PSM) and a scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPS). Then these particles grow further in the second flow tube (FT-2) in the presence of oxidants of biogenic organic compounds. Chemical compositions of grown particles are further analyzed with a nano-aerosol mass spectrometer (NAMS). Our experimental results will provide a robust algorithm for aerosol nucleation and growth rates as a function of temperature and relative humidity.

Application of FIGAERO (Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsol) coupled to a high resolution time of flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer to field and chamber organic aerosol: Implications for carboxylic acid formation and gas-particle partitioning from monoterpene oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Hilfiker, F.; Mohr, C.; Ehn, M.; Rubach, F.; Mentel, T. F.; Kleist, E.; Wildt, J.; Thornton, J. A.

2013-12-01

We present measurements of a large suite of gas and particle phase carboxylic acid containing compounds made with a Filter Inlet for Gas and AEROsol (FIGAERO) coupled to a high resolution time of flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-CIMS) developed at the University of Washington. A prototype operated with acetate negative ion proton transfer chemistry was deployed on the Julich Plant Atmosphere Chamber to study a-pinene oxidation, and a modified version was deployed at the SMEAR II forest station in Hyytiälä, Finland and SOAS, in Brent Alabama. We focus here on results from JPAC and Hyytiälä, where we utilized the same ionization method most selective towards carboxylic acids. In all locations, 100's of organic acid compounds were observed in the gas and particles and many of the same composition acids detected in the gas-phase were detected in the particles upon temperature programmed thermal desorption. Particulate organics detected by FIGAERO are highly correlated with organic aerosol mass measured by an AMS, providing additional volatility and molecular level information about collected aerosol. The fraction of a given compound measured in the particle phase follows expected trends with elemental composition, but many compounds would not be well described by an absorptive partitioning model assuming unity activity coefficients. Moreover the detailed structure in the thermal desorption signals reveals a contribution from thermal decomposition of large molecular weight organics and or oligomers with implications for partitioning measurements and model validation

El Chichon and 'mystery cloud' aerosols between 30 and 55 km Global observations from the SME visible spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clancy, R. T.

1986-09-01

Visible limb radiances measured by the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) are used to obtain volume scattering ratios for aerosol loading in the 30-55 km altitude range of the stratosphere. Global maps of these ratios are presented for the period January 1982 to August 1984. Significant aerosol scattering from the 'mystery cloud' and El Chichon aerosol layers are found above 30 km. A timescale of approximately 2 months between the appearance of the aerosol at 30.5 km and at 37.5 km is consistent with vertical transport of aerosol or vapor by eddy diffusion above 30 km. An anticorrelation exists between aerosol scattering and stratospheric temperatures. Periods of lower stratospheric temperatures may account for the formation of aerosol between 40 and 55 km altitude.

El Chichon and 'mystery cloud' aerosols between 30 and 55 km Global observations from the SME visible spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clancy, R. T.

1986-01-01

Visible limb radiances measured by the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) are used to obtain volume scattering ratios for aerosol loading in the 30-55 km altitude range of the stratosphere. Global maps of these ratios are presented for the period January 1982 to August 1984. Significant aerosol scattering from the 'mystery cloud' and El Chichon aerosol layers are found above 30 km. A timescale of approximately 2 months between the appearance of the aerosol at 30.5 km and at 37.5 km is consistent with vertical transport of aerosol or vapor by eddy diffusion above 30 km. An anticorrelation exists between aerosol scattering and stratospheric temperatures. Periods of lower stratospheric temperatures may account for the formation of aerosol between 40 and 55 km altitude.

Design of fiber optic probes for laser light scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dhadwal, Harbans S.; Chu, Benjamin

1989-01-01

A quantitative analysis is presented of the role of optical fibers in laser light scattering. Design of a general fiber optic/microlens probe by means of ray tracing is described. Several different geometries employing an optical fiber of the type used in lightwave communications and a graded index microlens are considered. Experimental results using a nonimaging fiber optic detector probe show that due to geometrical limitations of single mode fibers, a probe using a multimode optical fiber has better performance, for both static and dynamic measurements of the scattered light intensity, compared with a probe using a single mode fiber. Fiber optic detector probes are shown to be more efficient at data collection when compared with conventional approaches to measurements of the scattered laser light. Integration of fiber optic detector probes into a fiber optic spectrometer offers considerable miniaturization of conventional light scattering spectrometers, which can be made arbitrarily small. In addition static and dynamic measurements of scattered light can be made within the scattering cell and consequently very close to the scattering center.

MAESTRO Measurements of Atmospheric Aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McElroy, Tom; Drummond, James; Zou, Jason

2014-05-01

MAESTRO (Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation) is now in its 11th year on orbit as part of the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment on the Canadian Space Agency's SCISAT satellite. MAESTRO data analysis has been dogged by a deficiency in accurate timing between the measurements made by the partner instrument, the ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment, Fourier Transform Spectrometer), that provides the atmospheric pressure-temperature profile and observation tangent altitudes used in the MAESTRO data analysis. Attempts have been made to use apparent air column density and oxygen A-band absorption as a mechanism to line up the tangent heights, but to no avail. A new product is now being produced, based on matching the modeled ozone slant columns from the ACE-FTS retrievals with the MAESTRO slant column measurements. The approach is very promising and indicates that a valuable product from the MAESTRO wavelength-dependent aerosol extinction likely result. The usefulness of the profile matching technique will be demonstrated and some aerosol absorption profiles will be presented in comparison with measurements made by the ACE Imager aerosol profile results. While the process optimizes the comparison between ACE-FTS ozone profile data and that from MAESTRO, it does not detract from the higher vertical resolution information provided by MAESTRO.

Characterization of fresh and aged organic aerosol emissions from meat charbroiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaltsonoudis, Christos; Kostenidou, Evangelia; Louvaris, Evangelos; Psichoudaki, Magda; Tsiligiannis, Epameinondas; Florou, Kalliopi; Liangou, Aikaterini; Pandis, Spyros N.

2017-06-01

Cooking emissions can be a significant source of fine particulate matter in urban areas. In this study the aerosol- and gas-phase emissions from meat charbroiling were characterized. Greek souvlakia with pork were cooked using a commercial charbroiler and a fraction of the emissions were introduced into a smog chamber where after a characterization phase they were exposed to UV illumination and oxidants. The particulate and gas phases were characterized by a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and a proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) correspondingly. More than 99 % of the aerosol emitted was composed of organic compounds, while black carbon (BC) contributed 0.3 % and the inorganic species less than 0.5 % of the total aerosol mass. The initial O : C ratio was approximately 0.09 and increased up to 0.30 after a few hours of chemical aging (exposures of 1010 molecules cm-3 s for OH and 100 ppb h for ozone). The initial and aged AMS spectra differed considerably (θ = 27°). Ambient measurements were also conducted during Fat Thursday in Patras, Greece, when traditionally meat is charbroiled everywhere in the city. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) revealed that cooking organic aerosol (COA) reached up to 85 % of the total OA from 10:00 to 12:00 LST that day. The ambient COA factor in two major Greek cities had a mass spectrum during spring and summer similar to the aged meat charbroiling emissions. In contrast, the ambient COA factor during winter resembled strongly the fresh laboratory meat charbroiling emissions.

Measurements of Organic Composition of Aerosol and Rainwater Samples Using Offline Aerosol Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

OBrien, R. E.; Ridley, K. J.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Croteau, P.; Budisulistiorini, S. H.; Cui, T.; Green, H. S.; Surratt, J. D.; Jayne, J. T.; Kroll, J. H.

2016-12-01

A thorough understanding of the sources, evolution, and budgets of atmospheric organic aerosol requires widespread measurements of the amount and chemical composition of atmospheric organic carbon in the condensed phase (within particles and water droplets). Collecting such datasets requires substantial spatial and temporal (long term) coverage, which can be challenging when relying on online measurements by state-of-the-art research-grade instrumentation (such as those used in atmospheric chemistry field studies). Instead, samples are routinely collected using relatively low-cost techniques, such as aerosol filters, for offline analysis of their chemical composition. However, measurements made by online and offline instruments can be fundamentally different, leading to disparities between data from field studies and those from more routine monitoring. To better connect these two approaches, and take advantage of the benefits of each, we have developed a method to introduce collected samples into online aerosol instruments using nebulization. Because nebulizers typically require tens to hundreds of milliliters of solution, limiting this technique to large samples, we developed a new, ultrasonic micro-nebulizer that requires only small volumes (tens of microliters) of sample for chemical analysis. The nebulized (resuspended) sample is then sent into a high-resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), a widely-used instrument that provides key information on the chemical composition of aerosol particulate matter (elemental ratios, carbon oxidation state, etc.), measurements that are not typically made for collected atmospheric samples. Here, we compare AMS data collected using standard on-line techniques with our offline analysis, demonstrating the utility of this new technique to aerosol filter samples. We then apply this approach to organic aerosol filter samples collected in remote regions, as well as rainwater samples from across the US. This data provides

Real-Time Detection Method And System For Identifying Individual Aerosol Particles

DOEpatents

Gard, Eric Evan; Fergenson, David Philip

2005-10-25

A method and system of identifying individual aerosol particles in real time. Sample aerosol particles are compared against and identified with substantially matching known particle types by producing positive and negative test spectra of an individual aerosol particle using a bipolar single particle mass spectrometer. Each test spectrum is compared to spectra of the same respective polarity in a database of predetermined positive and negative spectra for known particle types and a set of substantially matching spectra is obtained. Finally the identity of the individual aerosol particle is determined from the set of substantially matching spectra by determining a best matching one of the known particle types having both a substantially matching positive spectrum and a substantially matching negative spectrum associated with the best matching known particle type.

Compact terahertz spectrometer based on disordered rough surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Tao; Jiang, Bing; Ge, Jia-cheng; Zhu, Yong-yuan; Li, Xing-ao; Huang, Wei

2018-01-01

In this paper, a compact spectrometer based on disordered rough surfaces for operation in the terahertz band is presented. The proposed spectrometer consists of three components, which are used for dispersion, modulation and detection respectively. The disordered rough surfaces, which are acted as the dispersion component, are modulated by the modulation component. Different scattering intensities are captured by the detection component with different extent of modulation. With a calibration measurement process, one can reconstruct the spectra of the probe terahertz beam by solving a system of simultaneous linear equations. A Tikhonov regularization approach has been implemented to improve the accuracy of the spectral reconstruction. The reported broadband, compact, high-resolution terahertz spectrometer is well suited for portable terahertz spectroscopy applications.

Aerosol chemical composition in cloud events by high resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Hao, Liqing; Romakkaniemi, Sami; Kortelainen, Aki; Jaatinen, Antti; Portin, Harri; Miettinen, Pasi; Komppula, Mika; Leskinen, Ari; Virtanen, Annele; Smith, James N; Sueper, Donna; Worsnop, Douglas R; Lehtinen, Kari E J; Laaksonen, Ari

2013-03-19

This study presents results of direct observations of aerosol chemical composition in clouds. A high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer was used to make measurements of cloud interstitial particles (INT) and mixed cloud interstitial and droplet residual particles (TOT). The differences between these two are the cloud droplet residuals (RES). Positive matrix factorization analysis of high-resolution mass spectral data sets and theoretical calculations were performed to yield distributions of chemical composition of the INT and RES particles. We observed that less oxidized hydrocarbon-like organic aerosols (HOA) were mainly distributed into the INT particles, whereas more oxidized low-volatile oxygenated OA (LVOOA) mainly in the RES particles. Nitrates existed as organic nitrate and in chemical form of NH(4)NO(3). Organic nitrates accounted for 45% of total nitrates in the INT particles, in clear contrast to 26% in the RES particles. Meanwhile, sulfates coexist in forms of acidic NH(4)HSO(4) and neutralized (NH(4))(2)SO(4). Acidic sulfate made up 64.8% of total sulfates in the INT particles, much higher than 10.7% in the RES particles. The results indicate a possible joint effect of activation ability of aerosol particles, cloud processing, and particle size effects on cloud formation.

The History of Planetary Exploration Using Mass Spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahaffy, Paul R.

2012-01-01

At the Planetary Probe Workshop Dr. Paul Mahaffy will give a tutorial on the history of planetary exploration using mass spectrometers. He will give an introduction to the problems and solutions that arise in making in situ measurements at planetary targets using this instrument class.

Regional Aerosol Forcing over India: Preliminary Results from the South West Asian Aerosol-Monsoon Interactions (SWAAMI) Aircraft Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, W.; Brooks, J.; Fox, C.; Haslett, S.; Liu, D.; Kompalli, S. K.; Pathak, H.; Manoj, M. R.; Allan, J. D.; Haywood, J. M.; Highwood, E.; Langridge, J.; Nanjundaiah, R. S.; Krishnamoorthy, K.; Babu, S. S.; Satheesh, S. K.; Turner, A. G.; Coe, H.

2016-12-01

Aerosol particles from multiple sources across the Indian subcontinent build up to form a dense and extensive haze across the region in advance of the monsoon. These aerosols are thought to perturb the regional radiative balance and hydrological cycle, which may have a significant impact on the monsoon circulation, as well as influencing the associated cloud and rainfall of the system. However the nature and magnitude of such impacts are poorly understood or constrained. Major uncertainties relevant to the regional aerosol burden include its vertical distribution, the relative contribution of different pollution sources and natural emissions and the role of absorbing aerosol species (black carbon and mineral dust). The South West Asian Aerosol-Monsoon Interactions (SWAAMI) project sought to address these major uncertainties by conducting an airborne experiment during June/July 2016 on-board the UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement (FAAM) BAe-146 research aircraft. Based out of Lucknow in the), The aircraft conducted multiple flights from Lucknow in the heart of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) in advance of the monsoon and during the onset phase. The spatial and vertical distribution of aerosol was evaluated across northern India, encompassing drier desert-like regions to the west, heavily populated urban and industrial centres over the IGP and air masses in outflow regions to the south-east towards the Bay of Bengal. Principal measurements included aerosol chemical composition using an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer and a DMT Single Particle Soot Photometer, alongside a Leosphere backscatter LIDAR. Sulphate was a major contributor to the aerosol burden across India, while the organic aerosol was elevated and more dominant over the most polluted regions of the IGP. Substantial aerosol concentrations were frequently observed up to altitudes of approximately 6km, with notable changes in aerosol chemical and physical properties when comparing different

Spectral signatures of polar stratospheric clouds and sulfate aerosol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massie, S. T.; Bailey, P. L.; Gille, J. C.; Lee, E. C.; Mergenthaler, J. L.; Roche, A. E.; Kumer, J. B.; Fishbein, E. F.; Waters, J. W.; Lahoz, W. A.

1994-01-01

Multiwavelength observations of Antarctic and midlatitude aerosol by the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) experiment on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) are used to demonstrate a technique that identifies the location of polar stratospheric clouds. The technique discussed uses the normalized area of the triangle formed by the aerosol extinctions at 925, 1257, and 1605/cm (10.8, 8.0, and 6.2 micrometers) to derive a spectral aerosol measure M of the aerosol spectrum. Mie calculations for spherical particles and T-matrix calculations for spheriodal particles are used to generate theoretical spectral extinction curves for sulfate and polar stratospheric cloud particles. The values of the spectral aerosol measure M for the sulfate and polar stratospheric cloud particles are shown to be different. Aerosol extinction data, corresponding to temperatures between 180 and 220 K at a pressure of 46 hPa (near 21-km altitude) for 18 August 1992, are used to demonstrate the technique. Thermodynamic calculations, based upon frost-point calculations and laboratory phase-equilibrium studies of nitric acid trihydrate, are used to predict the location of nitric acid trihydrate cloud particles.

Design of Portable Mass Spectrometers with Handheld Probes: Aspects of the Sampling and Miniature Pumping Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chien-Hsun; Chen, Tsung-Chi; Zhou, Xiaoyu; Kline-Schoder, Robert; Sorensen, Paul; Cooks, R. Graham; Ouyang, Zheng

2015-02-01

Miniature mass spectrometry analytical systems of backpack configuration fitted with sampling probes could potentially be of significant interest for in-field, real-time chemical analysis. In this study, various configurations were explored in which a long narrow tube was used to connect the turbo and backing pumps used to create and maintain vacuum. Also, for the first time we introduced two new types of pumps for miniature mass spectrometers, the Creare 130 g drag pump and Creare 350 g scroll backing pump. These pumps, along with another Creare 550 turbo pump and the commercially available Pfeiffer HiPace 10 turbo and KnF diaphragm backing pumps, were tested with the backpack configurations. The system performance, especially the scan time, was characterized when used with a discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface (DAPI) for ion introduction. The pumping performance in the pressure region above 1 mtorr is critical for DAPI operation. The 550 g turbo pump was shown to have a relatively higher pumping speed above 1 mtorr and gave a scan time of 300 ms, almost half the value obtained with the larger, heavier HiPace 10 often used with miniature mass spectrometers. The 350 g scroll pump was also found to be an improvement over the diaphragm pumps generally used as backing pumps. With a coaxial low temperature plasma ion source, direct analysis of low volatility compounds glass slides was demonstrated, including 1 ng DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol) and 10 ng TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) with Creare 550 g turbo pump as well as 10 ng cocaine and 20 ng DNP with Creare 130 g drag pump.

Design of Portable Mass Spectrometers with Handheld Probes: Aspects of the Sampling and Miniature Pumping Systems

PubMed Central

Chen, Chien-Hsun; Chen, Tsung-Chi; Zhou, Xiaoyu; Kline-Schoder, Robert; Sorensen, Paul; Cooks, R. Graham; Ouyang, Zheng

2014-01-01

Miniature mass spectrometry analytical systems of backpack configuration fitted with sampling probes could potentially be of significant interest for in-field, real-time chemical analysis. In this study, various configurations were explored in which a long narrow tube was used to connect the turbo and backing pumps used to create and maintain vacuum. Also, for the first time we introduced two new types of pumps for miniature mass spectrometers, the Creare 130g drag pump and Creare 350g scroll backing pump. These pumps, along with another Creare 550 turbo pump and the commercially available Pfeiffer HiPace 10 turbo and KnF diaphragm backing pumps, were tested with the backpack configurations. The system performance, especially the scan time, was characterized when used with a discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface (DAPI) for ion introduction. The pumping performance in the pressure region above 1 mtorr is critical for DAPI operation. The 550g turbo pump was shown to have a relatively higher pumping speed above 1 mtorr and gave a scan time of 300 ms, almost half the value obtained with the larger, heavier HiPace 10 often used with miniature mass spectrometers. The 350 g scroll pump was also found to be an improvement over the diaphragm pumps generally used as backing pumps. With a coaxial low temperature plasma ion source, direct analysis of low volatility compounds glass slides was demonstrated, including 1 ng DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol) and 10ng TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) with Creare 550g turbo pump as well as 10 ng cocaine and 20 ng DNP with Creare 130g drag pump. PMID:25404157

Design of portable mass spectrometers with handheld probes: aspects of the sampling and miniature pumping systems.

PubMed

Chen, Chien-Hsun; Chen, Tsung-Chi; Zhou, Xiaoyu; Kline-Schoder, Robert; Sorensen, Paul; Cooks, R Graham; Ouyang, Zheng

2015-02-01

Miniature mass spectrometry analytical systems of backpack configuration fitted with sampling probes could potentially be of significant interest for in-field, real-time chemical analysis. In this study, various configurations were explored in which a long narrow tube was used to connect the turbo and backing pumps used to create and maintain vacuum. Also, for the first time we introduced two new types of pumps for miniature mass spectrometers, the Creare 130 g drag pump and Creare 350 g scroll backing pump. These pumps, along with another Creare 550 turbo pump and the commercially available Pfeiffer HiPace 10 turbo and KnF diaphragm backing pumps, were tested with the backpack configurations. The system performance, especially the scan time, was characterized when used with a discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface (DAPI) for ion introduction. The pumping performance in the pressure region above 1 mtorr is critical for DAPI operation. The 550 g turbo pump was shown to have a relatively higher pumping speed above 1 mtorr and gave a scan time of 300 ms, almost half the value obtained with the larger, heavier HiPace 10 often used with miniature mass spectrometers. The 350 g scroll pump was also found to be an improvement over the diaphragm pumps generally used as backing pumps. With a coaxial low temperature plasma ion source, direct analysis of low volatility compounds glass slides was demonstrated, including 1 ng DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol) and 10 ng TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) with Creare 550 g turbo pump as well as 10 ng cocaine and 20 ng DNP with Creare 130 g drag pump.

Effects of salt loading and flow blockage on the WIPP shrouded probe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chandra, S.; Ortiz, C.A.; McFarland, A.R.

1993-08-01

The shrouded probes at the WIPP site operate in a salt aerosol environment that can cause a buildup of salt deposits on exposed surfaces of the probes that, in turn, could produce changes in the sampling performance of the probes. At Station A, three probes had been operated for a period of approximately 2 1/2 years when they were inspected with a remote television camera. There were visible deposits of unknown thickness on the probes, so WIPP removed the probes for inspection and cleanup. Measurements were made on the probes and they showed the buildups to be approximately 2.5 mmmore » thick on the most critical dimension of a shrouded probe, which is the inside diameter of the inner probe. For reference, the diameter of a clean probe is 30 mm. The sampling performance of this particular shrouded probe had been previously evaluated in a wind tunnel at Aerosol Technology Laboratory (ATL) of Texas A&M University for two free stream velocities (14 and 21 m/s) and three particle sizes (5, 10 and 15 {mu}m AED).« less

Aerosols and Clouds: In Cahoots to Change Climate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berg, Larry

Key knowledge gaps persist despite advances in the scientific understanding of how aerosols and clouds evolve and affect climate. The Two-Column Aerosol Project, or TCAP, was designed to provide a detailed set of observations to tackle this area of unknowns. Led by PNNL atmospheric scientist Larry Berg, ARM's Climate Research Facility was deployed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts for the 12-month duration of TCAP, which came to a close in June 2013. "We are developing new tools to look at particle chemistry, like our mass spectrometer used in TCAP that can tell us the individual chemical composition of an aerosol," saidmore » Berg. "Then, we'll run our models and compare it with the data that we have to make sure we're getting correct answers and make sure our climate models are reflecting the best information."« less

Aerosols and Clouds: In Cahoots to Change Climate

ScienceCinema

Berg, Larry

2018-01-16

Key knowledge gaps persist despite advances in the scientific understanding of how aerosols and clouds evolve and affect climate. The Two-Column Aerosol Project, or TCAP, was designed to provide a detailed set of observations to tackle this area of unknowns. Led by PNNL atmospheric scientist Larry Berg, ARM's Climate Research Facility was deployed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts for the 12-month duration of TCAP, which came to a close in June 2013. "We are developing new tools to look at particle chemistry, like our mass spectrometer used in TCAP that can tell us the individual chemical composition of an aerosol," said Berg. "Then, we'll run our models and compare it with the data that we have to make sure we're getting correct answers and make sure our climate models are reflecting the best information."

Aerosol and Surface Parameter Retrievals for a Multi-Angle, Multiband Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broderick, Daniel

2012-01-01

This software retrieves the surface and atmosphere parameters of multi-angle, multiband spectra. The synthetic spectra are generated by applying the modified Rahman-Pinty-Verstraete Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model, and a single-scattering dominated atmosphere model to surface reflectance data from Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). The aerosol physical model uses a single scattering approximation using Rayleigh scattering molecules, and Henyey-Greenstein aerosols. The surface and atmosphere parameters of the models are retrieved using the Lavenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The software can retrieve the surface and atmosphere parameters with two different scales. The surface parameters are retrieved pixel-by-pixel while the atmosphere parameters are retrieved for a group of pixels where the same atmosphere model parameters are applied. This two-scale approach allows one to select the natural scale of the atmosphere properties relative to surface properties. The software also takes advantage of an intelligent initial condition given by the solution of the neighbor pixels.

Vertical Transport of Aerosol Particles across Mountain Topography near the Los Angeles Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, J. J.; Schill, S.; Freeman, S.; Bertram, T. H.; Lefer, B. L.

2015-12-01

Transport of aerosol particles is known to affect air quality and is largely dependent on the characteristic topography of the surrounding region. To characterize this transport, aerosol number distributions were collected with an Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS, DMT) during the 2015 NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) in and around the Los Angeles Basin in Southern California. Increases in particle number concentration and size were observed over mountainous terrain north of Los Angeles County. Chemical analysis and meteorological lagrangian trajectories suggest orographic lifting processes, known as the "chimney effect". Implications for spatial transport and distribution will be discussed.

Secondary organic aerosol formation from low-NO(x) photooxidation of dodecane: evolution of multigeneration gas-phase chemistry and aerosol composition.

PubMed

Yee, Lindsay D; Craven, Jill S; Loza, Christine L; Schilling, Katherine A; Ng, Nga Lee; Canagaratna, Manjula R; Ziemann, Paul J; Flagan, Richard C; Seinfeld, John H

2012-06-21

The extended photooxidation of and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from dodecane (C(12)H(26)) under low-NO(x) conditions, such that RO(2) + HO(2) chemistry dominates the fate of the peroxy radicals, is studied in the Caltech Environmental Chamber based on simultaneous gas and particle-phase measurements. A mechanism simulation indicates that greater than 67% of the initial carbon ends up as fourth and higher generation products after 10 h of reaction, and simulated trends for seven species are supported by gas-phase measurements. A characteristic set of hydroperoxide gas-phase products are formed under these low-NO(x) conditions. Production of semivolatile hydroperoxide species within three generations of chemistry is consistent with observed initial aerosol growth. Continued gas-phase oxidation of these semivolatile species produces multifunctional low volatility compounds. This study elucidates the complex evolution of the gas-phase photooxidation chemistry and subsequent SOA formation through a novel approach comparing molecular level information from a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) and high m/z ion fragments from an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). Combination of these techniques reveals that particle-phase chemistry leading to peroxyhemiacetal formation is the likely mechanism by which these species are incorporated in the particle phase. The current findings are relevant toward understanding atmospheric SOA formation and aging from the "unresolved complex mixture," comprising, in part, long-chain alkanes.

Ultrafast nonlinear spectrometer for material characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Negres, Raluca Aurelia

2001-11-01

This work describes the use of a broadband spectral source for nonlinear spectroscopy to characterize various materials with potential applications in confocal microscopy, biological sample markers, optical limiting devices and optical switches. The goal is to study the spectrum of nonlinear absorption and the dispersion of nonlinear refraction as well as the dynamics of the nonlinearities by means of femtosecond excite-probe experiments. The principle is quite simple: if a sample is under the influence of a strong fs excitation pulse and a probe pulse beam is incident at the same time, or shortly after (within the decay time of the nonlinearity), then the probe pulse will sense the nonlinearity induced by the excitation. If the probe pulse is broadband, a femtosecond white-light continuum (WLC) in our case, we can monitor the nonlinearity induced over the entire continuum spectrum in one laser ``shot''. The use of femtosecond laser pulses to generate WLC will provide femtosecond time resolution for time-resolved spectroscopy. We built the nonlinear spectrometer and allowed for many degrees of flexibility in terms of choice of wavelengths for pump and probe beams and a dual detection system to cover both visible and infrared spectral ranges. We have the possibility of performing broad band spectral measurements using a spectrometer or selected narrow bandwidth probes incident on Si or Ge photodiodes, for improved S/N ratios. The intrinsic properties of the continuum probe demand a careful characterization of its spatial and temporal profile. Knowledge of the dispersion of the index of refraction in various optical elements, including the sample itself, is also required for a correct analysis of the transient absorption raw data, especially for short time-scale dynamics of nonlinear processes. We tested the system using well-characterized semiconductor samples, and the results came out in excellent agreement with those from previous picosecond Z-scan measurements

Black carbon in aerosol during BIBLE B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liley, J. Ben; Baumgardner, D.; Kondo, Y.; Kita, K.; Blake, D. R.; Koike, M.; Machida, T.; Takegawa, N.; Kawakami, S.; Shirai, T.; Ogawa, T.

2003-02-01

The Biomass Burning and Lightning Experiment (BIBLE) A and B campaigns over the tropical western Pacific during springtime deployed a Gulfstream-II aircraft with systems to measure ozone and numerous precursor species. Aerosol measuring systems included a MASP optical particle counter, a condensation nucleus (CN) counter, and an absorption spectrometer for black carbon. Aerosol volume was very low in the middle and upper troposphere during both campaigns, and during BIBLE A, there was little aerosol enhancement in the boundary layer away from urban areas. In BIBLE B, there was marked aerosol enhancement in the lowest 3 km of the atmosphere. Mixing ratios of CN in cloud-free conditions in the upper troposphere were in general higher than in the boundary layer, indicating new particle formation from gaseous precursors. High concentrations of black carbon were observed during BIBLE B, with mass loadings up to 40 μg m-3 representing as much as one quarter of total aerosol mass. Strong correlations with hydrocarbon enhancement allow the determination of a black carbon emission ratio for the fires at that time. Expressed as elemental carbon, it is about 0.5% of carbon dioxide and 6% of carbon monoxide emissions from the same fires, comparable to methane production, and greater than that of other hydrocarbons.

Black carbon in aerosol during BIBLE B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liley, J. Ben; Baumgardner, D.; Kondo, Y.; Kita, K.; Blake, D. R.; Koike, M.; Machida, T.; Takegawa, N.; Kawakami, S.; Shirai, T.; Ogawa, T.

2002-02-01

The Biomass Burning and Lightning Experiment (BIBLE) A and B campaigns over the tropical western Pacific during springtime deployed a Gulfstream-II aircraft with systems to measure ozone and numerous precursor species. Aerosol measuring systems included a MASP optical particle counter, a condensation nucleus (CN) counter, and an absorption spectrometer for black carbon. Aerosol volume was very low in the middle and upper troposphere during both campaigns, and during BIBLE A, there was little aerosol enhancement in the boundary layer away from urban areas. In BIBLE B, there was marked aerosol enhancement in the lowest 3 km of the atmosphere. Mixing ratios of CN in cloud-free conditions in the upper troposphere were in general higher than in the boundary layer, indicating new particle formation from gaseous precursors. High concentrations of black carbon were observed during BIBLE B, with mass loadings up to 40 μg m-3 representing as much as one quarter of total aerosol mass. Strong correlations with hydrocarbon enhancement allow the determination of a black carbon emission ratio for the fires at that time. Expressed as elemental carbon, it is about 0.5% of carbon dioxide and 6% of carbon monoxide emissions from the same fires, comparable to methane production, and greater than that of other hydrocarbons.

Real-time detection method and system for identifying individual aerosol particles

DOEpatents

Gard, Eric E [San Francisco, CA; Coffee, Keith R [Patterson, CA; Frank, Matthias [Oakland, CA; Tobias, Herbert J [Kensington, CA; Fergenson, David P [Alamo, CA; Madden, Norm [Livermore, CA; Riot, Vincent J [Berkeley, CA; Steele, Paul T [Livermore, CA; Woods, Bruce W [Livermore, CA

2007-08-21

An improved method and system of identifying individual aerosol particles in real time. Sample aerosol particles are collimated, tracked, and screened to determine which ones qualify for mass spectrometric analysis based on predetermined qualification or selection criteria. Screening techniques include one or more of determining particle size, shape, symmetry, and fluorescence. Only qualifying particles passing all screening criteria are subject to desorption/ionization and single particle mass spectrometry to produce corresponding test spectra, which is used to determine the identities of each of the qualifying aerosol particles by comparing the test spectra against predetermined spectra for known particle types. In this manner, activation cycling of a particle ablation laser of a single particle mass spectrometer is reduced.

Aircraft measurements of aerosol properties during GoAmazon - G1 and HALO inter-comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mei, F.; Cecchini, M. A.; Wang, J.; Tomlinson, J. M.; Comstock, J. M.; Hubbe, J. M.; Pekour, M. S.; Machado, L.; Wendisch, M.; Longo, K.; Martin, S. T.; Schmid, B.; Weinzierl, B.; Krüger, M. L.; Zöger, M.

2015-12-01

Currently, the indirect effects of atmospheric aerosols remain the most uncertain components in forcing of climate change over the industrial period (IPCC, 2013). This large uncertainty is partially a result of our incomplete understanding of the ability of particles to form cloud droplets under atmospherically relevant supersaturations. One objective of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Green Ocean Amazon Project (GoAmazon2014/5) is to understand the influence of the emission from Manaus, a tropical megacity, on aerosol size, concentration, and chemical composition, and their impact on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectrum. The GoAmazon2014/5 study was an international campaign with the collaboration efforts from US, Brazil and Germany. During the intensive operation period, in the dry season (Sep. 1st - Oct. 10th, 2014), aerosol concentration, size distributions, and CCN spectra, both under pristine conditions and inside the Manaus plume, were characterized in-situ from the DOE Gulfstream-1 (G-1) research aircraft and German HALO aircraft during 4 coordinated flights on Sep. 9th, Sep. 16th, Sep 21st and Oct. 1st, 2014. During those four flights, aerosol number concentrations and CCN concentrations at two supersaturations (0.25% and 0.5%) were measured by condensation particle counters (CPCs) and a DMT dual column CCN counter onboard both G-1 and HALO. Aerosol size distribution was also measured by a Fast Integrated Mobility Spectrometer (FIMS) aboard the G-1 and is compared with the size distribution from Ultra High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer - Airborne (UHSAS-A, DMT), which were deployed both on the G-1 and the HALO. Good agreement between the aerosol properties measured from the two aircraft has been achieved. The vertical profiles of aerosol size distribution and CCN spectrum will be discussed.

Discriminating Bio-aerosols from Non-Bio-aerosols in Real-Time by Pump-Probe Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Sousa, Gustavo; Gaulier, Geoffrey; Bonacina, Luigi; Wolf, Jean-Pierre

2016-01-01

The optical identification of bioaerosols in the atmosphere and its discrimination against combustion related particles is a major issue for real-time, field compatible instruments. In the present paper, we show that by embedding advanced pump-probe depletion spectroscopy schemes in a portable instrument, it is possible to discriminate amino acid containing airborne particles (bacteria, humic particles, etc.) from poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon containing combustion particles (Diesel droplets, soot, vehicle exhausts) with high selectivity. Our real-time, multi-modal device provides, in addition to the pump-probe depletion information, fluorescence spectra (over 32 channels), fluorescence lifetime and Mie scattering patterns of each individually flowing particle in the probed air. PMID:27619546

Discriminating Bio-aerosols from Non-Bio-aerosols in Real-Time by Pump-Probe Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sousa, Gustavo; Gaulier, Geoffrey; Bonacina, Luigi; Wolf, Jean-Pierre

2016-09-01

The optical identification of bioaerosols in the atmosphere and its discrimination against combustion related particles is a major issue for real-time, field compatible instruments. In the present paper, we show that by embedding advanced pump-probe depletion spectroscopy schemes in a portable instrument, it is possible to discriminate amino acid containing airborne particles (bacteria, humic particles, etc.) from poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon containing combustion particles (Diesel droplets, soot, vehicle exhausts) with high selectivity. Our real-time, multi-modal device provides, in addition to the pump-probe depletion information, fluorescence spectra (over 32 channels), fluorescence lifetime and Mie scattering patterns of each individually flowing particle in the probed air.

Discriminating Bio-aerosols from Non-Bio-aerosols in Real-Time by Pump-Probe Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Sousa, Gustavo; Gaulier, Geoffrey; Bonacina, Luigi; Wolf, Jean-Pierre

2016-09-13

The optical identification of bioaerosols in the atmosphere and its discrimination against combustion related particles is a major issue for real-time, field compatible instruments. In the present paper, we show that by embedding advanced pump-probe depletion spectroscopy schemes in a portable instrument, it is possible to discriminate amino acid containing airborne particles (bacteria, humic particles, etc.) from poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon containing combustion particles (Diesel droplets, soot, vehicle exhausts) with high selectivity. Our real-time, multi-modal device provides, in addition to the pump-probe depletion information, fluorescence spectra (over 32 channels), fluorescence lifetime and Mie scattering patterns of each individually flowing particle in the probed air.

Seasonal dependence of aerosol processing in urban Philadelphia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avery, A. M.; Waring, M. S.; DeCarlo, P. F.

2017-12-01

Urban aerosols pose an important threat to human health due to the conflation of emissions and concentrated population exposed. Winter and summer aerosol and trace gas measurements were taken in downtown Philadelphia in 2016. Measurements included aerosol composition and size with an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), particle size distributions with an SMPS, and an aethalometer. Trace gas measurements of O3, NO, CH4, CO, and CO2 were taken concurrently. Sampling in seasonal extremes provided contrast in aerosol and trace gas composition, aerosol processing, and emission factors. Inorganic aerosol components contributed approximately 60% of the submicron aerosol mass, while summertime aerosol composition was roughly 70% organic matter. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) on the organic aerosol (OA) matrix revealed three factors in common in each season, including an oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) factor with different temporal behavior in each season. In summertime, OOA varied diurnally with ozone and daytime temperature, but in the wintertime, it was anti-correlated with ozone and temperature, and instead trended with calculated liquid water, indicating a seasonally-dependent processing of organic aerosol in Philadelphia's urban environment. Due to the inorganic dominant winter aerosol, liquid water much higher (2.65 μg/m3) in winter than in summer (1.54 μg/m3). Diurnally varying concentrations of background gas phase species (CH4, CO2) were higher in winter and varied less as a result of boundary layer conditions; ozone was also higher in background in winter than summer. Winter stagnation events with low windspeed showed large buildup of trace gases CH4, CO, CO2, and NO. Traffic related aerosol was also elevated with black carbon and hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) plumes of each at 3-5 times higher than the winter the average value for each. Winter ratios of HOA to black carbon were significantly higher in the winter than the summer due to lower

Primary and secondary contributions to aerosol light scattering and absorption in Mexico City during the MILAGRO 2006 campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paredes-Miranda, G.; Arnott, W. P.; Jimenez, J. L.; Aiken, A. C.; Gaffney, J. S.; Marley, N. A.

2009-06-01

A photoacoustic spectrometer, a nephelometer, an aethalometer, and an aerosol mass spectrometer were used to measure at ground level real-time aerosol light absorption, scattering, and chemistry at an urban site located in North East Mexico City (Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Mexican Petroleum Institute, denoted by IMP), as part of the Megacity Impact on Regional and Global Environments field experiment, MILAGRO, in March 2006. Photoacoustic and reciprocal nephelometer measurements at 532 nm accomplished with a single instrument compare favorably with conventional measurements made with an aethalometer and a TSI nephelometer. The diurnally averaged single scattering albedo at 532 nm was found to vary from 0.60 to 0.85 with the peak value at midday and the minimum value at 07:00 a.m. local time, indicating that the Mexico City plume is likely to have a net warming effect on local climate. The peak value is associated with strong photochemical generation of secondary aerosol. It is estimated that the photochemical production of secondary aerosol (inorganic and organic) is approximately 75% of the aerosol mass concentration and light scattering in association with the peak single scattering albedo. A strong correlation of aerosol scattering at 532 nm and total aerosol mass concentration was found, and an average mass scattering efficiency factor of 3.8 m2/g was determined. Comparisons of photoacoustic and aethalometer light absorption with oxygenated organic aerosol concentration (OOA) indicate a very small systematic bias of the filter based measurement associated with OOA and the peak aerosol single scattering albedo.

Primary and secondary contributions to aerosol light scattering and absorption in Mexico City during the MILAGRO 2006 campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paredes-Miranda, G.; Arnott, W. P.; Jimenez, J. L.; Aiken, A. C.; Gaffney, J. S.; Marley, N. A.

2008-09-01

A photoacoustic spectrometer, a nephelometer, an aetholemeter, and an aerosol mass spectrometer were used to measure at ground level real-time aerosol light absorption, scattering, and chemistry at an urban site located in north east Mexico City (Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Mexican Petroleum Institute, denoted by IMP), as part of the Megacity Impact on Regional and Global Environments field experiment, MILAGRO, in March 2006. Photoacoustic and reciprocal nephelometer measurements at 532 nm accomplished with a single instrument compare favorably with conventional measurements made with an aethelometer and a TSI nephelometer. The diurnally averaged single scattering albedo at 532 nm was found to vary from 0.60 to 0.85 with the peak value at midday and the minimum value at 7 a.m. local time, indicating that the Mexico City plume is likely to have a net warming effect on local climate. The peak value is associated with strong photochemical generation of secondary aerosol. It is estimated that the same-day photochemical production of secondary aerosol (inorganic and organic) is approximately 40 percent of the aerosol mass concentration and light scattering in association with the peak single scattering albedo. A strong correlation of aerosol scattering at 532 nm and total aerosol mass concentration was found, and an average mass scattering efficiency factor of 3.8 m2/g was determined. Comparisons of photoacoustic and aethalometer light absorption with oxygenated organic aerosol concentration (OOA) indicate a very small systematic bias of the filter based measurement associated with OOA and the peak aerosol single scattering albedo.

Particulate contamination spectrometer. Volume 1: Technical report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmitt, R. J.; Boyd, B. A.; Linford, R. M. F.

1975-01-01

A laser particulate spectrometer (LPS) system was developed to measure the size and speed distributions of particulate (dusts, aerosols, ice particles, etc.) contaminants. Detection of the particulates was achieved by means of light scattering and extinction effects using a single laser beam to cover a size range of 0.8 to 275 microns diameter and a speed range of 0.2 to 20 meter/second. The LPS system was designed to operate in the high vacuum environment of a space simulation chamber with cold shroud temperatures ranging from 77 to 300 K.

Classification of organic aerosol in the atmosphere over Seoul based on chemical group separation using two dimensional gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC TOFMS) data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, S.; Lim, H. B.; Choi, N.; Lee, J.; Ahn, Y. K.; Kim, Y. P.

2016-12-01

Organic aerosols contain thousands of organic compounds and contribute to 20-90% of the total fine aerosol mass. For analyzing organic aerosols, a wide range of analytical techniques have been used such as gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC/MS), liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (LC/MS), aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), etc. Among them, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GCxGC/TOF-MS) can provide higher chemical resolution than AMS and analyze more mass fractions of organic aerosols than GC/MS. In this study, we suggest a new data processing method using GCxGC/TOF-MS data for analyzing organic compounds in the ambient aerosols. TSP samples were collected on the roof of the Asan engineering building, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea (37.56 °N, 126.94 °E, 20 m above ground level). A total of 67 samples were obtained during summer (August 2013) and winter (January and February 2014) with a PUF sampler (Tisch, TE-1000) on quartz fiber filter. Filters were extracted using accelerated solvent extractor with a mixture of dichloromethane and methanol (3:1, v/v). Total extracts were blown down to 0.5 mL using a nitrogen evaporator (Turbo Vap Ⅱ, caliper Life Sciences). Organic compounds in the TSP samples were separated into 6 chemical groups, depending on their retention time in two dimensions for their volatility and polarity. All area of peaks in each group was summed and variance of total area in each group was compared depending on season and diurnal cycle.

Vacuum FTIR observation on hygroscopic properties and phase transition of malonic acid aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Xu; Zhang, Yun; Pang, Shu-Feng; Zhang, Yun-Hong

2017-02-01

A novel approach based on a combination of a pulse relative humidity (RH) controlling system and a rapid scan vacuum FTIR spectrometer was utilized to investigate the hygroscopic property and phase transition of malonic acid (MA) aerosols. By using this approach, both water vapor amount around the aerosols and water content within aerosols with sub-second time resolution were obtained. Based on the features of FTIR absorbing bands, it can be known that the evolution of hydrogen-bonding structures of malonic acid aerosols took place from (H2O)n-MA to MA-MA accompanying with phase transition in the dehumidifying process. And in present paper, the stepwise efflorescence of MA aerosols and nucleation rates at different RHs are first reported. Our observation has shown that the efflorescence of MA started at ∼17% RH and the nucleation rates increased with decreasing RH.

Ultra-Stable Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (5STAR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunagan, Stephen E.; Johnson, Roy R.; Redemann, Jens; Holben, Brent N.; Schmidt, Beat; Flynn, Connor Joseph; Fahey, Lauren; LeBlanc, Samuel; Liss, Jordan; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe S.;

Field Studies of Broadband Aerosol Optical Extinction in the Ultraviolet Spectral Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washenfelder, R. A.; Attwood, A.; Brock, C. A.; Brown, S. S.

2013-12-01

Aerosols influence the Earth's radiative budget by scattering and absorbing incoming solar radiation. The optical properties of aerosols vary as a function of wavelength, but few measurements have reported the wavelength dependence of aerosol extinction cross sections and complex refractive indices. In the case of brown carbon, its wavelength-dependent absorption in the ultraviolet spectral region has been suggested as an important component of aerosol radiative forcing. We describe a new field instrument to measure aerosol optical extinction as a function of wavelength, using cavity enhanced spectroscopy with a broadband light source. The instrument consists of two broadband channels which span the 360-390 and 385-420 nm spectral regions using two light emitting diodes (LED) and a grating spectrometer with charge-coupled device (CCD) detector. We deployed this instrument during the Fire Lab at Missoula Experiment during Fall 2012 to measure biomass burning aerosol, and again during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study in summer 2013 to measure organic aerosol in the Southeastern U.S. In both field experiments, we determined aerosol optical extinction as a function of wavelength and can interpret this together with size distribution and composition measurements to characterize the aerosol optical properties and radiative forcing.

Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign: The Impact of Arctic Aerosols on Clouds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McFarquhar, Greg; Ghan, Steven J.; Verlinde, J.

2011-02-01

A comprehensive dataset of microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols and clouds in the arctic boundary layer in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska was collected in April 2008 during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) sponsored by the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) and Atmospheric Science Programs. The primary aim of ISDAC was to examine indirect effects of aerosols on clouds that contain both liquid and ice water. The experiment utilized the ARM permanent observational facilities at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) in Barrow. These include a cloud radar, a polarized micropulse lidar, and an atmosphericmore » emitted radiance interferometer as well as instruments specially deployed for ISDAC measuring aerosol, ice fog, precipitation and spectral shortwave radiation. The National Research Council of Canada Convair-580 flew 27 sorties during ISDAC, collecting data using an unprecedented 42 cloud and aerosol instruments for more than 100 hours on 12 different days. Data were obtained above, below and within single-layer stratus on 8 April and 26 April 2008. These data enable a process-oriented understanding of how aerosols affect the microphysical and radiative properties of arctic clouds influenced by different surface conditions. Observations acquired on a heavily polluted day, 19 April 2008, are enhancing this understanding. Data acquired in cirrus on transit flights between Fairbanks and Barrow are improving our understanding of the performance of cloud probes in ice. Ultimately the ISDAC data will be used to improve the representation of cloud and aerosol processes in models covering a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and to determine the extent to which long-term surface-based measurements can provide retrievals of aerosols, clouds, precipitation and radiative heating in the Arctic.« less

On the accuracy of aerosol photoacoustic spectrometer calibrations using absorption by ozone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Nicholas W.; Cotterell, Michael I.; Fox, Cathryn; Szpek, Kate; Haywood, Jim M.; Langridge, Justin M.

2018-04-01

In recent years, photoacoustic spectroscopy has emerged as an invaluable tool for the accurate measurement of light absorption by atmospheric aerosol. Photoacoustic instruments require calibration, which can be achieved by measuring the photoacoustic signal generated by known quantities of gaseous ozone. Recent work has questioned the validity of this approach at short visible wavelengths (404 nm), indicating systematic calibration errors of the order of a factor of 2. We revisit this result and test the validity of the ozone calibration method using a suite of multipass photoacoustic cells operating at wavelengths 405, 514 and 658 nm. Using aerosolised nigrosin with mobility-selected diameters in the range 250-425 nm, we demonstrate excellent agreement between measured and modelled ensemble absorption cross sections at all wavelengths, thus demonstrating the validity of the ozone-based calibration method for aerosol photoacoustic spectroscopy at visible wavelengths.

Real-Time Characterization of Aerosol Particle Composition above the Urban Canopy in Beijing: Insights into the Interactions between the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Aerosol Chemistry.

PubMed

Sun, Yele; Du, Wei; Wang, Qingqing; Zhang, Qi; Chen, Chen; Chen, Yong; Chen, Zhenyi; Fu, Pingqing; Wang, Zifa; Gao, Zhiqiu; Worsnop, Douglas R

2015-10-06

Despite extensive efforts into the characterization of air pollution during the past decade, real-time characterization of aerosol particle composition above the urban canopy in the megacity Beijing has never been performed to date. Here we conducted the first simultaneous real-time measurements of aerosol composition at two different heights at the same location in urban Beijing from December 19, 2013 to January 2, 2014. The nonrefractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) species were measured in situ by a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer at near-ground level and an aerosol chemical speciation monitor at 260 m on a 325 m meteorological tower in Beijing. Secondary aerosol showed similar temporal variations between ground level and 260 m, whereas much weaker correlations were found for the primary aerosol. The diurnal evolution of the ratios and correlations of aerosol species between 260 m and the ground level further illustrated a complex interaction between vertical mixing processes and local source emissions on aerosol chemistry in the atmospheric boundary layer. As a result, the aerosol compositions at the two heights were substantially different. Organic aerosol (OA), mainly composed of primary OA (62%), at the ground level showed a higher contribution to NR-PM1 (65%) than at 260 m (54%), whereas a higher concentration and contribution (15%) of nitrate was observed at 260 m, probably due to the favorable gas-particle partitioning under lower temperature conditions. In addition, two different boundary layer structures were observed, each interacting differently with the evolution processes of aerosol chemistry.

Reactive uptake of HOCl to laboratory generated sea salt particles and nascent sea-spray aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, N. R.; Ryder, O. S.; Bertram, T. H.

2013-12-01

Field observations suggest that the reactive uptake of HOCl on marine aerosol particles is an important source of chlorine radicals, particularly under low NOx conditions. However to date, laboratory measurements disagree on the magnitude of the reactive uptake coefficient for HOCl by a factor of 5 (γ(HOCl) ranges between 0.0004 and 0.0018), and there are no measurements of γ(HOCl) on nascent sea-spray aerosol. Here, we present measurements of the reactive uptake of HOCl to laboratory generated sodium chloride and sea-spray aerosol particles generated in a novel Marine Aerosol Reference Tank (MART), coupled to an entrained aerosol flow reactor and Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS). Measurements of γ(HOCl) retrieved here are compared against those in the literature, and the role of organic coatings on nascent sea-spray aerosol is explored.

Characterization of the sources and processes of organic and inorganic aerosols in New York City with a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Y.-L.; Zhang, Q.; Schwab, J. J.; Demerjian, K. L.; Chen, W.-N.; Bae, M.-S.; Hung, H.-M.; Hogrefe, O.; Frank, B.; Rattigan, O. V.; Lin, Y.-C.

2010-10-01

Submicron aerosol particles (PM1) were measured in-situ using a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) during the summer 2009 Field Intensive Study at Queens College in New York City. Organic aerosol (OA) and sulfate are the two dominant species, accounting for 54% and 24%, respectively, of total PM1 mass on average. The average mass size distribution of OA presents a small mode peaking at ~150 nm (Dva) in addition to an accumulation mode (~550 nm) that is internally mixed with sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium. The diurnal cycles of sulfate and OA both show pronounced peaks between 01:00-02:00 p.m. EST due to photochemical production. The average (±1σ) oxygen-to-carbon (O/C), hydrogen-to-carbon (H/C), and nitrogen-to-carbon (N/C) ratios of OA in NYC are 0.36 (±0.09), 1.49 (±0.08), and 0.012(±0.005), respectively, corresponding to an average organic mass-to-carbon (OM/OC) ratio of 1.62(±0.11). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) of the high resolution mass spectra identified five OA components: a hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), two types of oxygenated OA (OOA) including a low-volatility OOA (LV-OOA) and a semi-volatile OOA (SV-OOA), a cooking-emission related OA (COA), and a unique nitrogen-enriched OA (NOA). HOA appears to represent primary OA (POA) from urban traffic emissions. It comprises primarily of reduced species (H/C=1.83; O/C=0.06) and shows a mass spectral pattern very similar to those of POA from fossil fuel combustion, and correlates tightly with traffic emission tracers including elemental carbon and NOx. LV-OOA, which is highly oxidized (O/C=0.63) and correlates well with sulfate, appears to be representative for regional, aged secondary OA (SOA). SV-OOA, which is less oxidized (O/C=0.38) and correlates well with non-refractory chloride, likely represents less photo-chemically aged, semi-volatile SOA. COA shows a similar spectral pattern to the reference spectra of POA from cooking emissions and a distinct diurnal pattern

Tropospheric Ozone Pollution from Space: New Views from the TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Anne M.; Hudson, Robert D.; Frolov, Alexander D.; Witte, Jacquelyn C.; Kucsera, Tom L.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

New products from the TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) >satellite instrument can resolve pollution events in tropical and mid-latitudes, Over the past several years, we have developed tropospheric ozone data sets by two methods. The modified-residual technique [Hudson and Thompson, 1998; Thompson and Hudson, 1999] uses v. 7 TOMS total ozone and is applicable to tropical regimes in which the wave-one pattern in total ozone is observed. The TOMSdirect method [Hudson et at., 2000] represents a new algorithm that uses TOMS radiances to extract tropospheric ozone in regions of constant stratospheric ozone and tropospheric ozone displaying high mixing ratios and variability characteristic of pollution, Absorbing aerosols (dust and smoke; Herman et at., 1997 Hsu et al., 1999), a standard TOMS product, provide transport and/or source marker information to interpret tropospheric ozone. For the Nimbus 7/TOMS observing period (1979-1992), modified-residual TTO (tropical tropospheric ozone) appears as two maps/month at I-degree latitude 2-degree longitude resolution at a homepage and digital data are available (20S to 20N) by ftp at http://metosrv2. umd.edu/tropo/ 14y_data.d. Preliminary modified-residual TTO data from the operational Earth-Probe/TOMS (1996- present) are posted in near-real-time at the same website. Analyses with the new tropospheric ozone and aerosol data are illustrated by the following (I)Signals in tropical tropospheric ozone column and smoke amount during ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation) events, e.g. 1982-1983 and the intense ENSO induced biomass fires of 1997-1998 over the Indonesian region [Thompson et a[, 2000a, Thompson and Hudson, 1999]. (2) Trends in tropospheric ozone and smoke aerosols in various tropical regions (Atlantic, Pacific, Africa, Brazil). No significant trends were found for ozone from1980-1990 [Thompson and Hudson, 19991 although smoke aerosols increased during the period [Hsu et al.,1999]. (3) Temporal and spatial offsets

A wirelessly powered microspectrometer for neural probe-pin device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Sang H.; Kim, Min H.; Song, Kyo D.; Yoon, Hargsoon; Lee, Uhn

2015-12-01

Treatment of neurological anomalies, whether done invasively or not, places stringent demands on device functionality and size. We have developed a micro-spectrometer for use as an implantable neural probe to monitor neuro-chemistry in synapses. The micro-spectrometer, based on a NASA-invented miniature Fresnel grating, is capable of differentiating the emission spectra from various brain tissues. The micro-spectrometer meets the size requirements, and is able to probe the neuro-chemistry and suppression voltage typically associated with a neural anomaly. This neural probe-pin device (PPD) is equipped with wireless power technology (WPT) to enable operation in a continuous manner without requiring an implanted battery. The implanted neural PPD, together with a neural electronics interface and WPT, enable real-time measurement and control/feedback for remediation of neural anomalies. The design and performance of the combined PPD/WPT device for monitoring dopamine in a rat brain will be presented to demonstrate the current level of development. Future work on this device will involve the addition of an embedded expert system capable of performing semi-autonomous management of neural functions through a routine of sensing, processing, and control.

Changes in organic aerosol composition with aging inferred from aerosol mass spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, N. L.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Jimenez, J. L.; Chhabra, P. S.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Worsnop, D. R.

2011-07-01

Organic aerosols (OA) can be separated with factor analysis of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) data into hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) and oxygenated OA (OOA). We develop a new method to parameterize H:C of OOA in terms of f43 (ratio of m/z 43, mostly C2H3O+, to total signal in the component mass spectrum). Such parameterization allows for the transformation of large database of ambient OOA components from the f44 (mostly CO2+, likely from acid groups) vs. f43 space ("triangle plot") (Ng et al., 2010) into the Van Krevelen diagram (H:C vs. O:C) (Van Krevelen, 1950). Heald et al. (2010) examined the evolution of total OA in the Van Krevelen diagram. In this work total OA is deconvolved into components that correspond to primary (HOA and others) and secondary (OOA) organic aerosols. By deconvolving total OA into different components, we remove physical mixing effects between secondary and primary aerosols which allows for examination of the evolution of OOA components alone in the Van Krevelen space. This provides a unique means of following ambient secondary OA evolution that is analogous to and can be compared with trends observed in chamber studies of secondary organic aerosol formation. The triangle plot in Ng et al. (2010) indicates that f44 of OOA components increases with photochemical age, suggesting the importance of acid formation in OOA evolution. Once they are transformed with the new parameterization, the triangle plot of the OOA components from all sites occupy an area in Van Krevelen space which follows a ΔH:C/ΔO:C slope of ~ -0.5. This slope suggests that ambient OOA aging results in net changes in chemical composition that are equivalent to the addition of both acid and alcohol/peroxide functional groups without fragmentation (i.e. C-C bond breakage), and/or the addition of acid groups with fragmentation. These results provide a framework for linking the bulk aerosol chemical composition evolution to molecular-level studies.

Inter-Comparison of ILAS-II Version 1.4 Aerosol Extinction Coefficient at 780 nm with SAGE II, SAGE III, and POAM III Aerosol Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saitoh, Naoko; Hayashida, S.; Sugita, T.; Nakajima, H.; Yokota, T.; Hayashi, M.; Shiraishi, K.; Kanzawa, H.; Ejiri, M. K.; Irie, H.;

Variability of Ambient Aerosol in the Mexico City Metropolian Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onasch, T. B.; Worsnop, D. R.; Canagaratna, M.; Jayne, J. T.; Herndon, S.; Mortimer, P.; Kolb, C. E.; Rogers, T.; Knighton, B.; Dunlea, E.; Marr, L.; de Foy, B.; Molina, M.; Molina, L.; Salcedo, D.; Dzepina, K.; Jimenez, J. L.

2004-12-01

The spatial and temporal variations of the ambient aerosol in the Mexico City Metropolitan area was characterized during the springs of 2002 and 2003 using a mobile laboratory equipped with gas and particulate measurement instrumentation. The laboratory was operated at various fixed sites locations in and at the edge of the metropolitan area (Xalostoc, Merced, Cenica, Pedregal, and Santa Ana). Size-resolved aerosol mass and chemical composition was measured with an aerosol mass spectrometer and selected trace gas species (low mass organic compounds, NO, NO2, NOy, O3, SO2, CH2O, NH3, CO2) were measured using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer and various optical systems. The aerosol was predominantly organic in composition with lesser amounts of ammonium nitrate, sulfate, and chloride. The organic component was composed of mixed primary and secondary organic compounds. The mass loading and chemical composition of the aerosol was influenced by local and regional air pollution sources and the meteorology in Mexico City. Most urban sites were influenced by a strong diurnal particulate mass trend indicative of primary organic emissions from traffic during early morning and subsequently oxidized/processed organics and ammonium nitrate particles starting in the mid-morning (~9 AM) and continuing throughout the day. Morning traffic-related primary organic emissions were strongest at La Merced (center of Mexico City, located near a busy food market), more subdued at other fixed sites further from the city center, and varied depending upon the day of week and holiday schedules. Particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were observed within Mexico City fixed sites and were correlated with traffic organic PM emissions. Oxidized organic and ammonium nitrate events occurred during mid-morning at all city sites and were well correlated with gas phase photochemical activity. The daily ammonium nitrate aerosol event occurred later at sites near the city limits

Synergic use of TOMS and Aeronet Observations for Characterization of Aerosol Absorption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torres, O.; Bhartia, P. K.; Dubovik, O.; Holben, B.; Siniuk, A.

2003-01-01

The role of aerosol absorption on the radiative transfer balance of the earth-atmosphere system is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in the analysis of global climate change. Global measurements of aerosol single scattering albedo are, therefore, necessary to properly assess the radiative forcing effect of aerosols. Remote sensing of aerosol absorption is currently carried out using both ground (Aerosol Robotic Network) and space (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) based observations. The satellite technique uses measurements of backscattered near ultraviolet radiation. Carbonaceous aerosols, resulting from the combustion of biomass, are one of the most predominant absorbing aerosol types in the atmosphere. In this presentation, TOMS and AERONET retrievals of single scattering albedo of carbonaceous aerosols, are compared for different environmental conditions: agriculture related biomass burning in South America and Africa and peat fires in Eastern Europe. The AERONET and TOMS derived aerosol absorption information are in good quantitative agreement. The most absorbing smoke is detected over the African Savanna. Aerosol absorption over the Brazilian rain forest is less absorbing. Absorption by aerosol particles resulting from peat fires in Eastern Europe is weaker than the absorption measured in Africa and South America. This analysis shows that the near UV satellite method of aerosol absorption characterization has the sensitivity to distinguish different levels of aerosol absorption. The analysis of the combined AERONET-TOMS observations shows a high degree of synergy between satellite and ground based observations.

Broadband Measurement of Aerosol Extinction in the Visible Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Quanfu; Bluvshtein, Nir; Segev, Lior; Flores, Michel; Rudich, Yinon; Washenfelder, Rebecca; Brown, Steven

2017-04-01

Atmospheric aerosols influence the Earth's radiative budget directly by scattering and absorbing incoming solar radiation. Aerosol direct forcing remains one of the largest uncertainties in quantifying the role that aerosols play in the Earth's radiative budget. The optical properties of aerosols vary as a function of wavelength, but few measurements reported the wavelength dependence of aerosol extinction cross section and complex refractive indices, particularly in the blue and visible spectral range. There is also currently a large gap in our knowledge of how the optical properties evolve as a function of atmospheric aging in the visible spectrum. In this study, we constructed a new and novel laboratory instrument to measure aerosol extinction as a function of wavelength, using cavity enhanced spectroscopy with a white light source. This broadband cavity enhanced spectroscopy (BBCES) covers the 395-700 nm spectral region using a broadband light source and a grating spectrometer with charge-coupled device detector (CCD). We evaluated this BBCES by measuring extinction cross section for aerosols that are pure scattering, slightly absorbing and strongly absorbing atomized from standard materials. We also retrieved the refractive indices from the measured extinction cross sections. Secondary organic aerosols from biogenic and anthropogenic precursors were "aged" to differential time scales (1 to 10 days) in an Oxidation Flow Reactor (OFR) under the combined influence of OH, O3 and UV light. The new BBCES was used to online measure the extinction cross sections of the SOA. This talk will provide a comprehensive understanding of aerosol optical properties alerting during aging process in the 395 - 700 nm spectrum.

Autonomous marine hyperspectral radiometers for determining solar irradiances and aerosol optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, John; Smyth, Tim J.; Estellés, Victor

2017-05-01

We have developed two hyperspectral radiometer systems which require no moving parts, shade rings or motorised tracking, making them ideally suited for autonomous use in the inhospitable remote marine environment. Both systems are able to measure direct and diffuse hyperspectral irradiance in the wavelength range 350-1050 nm at 6 nm (Spectrometer 1) or 3.5 nm (Spectrometer 2) resolution. Marine field trials along a 100° transect (between 50° N and 50° S) of the Atlantic Ocean resulted in close agreement with existing commercially available instruments in measuring (1) photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), with both spectrometers giving regression slopes close to unity (Spectrometer 1: 0.960; Spectrometer 2: 1.006) and R2 ˜ 0.96; (2) irradiant energy, with R2 ˜ 0.98 and a regression slope of 0.75 which can be accounted for by the difference in wavelength integration range; and (3) hyperspectral irradiance where the agreement on average was between 2 and 5 %. Two long duration land-based field campaigns of up to 18 months allowed both spectrometers to be well calibrated. This was also invaluable for empirically correcting for the wider field of view (FOV) of the spectrometers in comparison with the current generation of sun photometers ( ˜ 7.5° compared with ˜ 1°). The need for this correction was also confirmed and independently quantified by atmospheric radiative transfer modelling and found to be a function of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and solar zenith angle. Once Spectrometer 2 was well calibrated and the FOV effect corrected for, the RMSE in retrievals of AOD when compared with a CIMEL sun photometer were reduced to ˜ 0.02-0.03 with R2 > 0.95 at wavelengths 440, 500, 670 and 870 nm. Corrections for the FOV as well as ship motion were applied to the data from the marine field trials. This resulted in AOD500 nm ranging between 0.05 in the clear background marine aerosol regions and ˜ 0.5 within the Saharan dust plume. The RMSE between the

Single-particle characterization of atmospheric aerosols collected at Gosan, Korea, during the Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment field campaign using low-Z (atomic number) particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis.

PubMed

Geng, Hong; Cheng, Fangqin; Ro, Chul-Un

2011-11-01

A quantitative energy-dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis (ED-EPMA), namely low-Z (atomic number) particle EPMA, was used to characterize the chemical compositions of the individual aerosol particles collected at the Gosan supersite, Jeju Island, Korea, as a part of the Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia). On 4-10 April 2001 just before a severe dust storm arrived, seven sets of aerosol samples were obtained by a seven-stage May cascade impactor with a flow rate of 20 L/min. Overall 11,200 particles on stages 1-6 with cutoff diameters of 16, 8, 4, 2, 1, and 0.5 microm, respectively, were examined and classified based on their secondary electron images and X-ray spectra. In general, sea salt particles were the most frequently encountered, followed by mineral dust, organic carbon (OC)-like, (NH4)2SO4/NH4HSO4-containing, elemental carbon (EC)-like, Fe-rich, and K-rich particles. Sea salt and mineral dust particles had a higher relative abundance on stages 1-5, whereas OC-like, (NH4)2SO4/NH4HSO4-containing, Fe-rich, and K-rich particles were relatively abundant on stage 6. The analysis on relative number abundances of various particle types combined with 72-hr backward air mass trajectories indicated that a lot of reacted sea salt and reacted mineral dust (with airborne NOx and SO2 or their acidic products) and OC-like particles were carried by the air masses passing over the Yellow Sea (for sample "10 April") and many NH4HSO4/ (NH4)2SO4-containing particles were carried by the air masses passing over the Sea of Japan and Korea Strait (for samples "4-9 April"). It was concluded that the atmosphere over Jeju Island was influenced by anthropogenic SO2 and NOx, organic compounds, and secondary aerosols when Asian dust was absent.

Formation of secondary organic aerosol coating on black carbon particles near vehicular emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Alex K. Y.; Chen, Chia-Li; Liu, Jun; Price, Derek J.; Betha, Raghu; Russell, Lynn M.; Zhang, Xiaolu; Cappa, Christopher D.

2017-12-01

Black carbon (BC) emitted from incomplete combustion can result in significant impacts on air quality and climate. Understanding the mixing state of ambient BC and the chemical characteristics of its associated coatings is particularly important to evaluate BC fate and environmental impacts. In this study, we investigate the formation of organic coatings on BC particles in an urban environment (Fontana, California) under hot and dry conditions using a soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS). The SP-AMS was operated in a configuration that can exclusively detect refractory BC (rBC) particles and their coatings. Using the -log(NOx / NOy) ratio as a proxy for photochemical age of air masses, substantial formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) coatings on rBC particles was observed due to active photochemistry in the afternoon, whereas primary organic aerosol (POA) components were strongly associated with rBC from fresh vehicular emissions in the morning rush hours. There is also evidence that cooking-related organic aerosols were externally mixed from rBC. Positive matrix factorization and elemental analysis illustrate that most of the observed SOA coatings were freshly formed, providing an opportunity to examine SOA coating formation on rBCs near vehicular emissions. Approximately 7-20 wt % of secondary organic and inorganic species were estimated to be internally mixed with rBC on average, implying that rBC is unlikely the major condensation sink of SOA in this study. Comparison of our results to a co-located standard high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) measurement suggests that at least a portion of SOA materials condensed on rBC surfaces were chemically different from oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) particles that were externally mixed with rBC, although they could both be generated from local photochemistry.

ultra-Stable Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (5STAR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunagan, S. E.; Johnson, R. R.; Redemann, J.; Holben, B. N.; Schmid, B.; Flynn, C. J.; Fahey, L.; LeBlanc, S. E.; Liss, J.; Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Segal-Rosenhaimer, M.; Shinozuka, Y.; Dahlgren, R. P.; Pistone, K.; Karol, Y.

2017-12-01

The Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) combines airborne sun tracking and sky scanning with diffraction spectroscopy to improve knowledge of atmospheric constituents and their links to air pollution and climate. Direct beam hyperspectral measurement of optical depth improves retrievals of gas constituents and determination of aerosol properties. Sky scanning enhances retrievals of aerosol type and size distribution. Hyperspectral cloud-transmitted radiance measurements enable the retrieval of cloud properties from below clouds. These measurements tighten the closure between satellite and ground-based measurements. 4STAR incorporates a modular sun-tracking/ sky-scanning optical head with optical fiber signal transmission to rack mounted spectrometers, permitting miniaturization of the external optical tracking head, and future detector evolution. 4STAR has supported a broad range of flight experiments since it was first flown in 2010. This experience provides the basis for a series of improvements directed toward reducing measurement uncertainty and calibration complexity, and expanding future measurement capabilities, to be incorporated into a new 5STAR instrument. A 9-channel photodiode radiometer with AERONET-matched bandpass filters will be incorporated to improve calibration stability. A wide dynamic range tracking camera will provide a high precision solar position tracking signal as well as an image of sky conditions around the solar axis. An ultrasonic window cleaning system design will be tested. A UV spectrometer tailored for formaldehyde and SO2 gas retrievals will be added to the spectrometer enclosure. Finally, expansion capability for a 4 channel polarized radiometer to measure the Stokes polarization vector of sky light will be incorporated. This paper presents initial progress on this next-generation 5STAR instrument. Keywords: atmosphere; climate; pollution; radiometry; technology; hyperspectral; fiber optic

Cluster analysis of the organic peaks in bulk mass spectra obtained during the 2002 New England Air Quality Study with an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcolli, C.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Worsnop, D. R.; Bahreini, R.; de Gouw, J. A.; Warneke, C.; Goldan, P. D.; Kuster, W. C.; Williams, E. J.; Lerner, B. M.; Roberts, J. M.; Meagher, J. F.; Fehsenfeld, F. C.; Marchewka, M. L.; Bertman, S. B.; Middlebrook, A. M.

2006-06-01

We applied hierarchical cluster analysis to an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) bulk mass spectral dataset collected aboard the NOAA research vessel Ronald H. Brown during the 2002 New England Air Quality Study off the east coast of the United States. Emphasizing the organic peaks, the cluster analysis yielded a series of categories that are distinguishable with respect to their mass spectra and their occurrence as a function of time. The differences between the categories mainly arise from relative intensity changes rather than from the presence or absence of specific peaks. The most frequent category exhibits a strong signal at m/z 44 and represents oxidized organic matter most probably originating from both, anthropogenic as well as biogenic sources. On the basis of spectral and trace gas correlations, the second most common category with strong signals at m/z 29, 43, and 44 contains contributions from isoprene oxidation products. The third through the fifth most common categories have peak patterns characteristic of monoterpene oxidation products and were most frequently observed when air masses from monoterpene rich regions were sampled. Taken together, the second through the fifth most common categories represent as much as 5 µg/m3 organic aerosol mass - 17% of the total organic mass - that can be attributed to biogenic sources. These numbers have to be viewed as lower limits since the most common category was attributed to anthropogenic sources for this calculation. The cluster analysis was also very effective in identifying a few contaminated mass spectra that were not removed during pre-processing. This study demonstrates that hierarchical clustering is a useful tool to analyze the complex patterns of the organic peaks in bulk aerosol mass spectra from a field study.

Online investigations on ozonation products of pyrene and benz[ a]anthracene particles with a vacuum ultraviolet photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Shaokai; Zhang, Yang; Meng, Junwang; Shu, Jinian

The reaction products of ozone with pyrene and benz[ a]anthracene absorbed on azelaic acid particles under the pseudo-first-order reaction conditions have been investigated with a vacuum ultraviolet photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-ATOFMS). The pyrene and benz[ a]anthracene particles with the initial concentrations of ˜1 mg m -3 are respectively exposed to ˜22 ppm ozone in a reaction chamber with a volume of ˜180 L. The time-of-flight mass spectra of the particulate ozonides are obtained. The assignments of the mass spectra reveal that 4-carboxy-5-phenanthrene-carboxyaldehyde (71%) and hydroxypyrene (23%) are the main solid state ozonides of pyrene, while 2-(2-formyl)phenyl-3-naphthoic acid (35%), hydroxybenz[ a]anthrone (30%), and benz[ a]anthracene-7,12-dione (18%) are the main solid state ozonides of benz[ a]anthracene. The pathways of the ozonations are proposed in the paper.

Vertical Distribution of Aerosols and Water Vapor Using CRISM Limb Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. D.; Wolff, M. J.; Clancy, R. T.; CRISM Science; Operations Teams

2011-12-01

Near-infrared spectra taken in a limb-viewing geometry by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on-board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide a useful tool for probing atmospheric structure. Specifically, the observed radiance as a function of wavelength and height above the limb allows the vertical distribution of both dust and ice aerosols to be retrieved. These data serve as an important supplement to the aerosol profiling provided by the MRO/MCS instrument allowing independent validation and giving additional information on particle physical and scattering properties through multi-wavelength studies. A total of at least ten CRISM limb observations have been taken so far covering a full Martian year. Each set of limb observations nominally contains about four dozen scans across the limb giving pole-to-pole coverage for two orbits at roughly 100 and 290 W longitude over the Tharsis and Syrtis/Hellas regions, respectively. At each longitude, limb scans are spaced roughly 10 degrees apart in latitude, with a vertical spatial resolution on the limb of roughly 800 m. Radiative transfer modeling is used to model the observations. We compute synthetic CRISM limb spectra using a discrete-ordinates radiative transfer code that accounts for multiple scattering from aerosols and accounts for spherical geometry of the limb observations by integrating the source functions along curved paths in that coordinate system. Retrieved are 14-point vertical profiles for dust and water ice aerosols with resolution of 0.4 scale heights between one and six scale heights above the surface. After the aerosol retrieval is completed, the abundances of CO2 (or surface pressure) and H2O gas are retrieved by matching the depth of absorption bands at 2000 nm for carbon dioxide and at 2600 nm for water vapor. In addition to the column abundance of water vapor, limited information on its vertical structure can also be retrieved depending on the signal available

Photochemical Aging of Organic Aerosols: A Laboratory Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papanastasiou, Dimitrios K.; Kostenidou, Evangelia; Gkatzelis, Georgios I.; Psichoudaki, Magdalini; Louvaris, Evangelos; Pandis, Spyros N.

2014-05-01

-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) were used to measure the organic aerosol mass production and oxidation degree (O:C ratio) following OH aging. A thermodenuder system was used to measure the volatility distribution change as organic aerosol aged upon continuous oxidation. Organic gas phase species were characterized with a Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) while NOx and O3 were measured with the use of corresponding analyzers. Results from this study show that organic mass production occurs upon exposure to OH radicals indicating that continuous OH aging of semi-volatile is probably responsible for at least some of the gap between observed and modeled OA levels in the atmosphere. Additionally, this chemical aging process leads to a decrease in volatility and an increase in O:C ratio while the level of change in both properties depends on OH exposure. The atmospheric implications of this study are discussed.

ARM - Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds - Ultra High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer(tomlinson-uhsas)

DOE Data Explorer

Tomlinson, Jason; Jensen, Mike

2012-02-28

Ultra High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSASA) A major component of the Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) field campaign was the deployment of an enhanced radiosonde array designed to capture the vertical profile of atmospheric state variables (pressure, temperature, humidity wind speed and wind direction) for the purpose of deriving the large-scale forcing for use in modeling studies. The radiosonde array included six sites (enhanced Central Facility [CF-1] plus five new sites) launching radiosondes at 3-6 hour sampling intervals. The network will cover an area of approximately (300)2 km2 with five outer sounding launch sites and one central launch location. The five outer sounding launch sites are: S01 Pratt, KS [ 37.7oN, 98.75oW]; S02 Chanute, KS [37.674, 95.488]; S03 Vici, Oklahoma [36.071, -99.204]; S04 Morris, Oklahoma [35.687, -95.856]; and S05 Purcell, Oklahoma [34.985, -97.522]. Soundings from the SGP Central Facility during MC3E can be retrieved from the regular ARM archive. During routine MC3E operations 4 radiosondes were launched from each of these sites (approx. 0130, 0730, 1330 and 1930 UTC). On days that were forecast to be convective up to four additional launches were launched at each site (approx. 0430, 1030, 1630, 2230 UTC). There were a total of approximately 14 of these high frequency launch days over the course of the experiment. These files contain brightness temperatures observed at Purcell during MC3E. The measurements were made with a 5 channel (22.235, 23.035, 23.835, 26.235, 30.000GHz) microwave radiometer at one minute intervals. The results have been separated into daily files and the day of observations is indicated in the file name. All observations were zenith pointing. Included in the files are the time variables base_time and time_offset. These follow the ARM time conventions. Base_time is the number seconds since January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 for the first data point of the file and time_offset is

Aerosol chemical composition at Cabauw, The Netherlands as observed in two intensive periods in May 2008 and March 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mensah, A. A.; Holzinger, R.; Otjes, R.; Trimborn, A.; Mentel, Th. F.; ten Brink, H.; Henzing, B.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.

2012-05-01

Observations of aerosol chemical composition in Cabauw, the Netherlands, are presented for two intensive measurement periods in May 2008 and March 2009. Sub-micron aerosol chemical composition was measured by an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and is compared to observations from aerosol size distribution measurements as well as composition measurements with a Monitor for AeRosol and GAses (MARGA) based instrument and a Thermal-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass-Spectrometer (TD-PTR-MS). An overview of the data is presented and the data quality is discussed. In May 2008 enhanced pollution was observed with organics contributing 40% to the PM1 mass. In contrast the observed average mass loading was lower in March 2009 and a dominance of ammonium nitrate (42%) was observed. The semi-volatile nature of ammonium nitrate is evident in the diurnal cycles with maximum concentrations observed in the morning hours in May 2008 and little diurnal variation observed in March 2009. Size dependent composition data from AMS measurements are presented and show a dominance of organics in the size range below 200 nm. A higher O:C ratio of the organics is observed for May 2008 than for March 2009. Together with the time series of individual tracer ions this shows the dominance of OOA over HOA in May 2008.

Aerosol Vacuum-Assisted Plasma Ionization (Aero-VaPI) Coupled to Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blair, Sandra L.; Ng, Nga L.; Zambrzycki, Stephen C.; Li, Anyin; Fernández, Facundo M.

2018-02-01

In this communication, we report on the real-time analysis of organic aerosol particles by Vacuum-assisted Plasma Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (Aero-VaPI-MS) using a home-built VaPI ion source coupled to a Synapt G2-S HDMS ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) system. Standards of organic molecules of interest in prebiotic chemistry were used to generate aerosols. Monocaprin and decanoic acid aerosol particles were successfully detected in both the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. A complex aerosol mixture of different sizes of polymers of L-malic acid was also examined through ion mobility (IM) separations, resulting in the detection of polymers of up to eight monomeric units. This noncommercial plasma ion source is proposed as a low cost alternative to other plasma ionization platforms used for aerosol analysis, and a higher-performance alternative to more traditional aerosol mass spectrometers. VaPI provides robust online ionization of organics in aerosols without extensive ion activation, with the coupling to IM-MS providing higher peak capacity and excellent mass accuracy. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

SAGE II aerosol extinction and scattering data from balloon-borne photography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackerman, M.; Lippens, G.; Chu, W.; De Muer, D.

1987-01-01

Earth limb radiance and extinction near sunset have been observed from a balloon-borne gondola nearly simultaneously and on air masses close to those probed by the SAGE II instrumentation on April 22, 1985. The results show the importance of accuracy of the altitude determination on the aerosol measurements. They indicate an important altitude dependence of the stratospheric aerosol granulometry in agreement with SAGE II results.

Development and first application of an Aerosol Collection Module (ACM) for quasi online compound specific aerosol measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hohaus, Thorsten; Kiendler-Scharr, Astrid; Trimborn, Dagmar; Jayne, John; Wahner, Andreas; Worsnop, Doug

2010-05-01

experiment course. The SOA was simultaneously characterized by an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). The ACM-GC-MS results will be compared with PMF analysis of the AMS organic aerosol. The correlation of specific compounds with PMF factors will be discussed together with future applications of the ACM-GC-MS system for ambient aerosol measurements. Acknowledgement This work was supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA Grant No. RD-83107701-0) and the Department of Energy (DOE SBIR Grant No. DE-FG02-05ER84269). References Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): Climate Change 2007, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2007 Hallquist et al., The formation, properties and impact of secondary organic aerosol: current and emerging issues, Atmos. Chem. Phys, Vol.9, 5155-5236, 2009

Salting Constants of Small Organic Molecules in Aerosol-Relevant Salts and Application to Aerosol Formation in the Southeastern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waxman, E.; Carlton, A. M. G.; Ziemann, P. J.; Volkamer, R. M.

2014-12-01

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from small water-soluble molecules such as glyoxal and methyl glyoxal is a topic of emerging interest. Results from recent field campaigns, e.g. Waxman et al. (2013, GRL) and Knote et al. (2014, ACP), show that these molecules can form significant SOA mass as a result of 'salting-in'. Salting-in happens when a molecule's solubility increases with salt concentration and salting-out is the reverse. Salting effects modify the solubility exponentially with increasing salt concentration, and thus the effective Henry's law constant can strongly modify partitioning, and multiphase chemical reaction rates in aerosol water. Moreover, the solubility in aerosol water cannot easily inferred based on the solubility in cloud water, as the salting effects could change the solubility by a factor of 104 or more. In this work, we have devised and applied a novel experimental setup to measure salting constants using an ion trap mass spectrometer. We focus on small, water soluble molecules like methyl glyoxal and similar compounds and measure salting constants for aerosol-relevant salts including ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and sodium chloride. The Setschenow salting-constant values are then used to parameterize the effects of salting in CMAQ. We present a series of sensitivity studies of the effects that inorganic aerosols have on the SOA formation from small soluble molecules in the southeastern United States.

The Retrieval of Aerosol Optical Thickness Using the MERIS Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mei, L.; Rozanov, V. V.; Vountas, M.; Burrows, J. P.; Levy, R. C.; Lotz, W.

2015-12-01

Retrieval of aerosol properties for satellite instruments without shortwave-IR spectral information, multi-viewing, polarization and/or high-temporal observation ability is a challenging problem for spaceborne aerosol remote sensing. However, space based instruments like the MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) and the successor, Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) with high calibration accuracy and high spatial resolution provide unique abilities for obtaining valuable aerosol information for a better understanding of the impact of aerosols on climate, which is still one of the largest uncertainties of global climate change evaluation. In this study, a new Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) retrieval algorithm (XBAER: eXtensible Bremen AErosol Retrieval) is presented. XBAER utilizes the global surface spectral library database for the determination of surface properties while the MODIS collection 6 aerosol type treatment is adapted for the aerosol type selection. In order to take the surface Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) effect into account for the MERIS reduce resolution (1km) retrieval, a modified Ross-Li mode is used. The AOT is determined in the algorithm using lookup tables including polarization created using Radiative Transfer Model SCIATRAN3.4, by minimizing the difference between atmospheric corrected surface reflectance with given AOT and the surface reflectance calculated from the spectral library. The global comparison with operational MODIS C6 product, Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) product, Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) aerosol product and the validation using AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) show promising results. The current XBAER algorithm is only valid for aerosol remote sensing over land and a similar method will be extended to ocean later.

Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation in the Captive Aerosol Growth and Evolution (CAGE) Chambers during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) in Centreville, AL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leong, Y.; Karakurt Cevik, B.; Hernandez, C.; Griffin, R. J.; Taylor, N.; Matus, J.; Collins, D. R.

2013-12-01

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) represents a large portion of sub-micron particulate matter on a global scale. The composition of SOA and its formation processes are heavily influenced by anthropogenic and biogenic activity. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted naturally from forests or from human activity serve as precursors to SOA formation. Biogenic SOA (BSOA) is formed from biogenic VOCs and is prevalent in forested regions like the Southeastern United States. The formation and enhancement of BSOA under anthropogenic influences such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and oxygen radicals are still not well understood. The lack of information on anthropogenic BSOA enhancement and the reversibility of SOA formation could explain the underprediction of SOA in current models. To address some of these gaps in knowledge, this study was conducted as part of the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) in Centreville, AL during the summer of 2013. SOA growth experiments were conducted in two Captive Aerosol Growth and Evolution (CAGE) outdoor chambers located at the SEARCH site. Ambient trace gas concentrations were maintained in these chambers using semi-permeable gas-exchange membranes, while studying the growth of injected monodisperse seed aerosol. The control chamber was operated under ambient conditions; the relative humidity and oxidant and NOx levels were perturbed in the second chamber. This design allows experiments to capture the natural BSOA formation processes in the southeastern atmosphere and to study the influence of anthropogenic activity on aerosol chemistry. Chamber experiments were periodically monitored with physical and chemical instrumentation including a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), a cloud condensation nuclei counter (CCNC), a humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer (H-TDMA), and an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). The CAGE experiments focused on SOA

Photochemical aging of light-absorbing secondary organic aerosol material.

PubMed

Sareen, Neha; Moussa, Samar G; McNeill, V Faye

2013-04-11

Dark reactions of methylglyoxal with NH4(+) in aqueous aerosols yield light-absorbing and surface-active products that can influence the physical properties of the particles. Little is known about how the product mixture and its optical properties will change due to photolysis as well as oxidative aging by O3 and OH in the atmosphere. Here, we report the results of kinetics and product studies of the photochemical aging of aerosols formed by atomizing aqueous solutions of methylglyoxal and ammonium sulfate. Experiments were performed using aerosol flow tube reactors coupled with an aerosol chemical ionization mass spectrometer (Aerosol-CIMS) for monitoring gas- and particle-phase compositions. Particles were also impacted onto quartz windows in order to assess changes in their UV-visible absorption upon oxidation. Photooxidation of the aerosols leads to the formation of small, volatile organic acids including formic acid, acetic acid, and glyoxylic acid. The atmospheric lifetime of these species during the daytime is predicted to be on the order of minutes, with photolysis being an important mechanism of degradation. The lifetime with respect to O3 oxidation was observed to be on the order of hours. O3 oxidation also leads to a net increase in light absorption by the particles due to the formation of additional carbonyl compounds. Our results are consistent with field observations of high brown carbon absorption in the early morning.

Apportionment of urban aerosol sources in Chongqing (China) using synergistic on-line techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yang; Yang, Fumo

2016-04-01

The sources of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during wintertime at a background urban location in Chongqing (southwestern China) have been determined. Aerosol chemical composition analyses were performed using multiple on-line techniques, such as single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) for single particle chemical composition, on-line elemental carbon-organic carbon analyzer (on-line OC-EC), on-line X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for elements, and in-situ Gas and Aerosol Compositions monitor (IGAC) for water-soluble ions in PM2.5. All the datasets from these techniques have been adjusted to a 1-h time resolution for receptor model input. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) has been used for resolving aerosol sources. At least six sources, including domestic coal burning, biomass burning, dust, traffic, industrial and secondary/aged factors have been resolved and interpreted. The synergistic on-line techniques were helpful for identifying aerosol sources more clearly than when only employing the results from the individual techniques. This results are useful for better understanding of aerosol sources and atmospheric processes.

Preliminary observations of organic gas-particle partitioning from biomass combustion smoke using an aerosol mass spectrometer

Treesearch

T. Lee; S. M. Kreidenweis; J. L. Collett; A. P. Sullivan; C. M. Carrico; J. L. Jimenez; M. Cubison; S. Saarikoski; D. R. Worsnop; T. B. Onasch; E. Fortner; W. C. Malm; E. Lincoln; Cyle Wold; WeiMin Hao

2010-01-01

Aerosols play important roles in adverse health effects, indirect and direct forcing of Earth’s climate, and visibility degradation. Biomass burning emissions from wild and prescribed fires can make a significant contribution to ambient aerosol mass in many locations and seasons. In order to better understand the chemical properties of particles produced by combustion...

Global measurements of coarse-mode aerosol size distributions - first results from the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinzierl, B.; Dollner, M.; Schuh, H.; Brock, C. A.; Bui, T. V.; Gasteiger, J.; Froyd, K. D.; Schwarz, J. P.; Spanu, A.; Murphy, D. M.; Katich, J. M.; Kupc, A.; Williamson, C.

2016-12-01

Although coarse-mode aerosol (>1 µm diameter), composed mainly of mineral dust and sea-salt, is highly abundant over large regions of the world, these particles form a particularly poorly understood and characterized subset of atmospheric aerosol constituents. The NASA-sponsored Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) is an unprecedented field program that investigates how human emissions affect air quality and climate change. ATom provides a singular opportunity to characterize the global coarse-mode size distribution by continuously profiling between 0.2 and 13 km with the NASA DC-8 research aircraft while traveling from the high Arctic down south the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to the Southern Ocean and back north over the Atlantic Ocean basin in four seasons. For ATom, the DC-8 aircraft has been equipped with multiple instruments to observe the composition of the air. The coarse mode and cloud particle size distribution is measured in-situ with a Cloud, Aerosol, and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS) mounted under the wing of the DC-8 research aircraft. The CAPS consists of an optical spectrometer providing size distributions in the size range between 0.5 and 50 µm and an imager detecting number concentration, size and shape of particles between 15 and 930 µm diameter. Early ATom flights indicated complicated vertical layering: over the sea, we regularly observed sea salt aerosol which extended from the ground up to 0.6-1 km altitude. In addition - depending on the location of the measurements - we frequently found layers with coarse mode aerosol originating from deserts and biomass burning aerosol aloft. In this study, we will present first results of coarse mode aerosol observations from the entire first ATom deployment in summer 2016. We will show vertical profiles of coarse mode aerosol number concentration, discuss their interhemispheric differences, and look into the question how frequently coarse-mode aerosol is externally mixed with submicron black

Biomass burning and biogenic aerosols in northern Australia during the SAFIRED campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milic, Andelija; Mallet, Marc D.; Cravigan, Luke T.; Alroe, Joel; Ristovski, Zoran D.; Selleck, Paul; Lawson, Sarah J.; Ward, Jason; Desservettaz, Maximilien J.; Paton-Walsh, Clare; Williams, Leah R.; Keywood, Melita D.; Miljevic, Branka

2017-03-01

There is a lack of knowledge of how biomass burning aerosols in the tropics age, including those in the fire-prone Northern Territory in Australia. This paper reports chemical characterization of fresh and aged aerosols monitored during the 1-month-long SAFIRED (Savannah Fires in the Early Dry Season) field study, with an emphasis on the chemical signature and aging of organic aerosols. The campaign took place in June 2014 during the early dry season when the surface measurement site, the Australian Tropical Atmospheric Research Station (ATARS), located in the Northern Territory, was heavily influenced by thousands of wild and prescribed bushfires. ATARS was equipped with a wide suite of instrumentation for gaseous and aerosol characterization. A compact time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer was deployed to monitor aerosol chemical composition. Approximately 90 % of submicron non-refractory mass was composed of organic material. Ozone enhancement in biomass burning plumes indicated increased air mass photochemistry. The diversity in biomass burning emissions was illustrated through variability in chemical signature (e.g. wide range in f44, from 0.06 to 0.18) for five intense fire events. The background particulate loading was characterized using positive matrix factorization (PMF). A PMF-resolved BBOA (biomass burning organic aerosol) factor comprised 24 % of the submicron non-refractory organic aerosol mass, confirming the significance of fire sources. A dominant PMF factor, OOA (oxygenated organic aerosol), made up 47 % of the sampled aerosol, illustrating the importance of aerosol aging in the Northern Territory. Biogenic isoprene-derived organic aerosol factor was the third significant fraction of the background aerosol (28 %).

Characterization of particulate products for aging of ethylbenzene secondary organic aerosol in the presence of ammonium sulfate seed aerosol.

PubMed

Huang, Mingqiang; Zhang, Jiahui; Cai, Shunyou; Liao, Yingmin; Zhao, Weixiong; Hu, Changjin; Gu, Xuejun; Fang, Li; Zhang, Weijun

2016-09-01

Aging of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles formed from OH- initiated oxidation of ethylbenzene in the presence of high mass (100-300μg/m(3)) concentrations of (NH4)2SO4 seed aerosol was investigated in a home-made smog chamber in this study. The chemical composition of aged ethylbenzene SOA particles was measured using an aerosol laser time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ALTOFMS) coupled with a Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering algorithm. Experimental results showed that nitrophenol, ethyl-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, methyl glyoxylic acid, 5-ethyl-6-oxo-2,4-hexadienoic acid, 2-ethyl-2,4-hexadiendioic acid, 2,3-dihydroxy-5-ethyl-6-oxo-4-hexenoic acid, 1H-imidazole, hydrated N-glyoxal substituted 1H-imidazole, hydrated glyoxal dimer substituted imidazole, 1H-imidazole-2-carbaldehyde, N-glyoxal substituted hydrated 1H-imidazole-2-carbaldehyde and high-molecular-weight (HMW) components were the predominant products in the aged particles. Compared to the previous aromatic SOA aging studies, imidazole compounds, which can absorb solar radiation effectively, were newly detected in aged ethylbenzene SOA in the presence of high concentrations of (NH4)2SO4 seed aerosol. These findings provide new information for discussing aromatic SOA aging mechanisms. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

MGS TES Measurements of Dust and Ice Aerosol Behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clancy, R. T.; Wolff, M. J.; Christensen, P. R.

2000-10-01

The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES, Christensen et al., Science, v279, 1692-1697, 1998) on board the Mars Global Surveyor obtains simultaneous solar band and thermal IR spectral emission-phase-function (EPF) observations with global spatial coverage and continuous seasonal sampling. These measurements allow the first comprehensive study of the coupled visible scattering and thermal IR absorption properties of Mars atmospheric aerosols, a fundamental requirement towards defining opacities, particle sizes, and particle shapes for separable dust and water ice aerosol components. Furthermore, TES limb sounding at solar band and IR wavelengths may be analyzed in the context of these EPF column determinations to constrain the distinctive vertical profile behaviors of dust and ice clouds. We present initial radiative transfer analyses of TES visible and IR EPFs, which indicate surprisingly complex dust and ice aerosol behaviors over all latitudes and seasons. Distinctive backscattering peaks of variable intensity are observed for several types of water ice clouds, along with evidence for ice-coated dust aerosols. We will present a broad spatial and temporal sampling of solar band and spectral IR results for Mars atmospheric ice and dust aerosols observed over the 1998-2000 period. This research is supported by the MGS Participating Scientist and MED Science Data Analysis programs.

Vacuum FTIR study on the hygroscopicity of magnesium acetate aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Na; Cai, Chen; He, Xiang; Pang, Shu-Feng; Zhang, Yun-Hong

2018-03-01

Hygroscopicity and volatility of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) are two important properties, which determine the composition, concentration, size, phase state of SOA and thus chemical and optical properties for SOA. In this work, magnesium acetate (Mg(Ac)2) aerosol was used as a simple SOA model in order to reveal relationship between hygroscopicity and volatility. A novel approach was set up based on a combination of a vacuum FTIR spectrometer and a home-made relative humidity (RH) controlling system. The striking advantage of this approach was that the RH and the compositions of aerosols could be obtained from a same IR spectrum, which guaranteed the synchronism between RH and spectral features on a sub-second scale. At the constant RH of 90% and 80% for 3000 s, the water content within Mg(Ac)2 aerosol particles decreased about 19.0% and 9.4% while there were 13.4% and 6.0% of acetate loss. This was attributed to a cooperation between volatile of acetic acid and Mg2 + hydrolysis in Mg(Ac)2 aerosols, which greatly suppressed the hygroscopicity of Mg(Ac)2 aerosols. When the RH changed with pulsed mode between 70% and 90%, hygroscopicity relaxation was observed for Mg(Ac)2 aerosols. Diffuse coefficient of water in the relaxation process was estimated to be 5 × 10- 12 m2·s- 1 for the Mg(Ac)2 aerosols. Combining the IR spectra analysis, the decrease in the diffuse coefficient of water was due to the formation of magnesium hydroxide accompanying acetic acid evaporation in the aerosols.

Optical extinction of highly porous aerosol following atmospheric freeze drying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adler, Gabriela; Haspel, Carynelisa; Moise, Tamar; Rudich, Yinon

2014-06-01

Porous glassy particles are a potentially significant but unexplored component of atmospheric aerosol that can form by aerosol processing through the ice phase of high convective clouds. The optical properties of porous glassy aerosols formed from a freeze-dry cycle simulating freezing and sublimation of ice particles were measured using a cavity ring down aerosol spectrometer (CRD-AS) at 532 nm and 355 nm wavelength. The measured extinction efficiency was significantly reduced for porous organic and mixed organic-ammonium sulfate particles as compared to the extinction efficiency of the homogeneous aerosol of the same composition prior to the freeze-drying process. A number of theoretical approaches for modeling the optical extinction of porous aerosols were explored. These include effective medium approximations, extended effective medium approximations, multilayer concentric sphere models, Rayleigh-Debye-Gans theory, and the discrete dipole approximation. Though such approaches are commonly used to describe porous particles in astrophysical and atmospheric contexts, in the current study, these approaches predicted an even lower extinction than the measured one. Rather, the best representation of the measured extinction was obtained with an effective refractive index retrieved from a fit to Mie scattering theory assuming spherical particles with a fixed void content. The single-scattering albedo of the porous glassy aerosols was derived using this effective refractive index and was found to be lower than that of the corresponding homogeneous aerosol, indicating stronger relative absorption at the wavelengths measured. The reduced extinction and increased absorption may be of significance in assessing direct, indirect, and semidirect forcing in regions where porous aerosols are expected to be prevalent.

Vacuum FTIR Observation on the Dynamic Hygroscopicity of Aerosols under Pulsed Relative Humidity.

PubMed

Leng, Chun-Bo; Pang, Shu-Feng; Zhang, Yun; Cai, Chen; Liu, Yong; Zhang, Yun-Hong

2015-08-04

A novel approach based on a combination of a pulse RH controlling system and a rapid scan vacuum FTIR spectrometer (PRHCS-RSVFTIR) was utilized to investigate dynamic hygroscopicity of two atmospheric aerosols: ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4). In this approach, rapid-scan infrared spectra of water vapor and aerosols were obtained to determine relative humidity (RH) in sample cell and hygroscopic property of aerosols with a subsecond time resolution. Heterogeneous nucleation rates of (NH4)2SO4 were, for the first time, measured under low RH conditions (<35% RH). In addition, studies of MgSO4 aerosols revealed that water mass transport may be limited by different processes depending on RH values (surface limited at 40% < RH < 52% and bulk phase limited at RH < 40%). Furthermore, we are also the first to report water diffusion constants in micron size MgSO4 aerosols at very low RH values. Our results have shown that the PRHCS-RSVFTIR is well-suited for determination of hygroscopicity of atmospheric aerosols and water transport and nucleation kinetics of liquid aerosols.

Measurement of Fukushima Aerosol Debris in Sequim and Richland, WA and Ketchikan, AK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miley, Harry S.; Bowyer, Ted W.; Engelmann, Mark D.

2013-05-01

Aerosol collections were initiated at several locations by PNNL shortly after the Great East Japan Earthquake of May 2011. Aerosol samples were transferred to laboratory high-resolution gamma spectrometers for analysis. Similar to treaty monitoring stations operating across the Northern hemisphere, iodine and other isotopes which could be volatilized at high temperature were detected. Though these locations are not far apart, they have significant variations with respect to water, mountain-range placement, and local topography. Variation in computed source terms will be shown to bound the variability of this approach to source estimation.

A new application of hierarchical cluster analysis to investigate organic peaks in bulk mass spectra obtained with an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Middlebrook, A. M.; Marcolli, C.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Worsnop, D. R.; Bahreini, R.; de Gouw, J. A.; Warneke, C.; Goldan, P. D.; Kuster, W. C.; Williams, E. J.; Lerner, B. M.; Roberts, J. M.; Meagher, J. F.; Fehsenfeld, F. C.; Marchewka, M. L.; Bertman, S. B.

2006-12-01

We applied hierarchical cluster analysis to an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) bulk mass spectral dataset collected aboard the NOAA research vessel Ronald H. Brown during the 2002 New England Air Quality Study off the east coast of the United States. Emphasizing the organic peaks, the cluster analysis yielded a series of categories that are distinguishable with respect to their mass spectra and their occurrence as a function of time. The differences between the categories mainly arise from relative intensity changes rather than from the presence or absence of specific peaks. The most frequent category exhibits a strong signal at m/z 44 and represents oxidized organic matter probably originating from both anthropogenic as well as biogenic sources. On the basis of spectral and trace gas correlations, the second most common category with strong signals at m/z 29, 43, and 44 contains contributions from isoprene oxidation products. The third through the fifth most common categories have peak patterns characteristic of monoterpene oxidation products and were most frequently observed when air masses from monoterpene rich regions were sampled. Taken together, the second through the fifth most common categories represent on average 17% of the total organic mass that stems likely from biogenic sources during the ship's cruise. These numbers have to be viewed as lower limits since the most common category was attributed to anthropogenic sources for this calculation. The cluster analysis was also very effective in identifying a few contaminated mass spectra that were not removed during pre-processing. This study demonstrates that hierarchical clustering is a useful tool to analyze the complex patterns of the organic peaks in bulk aerosol mass spectra from a field study.

Modification, calibration, and performance of the Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer for particle size distribution and volatility measurements during the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) airborne campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kupc, Agnieszka; Williamson, Christina; Wagner, Nicholas L.; Richardson, Mathews; Brock, Charles A.

2018-01-01

Atmospheric aerosol is a key component of the chemistry and climate of the Earth's atmosphere. Accurate measurement of the concentration of atmospheric particles as a function of their size is fundamental to investigations of particle microphysics, optical characteristics, and chemical processes. We describe the modification, calibration, and performance of two commercially available, Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometers (UHSASs) as used on the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom). To avoid sample flow issues related to pressure variations during aircraft altitude changes, we installed a laminar flow meter on each instrument to measure sample flow directly at the inlet as well as flow controllers to maintain constant volumetric sheath flows. In addition, we added a compact thermodenuder operating at 300 °C to the inlet line of one of the instruments. With these modifications, the instruments are capable of making accurate (ranging from 7 % for Dp < 0.07 µm to 1 % for Dp > 0.13 µm), precise (< ±1.2 %), and continuous (1 Hz) measurements of size-resolved particle number concentration over the diameter range of 0.063-1.0 µm at ambient pressures of > 1000 to 225 hPa, while simultaneously providing information on particle volatility.We assessed the effect of uncertainty in the refractive index (n) of ambient particles that are sized by the UHSAS assuming the refractive index of ammonium sulfate (n = 1.52). For calibration particles with n between 1.44 and 1.58, the UHSAS diameter varies by +4/-10 % relative to ammonium sulfate. This diameter uncertainty associated with the range of refractive indices (i.e., particle composition) translates to aerosol surface area and volume uncertainties of +8.4/-17.8 and +12.4/-27.5 %, respectively. In addition to sizing uncertainty, low counting statistics can lead to uncertainties of < 20 % for aerosol surface area and < 30 % for volume with 10 s time resolution. The UHSAS reduction in

Observation and analysis of aerosol optical properties and aerosol growth in two New Year celebrations in Manila Observatory (14.64N, 127.07E)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagrosas, N.; Bautista, D. L. B.; Miranda, J. P.

2016-12-01

Aerosol optical properties and growth were measured during 2014 and 2016 New Year celebrations at Manila Observatory, Philippines. Measurements were done using a USB2000 spectrometer from 22:00 of 31 December 2013 to 03:00 of 01 January 2014 and from 18:00 of 31 December 2015 to 05:30 01 January 2016. A xenon lamp was used as a light source 150m from the spectrometer. Fireworks and firecrackers were the main sources of aerosols during these festivities. Data were collected every 60s and 10s for 2014 and 2016 respectively. The aerosol volume size distribution was derived using the parametric inversion method proposed by Kaijser (1983). The method is performed by selecting 8 wavelengths from 387.30nm to 600.00nm. The reference intensities were obtained when firework activities were considerably low and the air was assumed to be relatively clean. Using Mie theory and assuming that the volume size distribution is a linear combination of 33 bimodal lognormal distribution functions with geometric mean radii between 0.003um and 1.2um, a least-square minimization process was implemented between measured optical depths and computed optical depths. The 2016 New Year distribution showed mostly a unimodal size distribution (mean radius = 0.3um) from 23:00 to 05:30 (Fig. 1a). The mean Angstrom coefficient value during the same time interval was approximately 0.75. This could be attributed to a constant RH (100%) during this time interval. A bimodal distribution was observed when RH value was 94% from 18:30 to 21:30. The transition to a unimodal distribution was observed at 21:00 when the RH value changes from 94% to 100%. In contrast to the 2016 New Year celebration, the 2014 size distribution was bimodal from 23:30 to 02:30 (Fig 1b). The bimodal distribution is the result of firework activities before New Year. Aerosol growth was evident when the size distribution became unimodal after 02:30 (mean radius = 1.1um). The mean Angstrom coefficient, when the size distribution is

Aerosol Production from Charbroiled and Wet-Fried Meats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niedziela, R. F.; Blanc, L. E.

2012-12-01

Previous work in our laboratory focused on the chemical and optical characterization of aerosols produced during the dry-frying of different meat samples. This method yielded a complex ensemble of particles composed of water and long-chain fatty acids with the latter dominated by oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. The present study examines how wet-frying and charbroiling cooking methods affect the physical and chemical properties of their derived aerosols. Samples of ground beef, salmon, chicken, and pork were subject to both cooking methods in the laboratory, with their respective aerosols swept into a laminar flow cell where they were optically analyzed in the mid-infrared and collected through a gas chromatography probe for chemical characterization. This presentation will compare and contrast the nature of the aerosols generated in each cooking method, particularly those produced during charbroiling which exposes the samples, and their drippings, to significantly higher temperatures. Characterization of such cooking-related aerosols is important because of the potential impact of these particles on air quality, particularly in urban areas.

Chemical State Mapping of Degraded B4C Control Rod Investigated with Soft X-ray Emission Spectrometer in Electron Probe Micro-analysis.

PubMed

Kasada, R; Ha, Y; Higuchi, T; Sakamoto, K

2016-05-10

B4C is widely used as control rods in light water reactors, such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, because it shows excellent neutron absorption and has a high melting point. However, B4C can melt at lower temperatures owing to eutectic interactions with stainless steel and can even evaporate by reacting with high-temperature steam under severe accident conditions. To reduce the risk of recriticality, a precise understanding of the location and chemical state of B in the melt core is necessary. Here we show that a novel soft X-ray emission spectrometer in electron probe microanalysis can help to obtain a chemical state map of B in a modeled control rod after a high-temperature steam oxidation test.

The SeaQuest Spectrometer at Fermilab

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aidala, C.A.; et al.

The SeaQuest spectrometer at Fermilab was designed to detect oppositely-charged pairs of muons (dimuons) produced by interactions between a 120 GeV proton beam and liquid hydrogen, liquid deuterium and solid nuclear targets. The primary physics program uses the Drell-Yan process to probe antiquark distributions in the target nucleon. The spectrometer consists of a target system, two dipole magnets and four detector stations. The upstream magnet is a closed-aperture solid iron magnet which also serves as the beam dump, while the second magnet is an open aperture magnet. Each of the detector stations consists of scintillator hodoscopes and a high-resolution trackingmore » device. The FPGA-based trigger compares the hodoscope signals to a set of pre-programmed roads to determine if the event contains oppositely-signed, high-mass muon pairs.« less

Quantification of Semi-Volatile gas-phase Organic Compounds (SVOCs) & Organic Aerosol species and the role of SVOCs in Secondary Organic Aerosol formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, M. H.; Holzinger, R.

2013-12-01

A Thermal-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass-Spectrometer (TD-PTR-MS) with different sampling systems (multi-stage denuder for gas phase and impact on a collector for aerosol phase) has been deployed in summer 2013 during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) at the SEARCH ground site, Centreville, Alabama for in-situ gas phase and aerosol measurements on an hourly time resolution. A bunch of DB-1 column (0.53 mm x 5.0 μm) is used in the denuder for capturing the bulk of SVOCs and a collection-thermal-desorption (CTD) cell is used for collecting aerosol particles. Several hundreds semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in gas phase and aerosol phases have been detected. The high mass resolution capabilities of ~5000, low detection limit (<0.05 pptv for gas species, <0.01 ng m-3 for aerosol species) and good physical and chemical characterization of SVOCs with the TD-PTR-MS allows constraining both, the quantity and the chemical composition. The SEARCH site was highly impacted by Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) and occasionally influenced by anthropogenic pollution. BVOCs and their oxidation products are capable of partitioning into the particle phase, so their simultaneous quantification in both phases has been used to determine the gas/particle-phase partitioning. Our results show the expected diurnal variation based on the changes of air temperature for many species. The results from this study give valuable insights into sources and processing of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOAs) that can be used to improve parameterization algorithms in regional and global climate models.

The spectroscopic search for the trace aerosols in the planetary atmospheres - the results of numerical simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blecka, Maria I.

2010-05-01

The passive remote spectrometric methods are important in examinations the atmospheres of planets. The radiance spectra inform us about values of thermodynamical parameters and composition of the atmospheres and surfaces. The spectral technology can be useful in detection of the trace aerosols like biological substances (if present) in the environments of the planets. We discuss here some of the aspects related to the spectroscopic search for the aerosols and dust in planetary atmospheres. Possibility of detection and identifications of biological aerosols with a passive InfraRed spectrometer in an open-air environment is discussed. We present numerically simulated, based on radiative transfer theory, spectroscopic observations of the Earth atmosphere. Laboratory measurements of transmittance of various kinds of aerosols, pollens and bacterias were used in modeling.

Aromatic Structure in Simulates Titan Aerosol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trainer, Melissa G.; Loeffler, M. J.; Anderson, C. M.; Hudson, R. L.; Samuelson, R. E.; Moore, M. A.

2011-01-01

Observations of Titan by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) between 560 and 20 per centimeter (approximately 18 to 500 micrometers) have been used to infer the vertical variations of Titan's ice abundances, as well as those of the aerosol from the surface to an altitude of 300 km [1]. The aerosol has a broad emission feature centered approximately at 140 per centimeter (71 micrometers). As seen in Figure 1, this feature cannot be reproduced using currently available optical constants from laboratory-generated Titan aerosol analogs [2]. The far-IR is uniquely qualified for investigating low-energy vibrational motions within the lattice structures of COITIDlex aerosol. The feature observed by CIRS is broad, and does not likely arise from individual molecules, but rather is representative of the skeletal movements of macromolecules. Since Cassini's arrival at Titan, benzene (C6H6) has been detected in the atmosphere at ppm levels as well as ions that may be polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [3]. We speculate that the feature may be a blended composite that can be identified with low-energy vibrations of two-dimensional lattice structures of large molecules, such as PAHs or nitrogenated aromatics. Such structures do not dominate the composition of analog materials generated from CH4 and N2 irradiation. We are performing studies forming aerosol analog via UV irradiation of aromatic precursors - specifically C6H6 - to understand how the unique chemical architecture of the products will influence the observable aerosol characteristics. The optical and chemical properties of the aromatic analog will be compared to those formed from CH4/N2 mixtures, with a focus on the as-yet unidentified far-IR absorbance feature. Preliminary results indicate that the photochemically-formed aromatic aerosol has distinct chemical composition, and may incorporate nitrogen either into the ring structure or adjoined chemical groups. These compositional differences are

[Sub-field imaging spectrometer design based on Offner structure].

PubMed

Wu, Cong-Jun; Yan, Chang-Xiang; Liu, Wei; Dai, Hu

2013-08-01

To satisfy imaging spectrometers's miniaturization, lightweight and large field requirements in space application, the current optical design of imaging spectrometer with Offner structure was analyzed, and an simple method to design imaging spectrometer with concave grating based on current ways was given. Using the method offered, the sub-field imaging spectrometer with 400 km altitude, 0.4-1.0 microm wavelength range, 5 F-number of 720 mm focal length and 4.3 degrees total field was designed. Optical fiber was used to transfer the image in telescope's focal plane to three slits arranged in the same plane so as to achieve subfield. The CCD detector with 1 024 x 1 024 and 18 microm x 18 microm was used to receive the image of the three slits after dispersing. Using ZEMAX software optimization and tolerance analysis, the system can satisfy 5 nm spectrum resolution and 5 m field resolution, and the MTF is over 0.62 with 28 lp x mm(-1). The field of the system is almost 3 times that of similar instruments used in space probe.

Gas phase emissions from cooking processes and their secondary aerosol production potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Felix; Platt, Stephen; Bruns, Emily; Termime-roussel, Brice; Detournay, Anais; Mohr, Claudia; Crippa, Monica; Slowik, Jay; Marchand, Nicolas; Baltensperger, Urs; Prevot, Andre; El Haddad, Imad

2014-05-01

Long before the industrial evolution and the era of fossil fuels, high concentrations of aerosol particles were alluded to in heavily populated areas, including ancient Rome and medieval London. Recent radiocarbon measurements (14C) conducted in modern megacities came as a surprise: carbonaceous aerosol (mainly organic aerosol, OA), a predominant fraction of particulate matter (PM), remains overwhelmingly non-fossil despite extensive fossil fuel combustion. Such particles are directly emitted (primary OA, POA) or formed in-situ in the atmosphere (secondary OA, SOA) via photochemical reactions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Urban levels of non-fossil OA greatly exceed the levels measured in pristine environments strongly impacted by biogenic emissions, suggesting a contribution from unidentified anthropogenic non-fossil sources to urban OA. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) techniques applied to ambient aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS, Aerodyne) data identify primary cooking emissions (COA) as one of the main sources of primary non-fossil OA in major cities like London (Allan et al., 2010), New York (Sun et al., 2011) and Beijing (Huang et al., 2010). Cooking processes can also emit VOCs that can act as SOA precursors, potentially explaining in part the high levels of oxygenated OA (OOA) identified by the AMS in urban areas. However, at present, the chemical nature of these VOCs and their secondary aerosol production potential (SAPP) remain virtually unknown. The approach adopted here involves laboratory quantification of PM and VOC emission factors from the main primary COA emitting processes and their SAPP. Primary emissions from deep-fat frying, vegetable boiling, vegetable frying and meat cooking for different oils, meats and vegetables were analysed under controlled conditions after ~100 times dilution. A high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and a high resolution proton transfer time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR

Long-term variations of aerosol optical depth and aerosol radiative forcing over Iran based on satellite and AERONET data.

PubMed

Arkian, F; Nicholson, S E

2017-12-01

In this study, three different sensors of satellites including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) were used to study spatial and temporal variations of aerosols over ten populated cities in Iran. Also, the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was used for analyzing the origins of air masses and their trajectory in the area. An increasing trend in aerosol concentration was observed in the most studied cities in Iran during 1979-2016. The cities in the western part of Iran had the highest annual mean of aerosol concentration. The highest aerosol optical depth (AOD) value (0.76 ± 0.51) was recorded in May 2012 over Ahvaz, and the lowest value (0.035 ± 0.27) was recorded in December 2013 over Tabriz. After Ahvaz, the highest AOD value was found over Tehran (annual mean 0.11 ± 0.20). The results show that AOD increases with increasing industrial activities, but the increased frequency of aerosols due to land degradation and desertification is more powerful in Iran. The trajectory analysis by the HYSPLIT model showed that the air masses come from Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon and passed over the Iraq and then reached to Iran during summer. Aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) has been analyzed for Zanjan (Aerosol Robotic Network site) during 2010-2013. The ARF at surface and top of the atmosphere was found to be ranging from - 79 to - 10W m -2 (average - 33.45 W m -2 ) and from - 25 to 6 W m -2 (average - 12.80 W m -2 ), respectively.

Changes in organic aerosol composition with aging inferred from aerosol mass spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, N. L.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Jimenez, J. L.; Chhabra, P. S.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Worsnop, D. R.

2011-03-01

Organic aerosols (OA) can be separated with factor analysis of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) data into hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) and oxygenated OA (OOA). We develop a new method to parameterize H:C of OOA in terms of f43 (ratio of m/z 43, mostly C2H3O+, to total signal in the component mass spectrum). Such parameterization allows the transformation of large database of ambient OOA components from the f44 (mostly CO2+, likely from acid groups) vs. f43 space ("triangle plot") (Ng et al., 2010) into the Van Krevelen diagram (H:C vs. O:C). Heald et al. (2010) suggested that the bulk composition of OA line up in the Van Krevelen diagram with a slope ~ -1; such slope can potentially arise from the physical mixing of HOA and OOA, and/or from chemical aging of these components. In this study, we find that the OOA components from all sites occupy an area in the Van Krevelen space, with the evolution of OOA following a shallower slope of ~ -0.5, consistent with the additions of both acid and alcohol functional groups without fragmentation, and/or the addition of acid groups with C-C bond breakage. The importance of acid formation in OOA evolution is consistent with increasing f44 in the triangle plot with photochemical age. These results provide a framework for linking the bulk aerosol chemical composition evolution to molecular-level studies.

Secondary organic aerosol formation from primary aliphatic amines with NO3 radical

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malloy, Q. G. J.; Qi, Li; Warren, B.; Cocker, D. R., III; Erupe, M. E.; Silva, P. J.

2009-03-01

Primary aliphatic amines are an important class of nitrogen containing compounds emitted from automobiles, waste treatment facilities and agricultural animal operations. A series of experiments conducted at the UC-Riverside/CE-CERT Environmental Chamber is presented in which oxidation of methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, and butylamine with O3 and NO3 have been investigated. Very little aerosol formation is observed in the presence of O3 only. However, after addition of NO, and by extension NO3, large aerosol mass yields (~44% for butylamine) are seen. Aerosol generated was determined to be organic in nature due to the small fraction of NO and NO2 in the total signal (<1% for all amines tested) as detected by an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). We propose a reaction mechanism between carbonyl containing species and the parent amine leading to formation of particulate imine products. These findings can have significant impacts on rural communities with elevated nighttime PM loadings, when significant levels of NO3 exist.

Secondary organic aerosol formation from primary aliphatic amines with NO3 radical

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malloy, Q. G. J.; Qi, Li; Warren, B.; Cocker, D. R., III; Erupe, M. E.; Silva, P. J.

2008-07-01

Primary aliphatic amines are an important class of nitrogen containing compounds found to be emitted from automobiles, waste treatment facilities and agricultural animal operations. A series of experiments conducted at the UC-Riverside/CE-CERT Environmental Chamber is presented in which oxidation of methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, and butylamine with NO3 has been investigated. Very little aerosol formation is observed in the presence of O3 only. However, after addition of NO, and by extension NO3, large yields of aerosol mass loadings (~44% for butylamine) are seen. Aerosol generated was determined to be organic in nature due to the small fraction of NO and NO2 in the total signal (<17% for all amines tested) as detected by an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). We propose a reaction mechanism between carbonyl containing species and the parent amine leading to formation of particulate imine products. These findings can have significant impacts on rural communities and lead to elevated nighttime PM loadings, when significant levels on NO3 exist.

Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation and Aging in a Flow Reactor in the Forested Southeast US during SOAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, W.; Palm, B. B.; Hacker, L.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Day, D. A.; de Sá, S. S.; Ayres, B. R.; Draper, D.; Fry, J.; Ortega, A. M.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.; Pajunoja, A.; Virtanen, A.; Krechmer, J.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Thompson, S.; Yatavelli, R. L. N.; Stark, H.; Worsnop, D. R.; Martin, S. T.; Farmer, D.; Brown, S. S.; Jimenez, J. L.

2015-12-01

A major field campaign (Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study, SOAS) was conducted in summer 2013 in a forested area in Centreville Supersite, AL (SEARCH network) in the southeast U.S. To investigate secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), 3 oxidation flow reactors (OFR) were used to expose ambient air to oxidants and their output was analyzed by state-of-the-art gas and aerosol instruments including a High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-AMS), a HR Proton-Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-TOFMS), and Two HR-TOF Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometers (HRToF-CIMS). Ambient air was exposed 24/7 to variable concentrations of each of the 3 main atmospheric oxidants (OH, NO3 radicals and O3) to investigate the oxidation of BVOCs (including isoprene derived epoxydiols, IEPOX) and SOA formation and aging. Effective OH exposures up to 1×1013 molec cm-3 s were achieved, equivalent to over a month of aging in the atmosphere. Multiple oxidation products from isoprene and monoterpenes including small gas-phase acids were observed in OH OFR. High SOA formation of up to 12 μg m-3 above ambient concentrations of 5 μg m-3 was observed under intermediate OH exposures, while very high OH exposures led to destruction of ~30% of ambient OA, indicating shifting contributions of functionalization vs. fragmentation, consistent with results from urban and terpene-dominated environments. The highest SOA enhancements were 3-4 times higher than ambient OA. More SOA is typically formed during nighttime when terpenes are higher and photochemistry is absent, and less during daytime when isoprene is higher, although the IEPOX pathway is suppressed in the OFR. SOA is also observed after exposure of ambient air to O3 or NO3, although the amounts and oxidation levels were lower than for OH. Formation of organic nitrates in the NO3 reaction will also be discussed.A major field campaign (Southern Oxidant and Aerosol

Rugged fiber optic probe for raman measurement

DOEpatents

O'Rourke, Patrick E.; Toole, Jr., William R.; Nave, Stanley E.

1998-01-01

An optical probe for conducting light scattering analysis is disclosed. The probe comprises a hollow housing and a probe tip. A fiber assembly made up of a transmitting fiber and a receiving bundle is inserted in the tip. A filter assembly is inserted in the housing and connected to the fiber assembly. A signal line from the light source and to the spectrometer also is connected to the filter assembly and communicates with the fiber assembly. By using a spring-loaded assembly to hold the fiber connectors together with the in-line filters, complex and sensitive alignment procedures are avoided. The close proximity of the filter assembly to the probe tip eliminates or minimizes self-scattering generated by the optical fiber. Also, because the probe can contact the sample directly, sensitive optics can be eliminated.

Light Source Effects on Aerosol Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Measurements

PubMed Central

Radney, James G.; Zangmeister, Christopher D.

2016-01-01

Photoacoustic spectroscopy measurements of flame-generated soot aerosol coated with small amounts of water yielded absorption enhancements that were dependent on the laser used: quasi-continuous wave (Q-CW, ≈ 650 ps pulse duration and 78 MHz repetition rate) versus continuous wave (CW). Water coating thickness was controlled by exposing the aerosol to a set relative humidity (RH). At ≈ 85 % RH, the mass of the soot particles increased by an amount comparable to a monolayer of water being deposited and enhanced the measured absorption by 36 % and 15 % for the Q-CW and CW lasers, respectively. Extinction measurements were also performed using a cavity ring-down spectrometer (extinction equals the sum of absorption and scattering) with a CW laser and negligible enhancement was observed at all RH. These findings demonstrate that source choice can impact measurements of aerosols with volatile coatings and that the absorption enhancements at high RH previously measured by Radney and Zangmeister (2015) [1] are the result of laser source used (Q-CW) and not from an increase in the particle absorption cross section. PMID:28066027

Characterization of the organic matter in submicron urban aerosols using a Thermo-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (TD-PTR-TOF-MS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvador, Christian Mark; Ho, T.-T.; Chou, Charles C.-K.; Chen, M.-J.; Huang, W.-R.; Huang, S.-H.

2016-09-01

Organic matter is the most complicated and unresolved major component of atmospheric aerosol particles. Its sources and global budget are still highly uncertain and thereby necessitate further research efforts with state-of-the-art instrument. This study employed a Thermo-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (TD-PTR-TOF-MS) for characterization of ambient organic aerosols. First, five authentic standard substances, which include phthalic acid, levoglucosan, arabitol, cis-pinonic acid and glutaric acid, were utilized to examine the response of the instrument. The results demonstrated the linearity of the TD-PTR-TOF-MS signals against a range of mass loading of specific species on filters. However, it was found that significant fragmentation happened to those challenging compounds, although the proton-transfer-reaction (PTR) was recognized as a soft ionization technique. Consequently, quantitative characterization of aerosols with the TD-PTR-TOF-MS depended on the availability of the fragmentation pattern in mass spectra and the recovery rate with the quantification ion peak(s). The instrument was further deployed to analyze a subset of submicron aerosol samples collected at the TARO (Taipei Aerosol and Radiation Observatory) in Taipei, Taiwan during August 2013. The results were compared with the measurements from a conventional DRI thermo-optical carbon analyzer. The inter-comparison indicated that the TD-PTR-TOF-MS underestimated the mass of total organic matter (TOM) in aerosol samples by 27%. The underestimation was most likely due to the thermo-decomposition during desorption processes and fragmentation in PTR drift tube, where undetectable fragments were formed. Besides, condensation loss of low vapor pressure species in the transfer components was also responsible for the underestimation to a certain degree. Nevertheless, it was showed that the sum of the mass concentrations of the major detected ion peaks correlated strongly

Effects of local meteorology and aerosols on ozone and nitrogen dioxide retrievals from OMI and pandora spectrometers in Maryland, USA during DISCOVER-AQ 2011.

PubMed

Reed, Andra J; Thompson, Anne M; Kollonige, Debra E; Martins, Douglas K; Tzortziou, Maria A; Herman, Jay R; Berkoff, Timothy A; Abuhassan, Nader K; Cede, Alexander

An analysis is presented for both ground- and satellite-based retrievals of total column ozone and nitrogen dioxide levels from the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitan area during the NASA-sponsored July 2011 campaign of D eriving I nformation on S urface CO nditions from Column and VER tically Resolved Observations Relevant to A ir Q uality (DISCOVER-AQ). Satellite retrievals of total column ozone and nitrogen dioxide from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite are used, while Pandora spectrometers provide total column ozone and nitrogen dioxide amounts from the ground. We found that OMI and Pandora agree well (residuals within ±25 % for nitrogen dioxide, and ±4.5 % for ozone) for a majority of coincident observations during July 2011. Comparisons with surface nitrogen dioxide from a Teledyne API 200 EU NO x Analyzer showed nitrogen dioxide diurnal variability that was consistent with measurements by Pandora. However, the wide OMI field of view, clouds, and aerosols affected retrievals on certain days, resulting in differences between Pandora and OMI of up to ±65 % for total column nitrogen dioxide, and ±23 % for total column ozone. As expected, significant cloud cover (cloud fraction >0.2) was the most important parameter affecting comparisons of ozone retrievals; however, small, passing cumulus clouds that do not coincide with a high (>0.2) cloud fraction, or low aerosol layers which cause significant backscatter near the ground affected the comparisons of total column nitrogen dioxide retrievals. Our results will impact post-processing satellite retrieval algorithms and quality control procedures.

Aerosol direct and indirect radiative effect over Eastern Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgoulias, Aristeidis; Alexandri, Georgia; Zanis, Prodromos; Ntogras, Christos; Poeschl, Ulrich; Kourtidis, Kostas

In this work, we present results from the QUADIEEMS project which is focused on the aerosol-cloud relations and the aerosol direct and indirect radiative effect over the region of Eastern Mediterranean. First, a gridded dataset at a resolution of 0.1x0.1 degrees (~10km) with aerosol and cloud related parameters was compiled, using level-2 satellite observations from MODIS TERRA (3/2000-12/2012) and AQUA (7/2002-12/2012). The aerosol gridded dataset has been validated against sunphotometric measurements from 12 AERONET ground stations, showing that generally MODIS overestimates aerosol optical depth (AOD550). Then, the AOD550 and fine mode ratio (FMR550) data from MODIS were combined with aerosol index (AI) data from the Earth Probe TOMS and OMI satellite sensors, wind field data from the ERA-interim reanalysis and AOD550 data for various aerosol types from the GOCART model and the MACC reanalysis to quantify the relative contribution of different aerosol types (marine, dust, anthropogenic, fine-mode natural) to the total AOD550. The aerosol-cloud relations over the region were investigated with the use of the joint high resolution aerosol-cloud gridded dataset. Specifically, we focused on the seasonal relations between the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and AOD550. The aerosol direct and first indirect radiative effect was then calculated for each aerosol type separately making use of the aerosol relative contribution to the total AOD550, the CDND-AOD550 relations and satellite-based parameterizations. The direct radiative effect was also quantified using simulations from a regional climate model (REGCM4), simulations with a radiative transfer model (SBDART) and the three methods were finally intervalidated.

Light Absorption of Brown Carbon Aerosol in the Pearl River Delta Region of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, X.

2015-12-01

X.F. Huang, J.F. Yuan, L.M. Cao, J. Cui, C.N. Huang, Z.J. Lan and L.Y. He Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaCorresponding author. Tel.: +86 755 26032532; fax: +86 755 26035332. E-mail address: huangxf@pku.edu.cn (X. F. Huang). Abstract: The strong spectral dependence of light absorption of brown carbon (BrC) aerosol has been recognized in recent decades. The Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE) of ambient aerosol was widely used in previous studies to attribute light absorption of brown carbon at shorter wavelengths, with a theoretical assumption that the AAE of black carbon (BC) aerosol equals to unit. In this study, the AAE method was improved by statistical extrapolation based on ambient measurements in the polluted seasons in typical urban and rural areas in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region of China. A three-wavelength photoacoustic soot spectrometer (PASS-3) and an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) were used to explore the relationship between the ambient measured AAE and the ratio of organic aerosol to BC aerosol, in order to extract the more realistic AAE by pure BC aerosol, which were found to be 0.86, 0.82 and 1.02 at 405nm and 0.70, 0.71, and 0.86 at 532nm in the campaigns of urban-winter, urban-fall, and rural-fall, respectively. Roadway tunnel experiment results further supported the effectiveness of the obtained AAE for pure BC aerosol. In addition, biomass burning experiments proved higher spectral dependence of more-BrC environment and further verified the reliability of the instruments' response. Then, the average light absorption contribution of BrC aerosol was calculated to be 11.7, 6.3 and 12.1% (with total relative uncertainty of 7.5, 6.9 and 10.0%) at 405nm and 10.0, 4.1 and 5.5% (with total relative uncertainty of 6.5, 8.6 and 15.4%) at 532nm of the three campaigns, respectively. These results indicate that the

In Situ Single Particle Measurement of Atmospheric Aging of Carbonaceous Aerosols During CARES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahill, J. F.; Suski, K.; Hubbe, J.; Shilling, J.; Zaveri, R. A.; Springston, S. R.; Prather, K. A.

2011-12-01

Atmospheric aging of aerosols through photochemistry, heterogeneous reactions and aqueous processing can change their physical and chemical properties, impacting their gas uptake, radiative forcing, and activation of cloud nuclei. Understanding the timescale and magnitude of this aging process is essential for accurate aerosol-climate modeling and predictions. An aircraft aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (A-ATOFMS) measured single particle mixing state during the Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) in the summer of 2010 over Sacramento, CA. On 6/23/10, flights in the morning and afternoon performed pseudo-Lagrangian sampling of the Sacramento urban plume. Carbonaceous particles from these flights were classified into 'aged' and 'fresh' classes based on their mixing state, with aged particles having more secondary species, such as nitrate and sulfate. In the morning flight, a clear decreasing trend in the ratio of fresh/aged particle types was seen as the flight progressed, whereas in the afternoon flight, the ratio was essentially constant. These data show that in the morning carbonaceous aerosols can become heavily oxidized in a few hours. Further analysis of particle mixing state and the timescale of carbonaceous aerosol aging will be presented

Micro-rheology and interparticle interactions in aerosols probed with optical tweezers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, Jonathan P.; Power, Rory M.; Cai, Chen; Simpson, Stephen H.

2014-09-01

Using optical tweezers for micro-rheological investigations of a surrounding fluid has been routinely demonstrated. In this work, we will demonstrate that rheological measurements of the bulk and surface properties of aerosol particles can be made directly using optical tweezers, providing important insights into the phase behavior of materials in confined environments and the rate of molecular diffusion in viscous phases. The use of holographic optical tweezers to manipulate aerosol particles has become standard practice in recent years, providing an invaluable tool to investigate particle dynamics, including evaporation/ condensation kinetics, chemical aging and phase transformation. When combined with non-linear Raman spectroscopy, the size and refractive index of a particle can be determined with unprecedented accuracy <+/- 0.05%). Active control of the relative positions of pairs of particles can allow studies of the coalescence of particles, providing a unique opportunity to investigate the bulk and surface properties that govern the hydrodynamic relaxation in particle shape. In particular, we will show how the viscosity and surface tension of particles can be measured directly in the under-damped regime at low viscosity. In the over-damped regime, we will show that viscosity measurements can extend close to the glass transition, allowing measurements over an impressive dynamic range of 12 orders of magnitude in relaxation timescale and viscosity. Indeed, prior to the coalescence event, we will show how the Brownian trajectories of trapped particles can yield important and unique insights into the interactions of aerosol particles.

Chemical, physical, and optical evolution of biomass burning aerosols: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adler, G.; Flores, J. M.; Abo Riziq, A.; Borrmann, S.; Rudich, Y.

2011-02-01

In-situ chemical composition measurements of ambient aerosols have been used for characterizing the evolution of submicron aerosols from a large anthropogenic biomass burning (BB) event in Israel. A high resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-RES-TOF-AMS) was used to follow the chemical evolution of BB aerosols during a night-long, extensive nationwide wood burning event and during the following day. While these types of extensive BB events are not common in this region, burning of agricultural waste is a common practice. The aging process of the BB aerosols was followed through their chemical, physical and optical properties. Mass spectrometric analysis of the aerosol organic component showed that aerosol aging is characterized by shifting from less oxidized fresh BB aerosols to more oxidized aerosols. Evidence for aerosol aging during the day following the BB event was indicated by an increase in the organic mass, its oxidation state, the total aerosol concentration, and a shift in the modal particle diameter. The effective broadband refractive index (EBRI) was derived using a white light optical particle counter (WELAS). The average EBRI for a mixed population of aerosols dominated by open fires was m = 1.53(±0.03) + 0.07i(±0.03), during the smoldering phase of the fires we found the EBRI to be m = 1.54(±0.01) + 0.04i(±0.01) compared to m = 1.49(±0.01) + 0.02i(±0.01) of the aged aerosols during the following day. This change indicates a decrease in the overall aerosol absorption and scattering. Elevated levels of particulate Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected during the entire event, which suggest possible implications for human health during such extensive event.

Measuring Aerosol Optical Properties with the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veefkind, J. P.; Torres, O.; Syniuk, A.; Decae, R.; deLeeuw, G.

2003-01-01

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is the Dutch-Finnish contribution to the NASA EOS-Aura mission scheduled for launch in January 2004. OM1 is an imaging spectrometer that will measure the back-scattered Solar radiance between 270 an 500 nm. With its relatively high spatial resolution (13x24 sq km at nadir) and daily global coverage. OM1 will make a major contribution to our understanding of atmospheric chemistry and to climate research. OM1 will provide data continuity with the TOMS instruments. One of the pleasant surprises of the TOMS data record was its information on aerosol properties. First, only the absorbing aerosol index, which is sensitive to elevated lay- ers of aerosols such as desert dust and smoke aerosols, was derived. Recently these methods were further improved to yield aerosol optical thickness and single scattering albedo over land and ocean for 19 years of TOMS data (1979-1992,1997-2002), making it one of the longest and most valuable time series for aerosols presently available. Such long time series are essential to quantify the effect of aerosols on the Earth& climate. The OM1 instrument is better suited to measure aerosols than the TOMS instruments because of the smaller footprint, and better spectral coverage. The better capabilities of OMI will enable us to provide an improved aerosol product, but the knowledge will also be used for further analysis of the aerosol record from TOMS. The OM1 aerosol product that is currently being developed for OM1 combines the TOMS experience and the multi-spectral techniques that are used in the visible and near infrared. The challenge for this new product is to provide aerosol optical thickness and single scattering albedo from the near ultraviolet to the visible (330-500 nm) over land and ocean. In this presentation the methods for deriving the OM1 aerosol product will be presented. Part of these methods developed for OM1 can already be applied to TOMS data and results of such analysis will be shown.

Evaluation of machine learning algorithms for classification of primary biological aerosol using a new UV-LIF spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruske, Simon; Topping, David O.; Foot, Virginia E.; Kaye, Paul H.; Stanley, Warren R.; Crawford, Ian; Morse, Andrew P.; Gallagher, Martin W.

2017-03-01

Characterisation of bioaerosols has important implications within environment and public health sectors. Recent developments in ultraviolet light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF) detectors such as the Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Spectrometer (WIBS) and the newly introduced Multiparameter Bioaerosol Spectrometer (MBS) have allowed for the real-time collection of fluorescence, size and morphology measurements for the purpose of discriminating between bacteria, fungal spores and pollen.This new generation of instruments has enabled ever larger data sets to be compiled with the aim of studying more complex environments. In real world data sets, particularly those from an urban environment, the population may be dominated by non-biological fluorescent interferents, bringing into question the accuracy of measurements of quantities such as concentrations. It is therefore imperative that we validate the performance of different algorithms which can be used for the task of classification.For unsupervised learning we tested hierarchical agglomerative clustering with various different linkages. For supervised learning, 11 methods were tested, including decision trees, ensemble methods (random forests, gradient boosting and AdaBoost), two implementations for support vector machines (libsvm and liblinear) and Gaussian methods (Gaussian naïve Bayesian, quadratic and linear discriminant analysis, the k-nearest neighbours algorithm and artificial neural networks).The methods were applied to two different data sets produced using the new MBS, which provides multichannel UV-LIF fluorescence signatures for single airborne biological particles. The first data set contained mixed PSLs and the second contained a variety of laboratory-generated aerosol.Clustering in general performs slightly worse than the supervised learning methods, correctly classifying, at best, only 67. 6 and 91. 1 % for the two data sets respectively. For supervised learning the gradient boosting algorithm was

Chemical composition and characteristics of ambient aerosols and rainwater residues during Indian summer monsoon: Insight from aerosol mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Abhishek; Gupta, Tarun; Tripathi, Sachchida N.

2016-07-01

Real time composition of non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) is measured via Aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) for the first time during Indian summer monsoon at Kanpur, a polluted urban location located at the heart of Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP). Submicron aerosols are found to be dominated by organics followed by nitrate. Source apportionment of organic aerosols (OA) via positive matrix factorization (PMF) revealed several types of secondary/oxidized and primary organic aerosols. On average, OA are completely dominated by oxidized OA with a very little contribution from biomass burning OA. During rain events, PM1 concentration is decreased almost by 60%, but its composition remains nearly the same. Oxidized OA showed slightly more decrease than primary OAs, probably due to their higher hygroscopicity. The presence of organo nitrates (ON) is also detected in ambient aerosols. Apart from real-time sampling, collected fog and rainwater samples were also analyzed via AMS in offline mode and in the ICP-OES (Inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry) for elements. The presence of sea salt, organo nitrates and sulfates has been observed. Rainwater residues are also dominated by organics but their O/C ratios are 15-20% lower than the observed values for ambient OA. Alkali metals such as Ca, Na, K are found to be most abundant in the rainwater followed by Zn. Rainwater residues are also found to be much less oxidized than the aerosols present inside the fog water, indicating presence of less oxidized organics. These findings indicate that rain can act as an effective scavenger of different types of pollutants even for submicron particle range. Rainwater residues also contain organo sulfates which indicate that some portion of the dissolved aerosols has undergone aqueous processing, possibly inside the cloud. Highly oxidized and possibly hygroscopic OA during monsoon period compared to other seasons (winter, post monsoon), indicates that they can act

Secondary organic aerosol formation from isoprene photooxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroll, J. H.; Ng, N. L.; Murphy, S. M.; Flagan, R. C.; Seinfeld, J. H.

2005-12-01

We report chamber studies of the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from the oxidation of isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene). Isoprene is the most abundant non-methane hydrocarbon emitted into the troposphere (source strength of ~500 Tg/year), so even small SOA yields may have a large impact on global SOA production. Reactions are carried out in Caltech's dual 28 m3 Teflon chambers, and aerosol growth is monitored by a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) and an Aerodyne time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). Isoprene oxidation is initiated by the UV irradiation of isoprene in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, with NO added for high-NOx experiments. These conditions ensure that isoprene oxidation is initiated by reaction with the OH radical, with negligible interference from other oxidants (ozone, nitrate radicals, and O atoms). Aerosol growth is observed under both high-NOx and low-NOx conditions, at isoprene concentrations lower than measured in previous studies (down to 8 ppb). SOA yields are found to be in the range of 1-2%. Yields exhibit a complex dependence on NOx concentration, likely a result of changes in the chemistry of organic peroxy radicals. It is shown that condensable compounds are formed from further reactions of first-generation isoprene oxidation products; the rates and products of such gas-phase reactions are at present poorly understood. Additionally, measurements of SOA composition indicate that these products undergo reactions in the aerosol phase, leading to the formation of low-volatility oligomeric products.

Heavy Ion Formation in Titan's Ionosphere: Magnetospheric Introduction of Free Oxygen and Source of Titan's Aerosols?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sittler, E. C., Jr.; Hartle, R. E.; Cooper, J. F.; Johnson, R. E.; Coates, A.; dePater, imke; Strom, Daphne; Simoes, F.; Steele, A.; Robb, F.

2007-01-01

With the recent discovery of heavy ions, positive and negative, by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) instrument in Titan's ionosphere, it reveals new possibilities for aerosol formation at Titan and the introduction of free oxygen to the aerosol chemistry from Saturn's magnetosphere with Enceladus as the primary oxygen source. One can estimate whether the heavy ions in the ionosphere are of sufficient number to account for all the aerosols, under what conditions are favorable for heavy ion formation and how they are introduced as seed particles deeper in Titan's atmosphere where the aerosols form and eventually find themselves on Titan's surface where unknown chemical processes can take place. Finally, what are the possibilities with regard to their chemistry on the surface with some free oxygen present in their seed particles?

Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy: Applications in Atmospheric Aerosol Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moffet, Ryan C.; Tivanski, Alexei V.; Gilles, Mary K.

Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) combines x-ray microscopy and near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS). This combination provides spatially resolved bonding and oxidation state information. While there are reviews relevant to STXM/NEXAFS applications in other environmental fields (and magnetic materials) this chapter focuses on atmospheric aerosols. It provides an introduction to this technique in a manner approachable to non-experts. It begins with relevant background information on synchrotron radiation sources and a description of NEXAFS spectroscopy. The bulk of the chapter provides a survey of STXM/NEXAFS aerosol studies and is organized according to the type of aerosol investigated. Themore » purpose is to illustrate the current range and recent growth of scientific investigations employing STXM-NEXAFS to probe atmospheric aerosol morphology, surface coatings, mixing states, and atmospheric processing.« less

Development of dual-wavelength Mie polarization Raman lidar for aerosol and cloud vertical structure probing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhenzhu; Liu, Dong; Wang, Yingjian; Wang, Bangxin; Zhong, Zhiqing; Xie, Chenbo; Wu, Decheng; Bo, Guangyu; Shao, Jie

2014-11-01

A Dual-wavelength Mie Polarization Raman Lidar has been developed for cloud and aerosol optical properties measurement. This idar system has built in Hefei and passed the performance assessment in 2012, and then moved to Jinhua city to carry out the long-term continuous measurements of vertical distribution of regional cloud and aerosol. A double wavelengths (532 and 1064 nm) Nd-YAG laser is employed as emitting source and four channels are used for detecting back-scattering signals from atmosphere aerosol and cloud including 1064 nm Mie, 607 nm N2 Raman, two 532 nm Orthogonal Polarization channels. The temporal and spatial resolutions for this system, which is operating with a continuing mode (24/7) automatically, are 30s and 7.5m, respectively. The measured data are used for investigating the aerosol and cloud vertical structure and cloud phase from combining of cloud signal intensity, polarization ratio and color ratio.

Eclipse Science Results from the Airborne Infrared Spectrometer (AIR-Spec)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samra, J.; Cheimets, P.; DeLuca, E.; Golub, L.; Judge, P. G.; Lussier, L.; Madsen, C. A.; Marquez, V.; Tomczyk, S.; Vira, A.

2017-12-01

We present the first science results from the commissioning flight of the Airborne Infrared Spectrometer (AIR-Spec), an innovative solar spectrometer that will observe the 2017 solar eclipse from the NSF/NCAR High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER). During the eclipse, AIR-Spec will image five magnetically sensitive coronal emission lines between 1.4 and 4 microns to determine whether they may be useful probes of coronal magnetism. The instrument will measure emission line intensity, FWHM, and Doppler shift from an altitude of over 14 km, above local weather and most of the absorbing water vapor. Instrumentation includes an image stabilization system, feed telescope, grating spectrometer, infrared camera, and visible slit-jaw imager. Results from the 2017 eclipse are presented in the context of the mission's science goals. AIR-Spec will identify line strengths as a function of position in the solar corona and search for the high frequency waves that are candidates for heating and acceleration of the solar wind. The instrument will also identify large scale flows in the corona, particularly in polar coronal holes. Three of the five lines are expected to be strong in coronal hole plasmas because they are excited in part by scattered photospheric light. Line profile analysis will probe the origins of the fast and slow solar wind. Finally, the AIR-Spec measurements will complement ground based eclipse observations to provide detailed plasma diagnostics throughout the corona. AIR-Spec will measure infrared emission of ions observed in the visible from the ground, giving insight into plasma heating and acceleration at radial distances inaccessible to existing or planned spectrometers.

Quantification of black carbon mixing state from traffic: Implications for aerosol optical properties

DOE PAGES

Willis, Megan D.; Healy, Robert M.; Riemer, Nicole; ...

2016-04-14

The climatic impacts of black carbon (BC) aerosol, an important absorber of solar radiation in the atmosphere, remain poorly constrained and are intimately related to its particle-scale physical and chemical properties. Using particle-resolved modelling informed by quantitative measurements from a soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer, we confirm that the mixing state (the distribution of co-emitted aerosol amongst fresh BC-containing particles) at the time of emission significantly affects BC-aerosol optical properties even after a day of atmospheric processing. Both single particle and ensemble aerosol mass spectrometry observations indicate that BC near the point of emission co-exists with hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) inmore » two distinct particle types: HOA-rich and BC-rich particles. The average mass fraction of black carbon in HOA-rich and BC-rich particle classes was < 0.1 and 0.8, respectively. Notably, approximately 90 % of BC mass resides in BC-rich particles. This new measurement capability provides quantitative insight into the physical and chemical nature of BC-containing particles and is used to drive a particle-resolved aerosol box model. Lastly, significant differences in calculated single scattering albedo (an increase of 0.1) arise from accurate treatment of initial particle mixing state as compared to the assumption of uniform aerosol composition at the point of BC injection into the atmosphere.« less

Biogenic influence on the composition and growth of summertime Arctic aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, M. D.; Burkart, J.; Thomas, J. L.; Koellner, F.; Schneider, J.; Bozem, H.; Hoor, P. M.; Aliabadi, A. A.; Schulz, H.; Herber, A. B.; Leaitch, R.; Abbatt, J.

2016-12-01

The summertime Arctic lower troposphere is a relatively pristine background aerosol environment dominated by nucleation and Aitken mode particles. Understanding the mechanisms that control the formation and growth of aerosol is crucial for our ability to predict cloud properties and therefore radiative balance and climate. We present aircraft-based observations of submicron aerosol composition from an aerosol mass spectrometer made during the NETCARE 2014 summertime arctic campaign, based in the Canadian High Arctic, at Resolute Bay, NU (74°N). Under stable and regionally influenced atmospheric conditions with low carbon monoxide and black carbon concentrations (< 100 ppbv and < 50 ng/m3, respectively), we observed organic aerosol (OA)-to-sulfate ratios ranging from 0.5 to > 6 with evidence for enhancement within the lower boundary layer. Methanesulfonic acid (MSA), a marker for the contribution of ocean-derived biogenic sulphur, was also observed in submicron aerosol. MSA-to-sulfate ratios ranged from near zero to 0.3 and tended to increase within the lower boundary layer, suggesting a contribution to aerosol loading from the ocean. In one notable case while flying in the lower boundary layer above open water in Lancaster Sound, we observed growth of small particles, <20 nm in diameter, into sizes above 50 nm. Aerosol growth was correlated with the presence of organic species, trimethylamine, and MSA in particles 80 nm and larger, where the organics were similar to those previously observed in marine settings. The organic-rich aerosol contributed significantly to particles active as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN, supersaturation = 0.6%). Our results highlight the potential importance of secondary organic aerosol formation and its role in growing nucleation mode aerosol into CCN-active sizes in this remote marine environment.

Aerosol-cloud interaction determined by satellite data over the Baltic Sea countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saponaro, Giulia; Kolmonen, Pekka; Sogacheva, Larisa; de Leeuw, Gerrit

2015-04-01

The present study investigates the use of long-term satellite data to assess the influence of aerosols upon cloud parameters over the Baltic Sea region. This particular area offers the contrast of a very clean environment (Fennoscandia) against a more polluted one (Germany, Poland). The datasets consists of Collection 6 Level 3 daily observations from 2002 to 2014 collected by the NASA's Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) instrument on-board the Aqua platform. The MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD) product is used as a proxy for the number concentration of aerosol particles while the cloud effective radius (CER) and cloud optical thickness (COT) describe cloud microphysical and optical properties respectively. Satellite data have certain limitations, such as the restriction to summer season due to solar zenith angle restrictions and the known problem of the ambiguity of the aerosol-cloud interface, for instance. Through the analysis of a 12-years dataset, distribution maps provide information on a regional scale about the first aerosol indirect effect (AIE) by determining the aerosol-cloud interaction (ACI). The ACI is defined as the change in cloud optical depth or effective radius as a function of aerosol load for a fixed liquid water path (LWP). The focusing point of the current study is the evaluation of regional trends of ACI over the observed area of the Baltic Sea.

Real-Time Measurements of Gas/Particle Partitioning of Semivolatile Organic Compounds into Different Probe Particles in a Teflon Chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Day, D. A.; Ziemann, P. J.; Krechmer, J. E.; Jimenez, J. L.

2017-12-01

The partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) into and out of particles plays an essential role in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and evolution. Most atmospheric models treat the gas/particle partitioning as an equilibrium between bulk gas and particle phases, despite potential kinetic limitations and differences in thermodynamics as a function of SOA and pre-existing OA composition. This study directly measures the partitioning of oxidized compounds in a Teflon chamber in the presence of single component seeds of different phases and polarities, including oleic acid, squalane, dioctyl sebacate, pentaethylene glycol, dry/wet ammonium sulfate, and dry/wet sucrose. The oxidized compounds are generated by a fast OH oxidation of a series of alkanols under high nitric oxide conditions. The observed SOA mass enhancements are highest with oleic acid, and lowest with wet ammonium sulfate and sucrose. A chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) was used to measure the decay of gas-phase organic nitrates, which reflects uptake by particles and chamber walls. We observed clear changes in equilibrium timescales with varying seed concentrations and in equilibrium gas-phase concentrations across different seeds. In general, the gas evolution can be reproduced by a kinetic box model that considers partitioning and evaporation with particles and chamber walls, except for the wet sucrose system. The accommodation coefficient and saturation mass concentration of each species in the presence of each seed are derived using the model. The changes in particle size distributions and composition monitored by a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) are investigated to probe the SOA formation mechanism. Based on these results, the applicability of partitioning theory to these systems and the relevant quantitative parameters, including the dependencies on seed particle composition, will

Aerosol composition and the contribution of SOA formation over Mediterranean forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freney, Evelyn; Sellegri, Karine; Chrit, Mounir; Adachi, Kouji; Brito, Joel; Waked, Antoine; Borbon, Agnès; Colomb, Aurélie; Dupuy, Régis; Pichon, Jean-Marc; Bouvier, Laetitia; Delon, Claire; Jambert, Corinne; Durand, Pierre; Bourianne, Thierry; Gaimoz, Cécile; Triquet, Sylvain; Féron, Anaïs; Beekmann, Matthias; Dulac, François; Sartelet, Karine

2018-05-01

As part of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx), a series of aerosol and gas-phase measurements were deployed aboard the SAFIRE ATR42 research aircraft in summer 2014. The present study focuses on the four flights performed in late June early July over two forested regions in the south of France. We combine in situ observations and model simulations to aid in the understanding of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation over these forested areas in the Mediterranean and to highlight the role of different gas-phase precursors. The non-refractory particulate species measured by a compact aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (cToF-AMS) were dominated by organics (60 to 72 %) followed by a combined contribution of 25 % by ammonia and sulfate aerosols. The contribution from nitrate and black carbon (BC) particles was less than 5 % of the total PM1 mass concentration. Measurements of non-refractory species from off-line transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that particles have different mixing states and that large fractions (35 %) of the measured particles were organic aerosol containing C, O, and S but without inclusions of crystalline sulfate particles. The organic aerosol measured using the cToF-AMS contained only evidence of oxidized organic aerosol (OOA), without a contribution of fresh primary organic aerosol. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) on the combined organic-inorganic matrices separated the oxidized organic aerosol into a more-oxidized organic aerosol (MOOA), and a less-oxidized organic aerosol (LOOA). The MOOA component is associated with inorganic species and had higher contributions of m/z 44 than the LOOA factor. The LOOA factor is not associated with inorganic species and correlates well with biogenic volatile organic species measured with a proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer, such as isoprene and its oxidation products (methyl vinyl ketone, MVK; methacroleine, MACR; and isoprene hydroxyhydroperoxides

Vertical distribution of Martian aerosols from SPICAM/Mars-Express limb observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorova, A.; Korablev, O.; Bertaux, J.-L.; Rodin, A.; Perrier, S.; Moroz, V. I.

Limb spectroscopic observations provide invaluable information about vertical distribution of main atmospheric components in the Martian atmosphere, in particular vertical distribution and structure of aerosols, which play an important role in the heat balance of the planet. Only limited set of successful limb spectroscopic observations have been carried out on Mars so far, including those by MGS/TES spectrometer and Thermoscan and Auguste experiments of Phobos mission. Currently SPICAM instrument onboard Mars-Express spacecraft has accomplished several sequences of limb observations. First analysis of limb sounding data received by SPICAM IR and UV channels, which imply the presence of fine, deep, optically thin aerosol fraction extended over broad range of altitudes, is presented.

Particle size distribution of the stratospheric aerosol from SCIAMACHY limb measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozanov, Alexei; Malinina, Elizaveta; Bovensmann, Heinrich; Burrows, John

2017-04-01

A crucial role of the stratospheric aerosols for the radiative budget of the Earth's atmosphere and the consequences for the climate change are widely recognized. A reliable knowledge on physical and optical properties of the stratospheric aerosols as well as on their vertical and spatial distributing is a key issue to assure a proper initialization and running conditions for climate models. On a global scale this information can only be gained from space borne measurements. While a series of past, present and future instruments provide extensive date sets of such aerosol characteristics as extinction coefficient or backscattering ratio, information on a size distribution of the stratospheric aerosols is sparse. One of the important sources on vertically and spatially resolved information on the particle size distribution of stratospheric aerosols is provided by space borne measurements of the scattered solar light in limb viewing geometry performed in visible, near-infrared and short-wave infrared spectral ranges. SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY) instrument operated on the European satellite Envisat from 2002 to 2102 was capable of providing spectral information needed to retrieve parameters of aerosol particle size distributions. In this presentation we discuss the retrieval method, present first validation results with SAGE II data and analyze first data sets of stratospheric aerosol particle size distribution parameters obtained from SCIAMACHY limb measurements. The research work was performed in the framework of ROMIC (Role of the middle atmosphere in climate) project.

Comparisons of Spectral Aerosol Single Scattering Albedo in Seoul, South Korea

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mok, Jungbin; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Torres, Omar; Jethva, Hiren; Loughman, Robert P.; Spinei, Elena; Campanelli, Monica; Li, Zhanqing; Go, Sujung; Labow, Gordon;

Non-linear photochemical pathways in laser-induced atmospheric aerosol formation

PubMed Central

Mongin, Denis; Slowik, Jay G.; Schubert, Elise; Brisset, Jean-Gabriel; Berti, Nicolas; Moret, Michel; Prévôt, André S. H.; Baltensperger, Urs; Kasparian, Jérôme; Wolf, Jean-Pierre

2015-01-01

We measured the chemical composition and the size distribution of aerosols generated by femtosecond-Terawatt laser pulses in the atmosphere using an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). We show that nitric acid condenses in the form of ammonium nitrate, and that oxidized volatile organics also contribute to particle growth. These two components account for two thirds and one third, respectively, of the dry laser-condensed mass. They appear in two different modes centred at 380 nm and 150 nm. The number concentration of particles between 25 and 300 nm increases by a factor of 15. Pre-existing water droplets strongly increase the oxidative properties of the laser-activated atmosphere, substantially enhancing the condensation of organics under laser illumination. PMID:26450172

Lidar sprectroscopy instrument (LISSI): An infrastructure facility for chemical aerosol profiling at the University of Hertfordshire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesche, Matthias; Tatarov, Boyan; Noh, Youngmin; Müller, Detlef

2018-04-01

The lidar development at the University of Hertfordshire explores the feasibility of using Raman backscattering for chemical aerosol profiling. This paper provides an overview of the new facility. A high-power Nd:YAG/OPO setup is used to excite Raman backscattering at a wide range of wavelengths. The receiver combines a spectrometer with a 32-channel detector or an ICCD camera to resolve Raman signals of various chemical compounds. The new facility will open new avenues for chemical profiling of aerosol pollution from measurements of Raman scattering by selected chemical compounds, provide data that allow to close the gap between optical and microphysical aerosol profiling with lidar and enables connecting lidar measurements to parameters used in atmospheric modelling.

The statistical distribution of aerosol properties in sourthern West Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haslett, Sophie; Taylor, Jonathan; Flynn, Michael; Bower, Keith; Dorsey, James; Crawford, Ian; Brito, Joel; Denjean, Cyrielle; Bourrianne, Thierry; Burnet, Frederic; Batenburg, Anneke; Schulz, Christiane; Schneider, Johannes; Borrmann, Stephan; Sauer, Daniel; Duplissy, Jonathan; Lee, James; Vaughan, Adam; Coe, Hugh

2017-04-01

The population and economy in southern West Africa have been growing at an exceptional rate in recent years and this trend is expected to continue, with the population projected to more than double to 800 million by 2050. This will result in a dramatic increase in anthropogenic pollutants, already estimated to have tripled between 1950 and 2000 (Lamarque et al., 2010). It is known that aerosols can modify the radiative properties of clouds. As such, the entrainment of anthropogenic aerosol into the large banks of clouds forming during the onset of the West African Monsoon could have a substantial impact on the region's response to climate change. Such projections, however, are greatly limited by the scarcity of observations in this part of the world. As part of the Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) project, three research aircraft were deployed, each carrying equipment capable of measuring aerosol properties in-situ. Instrumentation included Aerosol Mass Spectrometers (AMS), Single Particle Soot Photometers (SP2), Condensation Particle Counters (CPC) and Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers (SMPS). Throughout the intensive aircraft campaign, 155 hours of scientific flights covered an area including large parts of Benin, Togo, Ghana and parts of Côte D'Ivoire. Approximately 70 hours were dedicated to the measurement of cloud-aerosol interactions, with many other flights producing data contributing towards this objective. Using datasets collected during this campaign period, it is possible to build a robust statistical understanding of aerosol properties in this region for the first time, including size distributions and optical and chemical properties. Here, we describe preliminary results from aerosol measurements on board the three aircraft. These have been used to describe aerosol properties throughout the region and time period encompassed by the DACCIWA aircraft campaign. Such statistics will be invaluable for improving future

Waveguide infrared spectrometer platform for point and standoff chemical sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chadha, Suneet; Henning, Pat; Landers, Frank; Weling, Ani

2004-03-01

Advanced autonomous detection of chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals has long been a major military concern. At present, our capability to rapidly assess the immediate environment is severely limited and our domestic infrastructure is burdened by the meticulous procedures required to rule out false threats. While significant advances have recently been accomplished in remote spectral sensing using rugged FTIRs and point detectors, efforts towards low cost chemical discrimination have been lacking. Foster-Miller has developed a unique waveguide spectrometer which is a paradigm shift from the conventional FTIR approach. The spectrometer provides spectral discrimination over the 3-14 μm range and will be the spectrometer platform for both active and passive detection. Foster-Miller has leveraged its innovations in infrared fiber-optic probes and the recent development of a waveguide spectrometer to build a novel infrared sensor platform for both point and stand-off chemical sensing. A monolithic wedge-grating optic provides the spectral dispersion with low cost thermopile point or array detectors picking off the diffracted wavelengths from the optic. The integrated optic provides spectral discrimination between 3-12 μm with resolution at 16 cm-1 or better and overall optical throughput approaching 35%. The device has a fixed cylindrical grating bonded to the edge of a ZnSe conditioning "wedge". The conditioning optic overcomes limitations of concave gratings as it accepts high angle (large FOV) light at the narrow end of the wedge and progressively conditions it to be near normal to the grating. On return, the diffracted wavelengths are concentrated on the discrete or array detector (pixel) elements by the wedge, providing throughput comparable to that of an FTIR. The waveguide spectrometer coupled to ATR probes, flow through liquid cells or multipass gas cells provides significant cost advantage over conventional sampling methodologies. We will

A novel dual-detector micro-spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otto, Thomas; Saupe, Ray; Stock, Volker; Bruch, Reinhard; Gruska, Bernd; Gessner, Thomas

2005-01-01

Infrared analysis is a well-established tool for measuring composition and purity of various materials in industrial-, medical- and environmental applications. Traditional spectrometers, for example Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Instruments are mainly designed for laboratory use and are generally, too large, heavy, costly and delicate to handle for remote applications. With important advances in the miniaturization, ruggedness and cost efficiency we have designed and created a new type of a micromirror spectrometer that can operate in harsh temperature and vibrating environments This device is ideally suited for environmental monitoring, chemical and biological applications as well as detection of biological warfare agents and sensing in important security locations In order to realize such compact, portable and field-deployable spectrometers we have applied MOEMS technology. Thus our novel dual detector micro mirror system is composed of a scanning micro mirror combined with a diffraction grating and other essential optical components in order to miniaturize the basic modular set-up. Especially it periodically disperses polychromatic radiation into its spectral components, which are measured by a combination of a visible (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) single element detector. By means of integrated preamplifiers high-precise measurements over a wide dynamic wavelength range are possible. In addition the spectrometer, including the radiation source, detectors and electronics can be coupled to a minimum-volume liquid or gas-flow cell. Furthermore a SMA connector as a fiber optical input allows easy attachment of fiber based probes. By utilizing rapid prototyping techniques, where all components are directly integrated, the micro mirror spectrometer is manufactured for the 700-1700 nm spectral range. In this work the advanced optical design and integration of the electronic interface will be reviewed. Furthermore we will demonstrate the performance of the system

Urban organic aerosols measured by single particle mass spectrometry in the megacity of London

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dall'Osto, M.; Harrison, R. M.

2011-02-01

During the month of October 2006, as part of the REPARTEE-I experiment (Regent's Park and Tower Environmental Experiment) an Aerosol Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) was deployed at an urban background location in the city of London, UK. Fifteen particle types were classified, some of which were accompanied by Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) quantitative aerosol mass loading measurements (Dall'Osto et al., 2009a, b). In this manuscript the origins and properties of four particle types associated with locally generated aerosols, independent of the air mass type advected into London, are examined. One particle type, originating from lubricating oil (referred to as Ca-EC), was associated with morning rush hour traffic emissions. A second particle type, composed of both inorganic and organic species (called Na-EC-OC), was found enhanced in particle number concentration during evening time periods, and is likely to originate from a source operating at this time of day, or more probably from condensation of semi-volatile species, and contains both primary and secondary components. A third class, internally mixed with organic carbon and sulphate (called OC), was found to spike both in the morning and evenings. The fourth class (SOA-PAH) exhibited maximum frequency during the warmest part of the day, and a number of factors point towards secondary production from traffic-related volatile aromatic compounds. Single particle mass spectra of this particle type showed an oxidized polycyclic aromatic compound signature. Finally, a comparison of ATOFMS particle class data is made with factors obtained by Positive Matrix Factorization from AMS data.. Both the Ca-EC and OC particle types correlate with the AMS HOA primary organic fraction (R2 = 0.65 and 0.50 respectively), and Na-EC-OC, but not SOA-PAH, which correlates weakly with the AMS OOA secondary organic aerosol factor (R2 = 0.35). A detailed analysis was conducted to identify ATOFMS particle type(s) representative

Simultaneous measurement of sulfur and lead isotopes in sulfides using nanosecond laser ablation coupled with two multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Honglin; Liu, Xu; Chen, Lu; Bao, Zhian; Chen, Kaiyun; Zong, Chunlei; Li, Xiao-Chun; Qiu, Johnson Wenhong

2018-04-01

We herein report the coupling of a nanosecond laser ablation system with a large-scale multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Nu1700 MC-ICPMS, NP-1700) and a conventional Nu Plasma II MC-ICPMS (NP-II) for the simultaneous laser ablation and determination of in situ S and Pb isotopic compositions of sulfide minerals. We found that the required aerosol distribution between the two spectrometers depended on the Pb content of the sample. For example, for a sulfide containing 100-3000 ppm Pb, the aerosol was distributed between the NP-1700 and the NP-II spectrometers in a 1:1 ratio, while for lead contents >3000 and <100 ppm, these ratios were 5:1 and 1:3, respectively. In addition, S isotopic analysis showed a pronounced matrix effect, so a matrix-matched external standard was used for standard-sample bracketing correction. The NIST NBS 977 (NBS, National Bureau of Standards; NIST, National Institute of Standards & Technology) Tl (thallium) dry aerosol internal standard and the NIST SRM 610 (SRM, standard reference material) external standard were employed to obtain accurate results for the analysis of Pb isotopes. In tandem experiments where airflow conditions were similar to those employed during stand-alone analyses, small changes in the aerosol carrier gas flow did not significantly influence the accurate determination of S and Pb isotope ratios. In addition, careful optimization of the flow ratio of the aerosol carrier (He) and makeup (Ar) gases to match stand-alone analytical conditions allowed comparable S and Pb isotope ratios to be obtained within an error of 2 s analytical uncertainties. Furthermore, the results of tandem analyses obtained using our method were consistent with those of previously reported stand-alone techniques for the S and Pb isotopes of chalcopyrite, pyrite, galena, and sphalerite, thus indicating that this method is suitable for the simultaneous analysis of S and Pb isotopes of natural sulfide minerals, and provides

AFE ion mass spectrometer design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Willie

1989-01-01

This final technical report covers the activities engaged in by the University of Texas at Dallas, Center for Space Sciences in conjunction with the NASA Langley Research Center, Systems Engineering Division in design studies directed towards defining a suitable ion mass spectrometer to determine the plasma parameter around the Aeroassisted Flight Experiment vehicle during passage through the earth's upper atmosphere. Additional studies relate to the use of a Langmuir probe to measure windward ion/electron concentrations and temperatures. Selected instrument inlet subsystems were tested in the NASA Ames Arc-Jet Facility.

Contingency maneuver strategies for the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Earth Probe (TOMS-EP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kestler, James; Walls, Donna

1995-01-01

The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Earth Probe (TOMS-EP) is a polar-orbiting spacecraft designed to measure total ozone levels in the Earth's atmosphere. The nominal mission orbit is a 955-kilometer circular Sun-synchronous orbit with an ascending node mean local crossing time (MLT) between 11:02 a.m. and 11:25 a.m. These two mean local ascending node times constitute the boundaries of the MLT box for this mission. The MLT boundaries were chosen to maintain the Sun-to-Earth-to-vehicle orbit-normal (SVN) angle within a preselected set of seasonally independent boundaries. Because the SVN angle is seasonally dependent, but the MLT is not, contingency options for correcting the MLT of orbital states that fall outside of the required MLT range become time dependent. This paper focuses on contingency orbit adjustment strategies developed at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) during the mission planning phase of TOMS-EP. Time-dependent delta-V strategies are presented for correcting mission orbit states lying outside of the MLT range. Typically, passive control of the MLT drift rate can be used to restore the orbit state to the required MLT before a seasonal violation of SVN angle constraints can occur. Passive control of the MLT drift rate is obtained through adjustment of the semimajor axis and/or the inclination. The time between initial arrival on orbit at an 'out-of-the box' MLT state and violation of the SVN angle constraints is always less than or equal to 1 year. The choice of which parameter(s) to adjust is dictated by the duration of this time period, the desired mission lifetime, the delta-V cost, and operational constraints.

PIR-fiber spectroscopy with FTIR and TDL spectrometers in the middle infared range of spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artjushenko, Vjacheslav G.; Afanasyeva, Natalia I.; Bruch, Reinhard F.; Daniellian, G.; Stepanov, Eugene V.

2000-07-01

Development of Polycrystalline Infrared (PIR-) fibers extruded from solid solutions of AgCl/AgBr has opened a new horizon of molecular spectroscopy applications in 4 - 18 micron range of spectra. PIR-fiber cables and probes could be coupled with a variety of Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer and Tunable Diode Lasers (TDL), including pig tailing of Mercury Cadmium Tellurium (MCT) detectors. Using these techniques no sample preparation is necessary for PIR- fiber probes to measure reflection and absorption spectra, in situ, in vivo, in real time and even multiplexed. Such PIR-fiber probes have been used for evanescent absorption spectroscopy of malignant tissue and skin surface diagnostics in-vivo, glucose detection in blood as well as crude oil composition analysis, for organic pollution and nuclear waste monitoring. A review of various PIR-fiber applications in medicine, industry and environment control is presented. The synergy of PIR-fibers flexibility with a super high resolution of TDL spectrometers with (Delta) v equals 10-4 cm-1, provides the unique tool for gas analysis, specifically when PIR-fibers are coupled as pigtails with MCT-detectors, and Pb-salt lasers. Design of multichannel PIR-fiber tailed TDL spectrometer could be used as a portable device for multispectral gas analysis at 1 ppb level of detectivity for various applications in medicine and biotechnology.

Cometary Plasma Probed by Rosetta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galand, Marina; Vigren, Erik; Raghuram, Susarla; Schwartz, Steve; Eriksson, Anders; Edberg, Niklas; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Henri, Pierre; Burch, Jim; Fuselier, Stephen; Haessig, Myrtha; Mandt, Kathy; Altwegg, Kathrin; Tzou, Chia-You

2015-04-01

In Fall 2014, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the main target of the Rosetta mission, was at 3 AU from the Sun. Its outgassing rate was only of the order of 5×1025 s-1 based on Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) / Cometary Pressure Sensor (COPS). Despite such a thin coma, a plasma of cometary origin has been detected by Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC) sensors and ROSINA/ Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS). Close to the comet they have revealed the presence of a cometary ionosphere, with a hot electron population, consistent with the deposition of Extreme UltraViolet (EUV) solar radiation. We will present a comparison between RPC sensors and an energy deposition model in terms of suprathermal electron intensities [RPC/ Ion and Electron Sensor (IES)] and electron temperature and density [RPC/ LAngmuir Probe (LAP) and RPC/ Mutual Impedance Probe (MIP)]. We will also compare ion composition among the main species, between our ionospheric model and ROSINA/DFMS. We will discuss effects of the space environment on the cometary plasma. Finally, we will highlight any evolution in the cometary plasma as the comet is getting closer to perihelion.

Evolution of Asian aerosols during transpacific transport in INTEX-B

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dunlea, E. J.; DeCarlo, Peter; Aiken, Allison

2009-10-01

Measurements of aerosol composition were made with an Aerodyne High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) on board the NSF/NCAR C-130 aircraft as part of the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Phase B 5 (INTEX-B) field campaign over the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The HR-ToF-AMS measurements of non-refractory submicron aerosol mass are shown to compare well with other aerosol instrumentation in the INTEX-B field study. Two case studies are described for pollution layers transported across the Pacific from the Asian continent, intercepted 3–4 days and 7–10 days downwind of Asia, respectively. Aerosol chemistry is shown to 10 be a robust tracer formore » air masses originating in Asia, specifically the presence of sulfate dominated aerosol is a distinguishing feature of Asian pollution layers that have been transported to the Eastern Pacific. We examine the time scales of processing for sulfate and organic aerosol in the atmosphere and show that our observations confirm a conceptual model for transpacific transport from Asia proposed by Brock et al. (2004). 15 Our observations of both sulfate and organic aerosol in aged Asian pollution layers are consistent with fast formation near the Asian continent, followed by washout during lofting and subsequent transformation during transport across the Pacific. Our observations are the first atmospheric measurements to indicate that although secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from pollution happens on the timescale of one day, 20 the oxidation of organic aerosol continues at longer timescales in the atmosphere. Comparisons with chemical transport models of data from the entire campaign reveal an under-prediction of SOA mass in the MOZART model, but much smaller discrepancies with the GEOS-Chem model than found in previous studies over the Western Pacific. No evidence is found to support a previous hypothesis for significant secondary 25 organic aerosol formation in the free

Ambient measurement of fluorescent aerosol particles with a WIBS in the Yangtze River Delta of China: potential impacts of combustion-related aerosol particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Xiawei; Wang, Zhibin; Zhang, Minghui; Kuhn, Uwe; Xie, Zhouqing; Cheng, Yafang; Pöschl, Ulrich; Su, Hang

2016-09-01

Fluorescence characteristics of aerosol particles in a polluted atmosphere were studied using a wideband integrated bioaerosol spectrometer (WIBS-4A) in Nanjing, Yangtze River Delta area of China. We observed strong diurnal and day-to-day variations of fluorescent aerosol particles (FAPs). The average number concentrations of FAPs (1-15 µm) detected in the three WIBS measurement channels (FL1: 0.6 cm-3, FL2: 3.4 cm-3, FL3: 2.1 cm-3) were much higher than those observed in forests and rural areas, suggesting that FAPs other than bioaerosols were detected. We found that the number fractions of FAPs were positively correlated with the black carbon mass fraction, especially for the FL1 channel, indicating a large contribution of combustion-related aerosols. To distinguish bioaerosols from combustion-related FAPs, we investigated two classification schemes for use with WIBS data. Our analysis suggests a strong size dependence for the fractional contributions of different types of FAPs. In the FL3 channel, combustion-related particles seem to dominate the 1-2 µm size range while bioaerosols dominate the 2-5 µm range. The number fractions of combustion-related particles and non-combustion-related particles to total aerosol particles were ˜ 11 and ˜ 5 %, respectively.

FTIR Analysis of Functional Groups in Aerosol Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shokri, S. M.; McKenzie, G.; Dransfield, T. J.

2012-12-01

Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) are suspensions of particulate matter composed of compounds formed from chemical reactions of organic species in the atmosphere. Atmospheric particulate matter can have impacts on climate, the environment and human health. Standardized techniques to analyze the characteristics and composition of complex secondary organic aerosols are necessary to further investigate the formation of SOA and provide a better understanding of the reaction pathways of organic species in the atmosphere. While Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (AMS) can provide detailed information about the elemental composition of a sample, it reveals little about the chemical moieties which make up the particles. This work probes aerosol particles deposited on Teflon filters using FTIR, based on the protocols of Russell, et al. (Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, 114, 2009) and the spectral fitting algorithm of Takahama, et al (submitted, 2012). To validate the necessary calibration curves for the analysis of complex samples, primary aerosols of key compounds (e.g., citric acid, ammonium sulfate, sodium benzoate) were generated, and the accumulated masses of the aerosol samples were related to their IR absorption intensity. These validated calibration curves were then used to classify and quantify functional groups in SOA samples generated in chamber studies by MIT's Kroll group. The fitting algorithm currently quantifies the following functionalities: alcohols, alkanes, alkenes, amines, aromatics, carbonyls and carboxylic acids.

Photochemical processing of organic aerosol at nearby continental sites: contrast between urban plumes and regional aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slowik, J. G.; Brook, J.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Evans, G. J.; Hayden, K.; Jeong, C.-H.; Li, S.-M.; Liggio, J.; Liu, P. S. K.; McGuire, M.; Mihele, C.; Sjostedt, S.; Vlasenko, A.; Abbatt, J. P. D.

2010-10-01

As part of the BAQS-Met 2007 field campaign, Aerodyne time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometers (ToF-AMS) were deployed at two sites in southwestern Ontario from 17 June to 11 July, 2007. One instrument was located at Harrow, ON, a rural, agriculture-dominated area approximately 40 km southeast of the Detroit/Windsor/Windsor urban area and 5 km north of Lake Erie. The second instrument was located at Bear Creek, ON, a rural site approximately 70 km northeast of the Harrow site and 50 km east of Detroit/Windsor. Positive matrix factorization analysis of the combined organic mass spectral dataset yields factors related to secondary organic aerosol (SOA), direct emissions, and uptake processes. This is the first application of PMF to simultaneous AMS measurements at different sites, an approach which allows for self-consistent, direct comparison of the datasets. Case studies are utilized to investigate processing of SOA from (1) fresh emissions from Detroit/Windsor and (2) regional aerosol during periods of inter-site flow. A strong correlation is observed between SOA/excess CO and photochemical age as represented by the NOx/NOy ratio for Detroit/Windsor outflow. Although this correlation is not evident for more aged air, measurements at the two sites during inter-site transport nevertheless show evidence of continued atmospheric processing by SOA production.

Airborne single particle mass spectrometers (SPLAT II & miniSPLAT) and new software for data visualization and analysis in a geo-spatial context.

PubMed

Zelenyuk, Alla; Imre, Dan; Wilson, Jacqueline; Zhang, Zhiyuan; Wang, Jun; Mueller, Klaus

2015-02-01

Understanding the effect of aerosols on climate requires knowledge of the size and chemical composition of individual aerosol particles-two fundamental properties that determine an aerosol's optical properties and ability to serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei. Here we present our aircraft-compatible single particle mass spectrometers, SPLAT II and its new, miniaturized version, miniSPLAT that measure in-situ and in real-time the size and chemical composition of individual aerosol particles with extremely high sensitivity, temporal resolution, and sizing precision on the order of a monolayer. Although miniSPLAT's size, weight, and power consumption are significantly smaller, its performance is on par with SPLAT II. Both instruments operate in dual data acquisition mode to measure, in addition to single particle size and composition, particle number concentrations, size distributions, density, and asphericity with high temporal resolution. We also present ND-Scope, our newly developed interactive visual analytics software package. ND-Scope is designed to explore and visualize the vast amount of complex, multidimensional data acquired by our single particle mass spectrometers, along with other aerosol and cloud characterization instruments on-board aircraft. We demonstrate that ND-Scope makes it possible to visualize the relationships between different observables and to view the data in a geo-spatial context, using the interactive and fully coupled Google Earth and Parallel Coordinates displays. Here we illustrate the utility of ND-Scope to visualize the spatial distribution of atmospheric particles of different compositions, and explore the relationship between individual particle compositions and their activity as cloud condensation nuclei.

Chemical Characteristics of Particulate Matter from Vehicle emission using High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, T.; Lee, T.; Kang, S.; Lee, J.; Kim, J.; Son, J.; Yoo, H. M.; Kim, K.; Park, G.

2015-12-01

Car emissions are major contributors of particulate matter (PM) in the urban environment and effects of air pollution, climate change, and human activities. By increasing of interest in research of car emission for assessment of the PM control, it became require to understand the chemical composition and characteristics of the car exhaust gases and particulate matter. To understand car emission characteristics of PM, we will study PM of car emissions for five driving modes (National Institute Environmental Research (NIER)-5, NIER-9, NIER-12, NIER-14) and three fixed speed driving modes (30km/h, 70km/h, 110km/h) using different fuel types (gasoline, diesel, and LPG) at Transportation Pollution Research Center (TPRC) of NIER in Incheon, South Korea. PM chemical composition of car emission was measured for concentrations of organics, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, PAHs, oxidation states and size distribution using an Aerodyne High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and engine exhaust particle sizer (EEPS) on real-time. In the study, organics concentration was dominated for all cases of driving modes and the concentration of organics was increased in 110km/h fixed speed mode for gasoline and diesel. The presentation will provide an overview of the chemical composition of PM in the car emissions.

Effect of secondary organic aerosol coating thickness on the real-time detection and characterization of biomass-burning soot by two particle mass spectrometers

DOE PAGES

Ahern, Adam T.; Subramanian, Ramachandran; Saliba, Georges; ...

2016-12-22

Biomass burning is a large source of light-absorbing refractory black carbon (rBC) particles with a wide range of morphologies and sizes. The net radiative forcing from these particles is strongly dependent on the amount and composition of non-light-absorbing material internally mixed with the rBC and on the morphology of the mixed particles. Understanding how the mixing state and morphology of biomass-burning aerosol evolves in the atmosphere is critical for constraining the influence of these particles on radiative forcing and climate. We investigated the response of two commercial laser-based particle mass spectrometers, the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) ablation LAAPTOF and the IRmore » vaporization SP-AMS, to monodisperse biomass-burning particles as we sequentially coated the particles with secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from α-pinene ozonolysis. We studied three mobility-selected soot core sizes, each with a number of successively thicker coatings of SOA applied. Using IR laser vaporization, the SP-AMS had different changes in sensitivity to rBC compared to potassium as a function of applied SOA coatings. We show that this is due to different effective beam widths for the IR laser vaporization region of potassium versus black carbon. The SP-AMS's sensitivity to black carbon (BC) mass was not observed to plateau following successive SOA coatings, despite achieving high OA : BC mass ratios greater than 9. We also measured the ion fragmentation pattern of biomass-burning rBC and found it changed only slightly with increasing SOA mass. The average organic matter ion signal measured by the LAAPTOF demonstrated a positive correlation with the condensed SOA mass on individual particles, despite the inhomogeneity of the particle core compositions. This demonstrates that the LAAPTOF can obtain quantitative mass measurements of aged soot-particle composition from realistic biomass-burning particles with complex morphologies and composition.« less

Effect of secondary organic aerosol coating thickness on the real-time detection and characterization of biomass-burning soot by two particle mass spectrometers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahern, Adam T.; Subramanian, Ramachandran; Saliba, Georges

Biomass burning is a large source of light-absorbing refractory black carbon (rBC) particles with a wide range of morphologies and sizes. The net radiative forcing from these particles is strongly dependent on the amount and composition of non-light-absorbing material internally mixed with the rBC and on the morphology of the mixed particles. Understanding how the mixing state and morphology of biomass-burning aerosol evolves in the atmosphere is critical for constraining the influence of these particles on radiative forcing and climate. We investigated the response of two commercial laser-based particle mass spectrometers, the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) ablation LAAPTOF and the IRmore » vaporization SP-AMS, to monodisperse biomass-burning particles as we sequentially coated the particles with secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from α-pinene ozonolysis. We studied three mobility-selected soot core sizes, each with a number of successively thicker coatings of SOA applied. Using IR laser vaporization, the SP-AMS had different changes in sensitivity to rBC compared to potassium as a function of applied SOA coatings. We show that this is due to different effective beam widths for the IR laser vaporization region of potassium versus black carbon. The SP-AMS's sensitivity to black carbon (BC) mass was not observed to plateau following successive SOA coatings, despite achieving high OA : BC mass ratios greater than 9. We also measured the ion fragmentation pattern of biomass-burning rBC and found it changed only slightly with increasing SOA mass. The average organic matter ion signal measured by the LAAPTOF demonstrated a positive correlation with the condensed SOA mass on individual particles, despite the inhomogeneity of the particle core compositions. This demonstrates that the LAAPTOF can obtain quantitative mass measurements of aged soot-particle composition from realistic biomass-burning particles with complex morphologies and composition.« less

Measurement of aerosol optical properties by integrating cavity ring-down spectroscopy and nephelometery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tedela, Getachew; Singh, Sujeeta; Fiddler, Marc; Bililign, Solomon

2013-03-01

Accurate measurement of optical properties of aerosols is crucial for quantifying the influence of aerosols on climate. Aerosols that scatter and absorb radiation can have a cooling or warming effect depending on the magnitude of the respective scattering and absorption terms. One example is black carbon known for its strong absorption. The reported refractive indices for black carbon particles range from 1.2 +0i to 2.75 +1.44i. Our work attempts to measure extinction coefficient, and scattering coefficient of black carbon particles at different incident beam wavelengths using a cavity ring-down spectrometer and a Nephelometer and compare to Mie theory predictions. We report calibration results using polystyrene latex spheres and preliminary results on using commercial black carbon particles. The work is supported by the Department of Defense grant W911NF-11-1-0188.

Pseudoslit Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reuter, Dennis C.; McCabe, George H.

2004-01-01

The pseudoslit spectrometer is a conceptual optoelectronic instrument that would offer some of the advantages, without the disadvantages, of prior linear-variable etalon (LVE) spectrometers and prior slit spectrometers. The pseudoslit spectrometer is so named because it would not include a slit, but the combined effects of its optical components would include a spatial filtering effect approximately equivalent to that of a slit. Like a prior LVE spectrometer, the pseudoslit spectrometer would include an LVE (essentially, a wedge-like narrowband- pass filter, the pass wavelength of which varies linearly with position in one dimension) in a focal plane covering an imaging planar array of photodetectors. However, the pseudoslit spectrometer would be more efficient because unlike a prior LVE spectrometer, the pseudoslit spectrometer would not have to be scanned across an entire field of view to obtain the spectrum of an object of interest that may occupy only a small portion of the field of view. Like a prior slit spectrometer, the pseudoslit spectrometer could acquire the entire spectrum of such a small object without need for scanning. However, the pseudoslit spectrometer would be optically and mechanically simpler: it would have fewer components and, hence, would pose less of a problem of alignment of components and would be less vulnerable to misalignment.

Analysis of Marine Aerosol Polysaccharides by Pyrolysis Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawler, M. J.; Grieman, M. M.; Sengur, I.; Saltzman, E. S.

2017-12-01

The relationship between surface ocean biological productivity and marine cloud formation and properties has been explored for decades, but the impacts of marine biogenic emissions on cloudiness and climate remain highly uncertain. This is in part due to the challenge of directly linking biogenic materials in the surface ocean with cloud-forming aerosol. It has been shown that polysaccharide gel-forming materials, also known as transparent exopolymers, may be mechanically ejected from the sea surface during air bubble bursting (Leck and Bigg, 2005). Existing analysis methods for such aerosols require considerable sample mass and sample preparation. As part of the multi-year seasonal North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES), ambient submicron marine aerosol was collected in November 2015 and May 2016 from the R/V Atlantis at using a Particle into Liquid Sampler (PILS). These samples of roughly 15 minute time resolution were frozen and returned to UC Irvine for analysis. A new technique has been developed to attempt to quantify polysaccharide material in these ambient samples. A small subsample (1- 5 µL) is taken from the PILS vial samples and allowed to dry on a Pt ribbon filament in the chemical ionization source region of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The sample then undergoes a two-step heating process, in which volatilizable molecules are first desorbed and then non-volatilizable large molecules such as polysaccharides are pyrolyzed. These desorbed molecules and decomposition products are ionized using either O2- or H3O+ reagent ion and are directly sampled into the mass spectrometer. The resulting spectra can then be compared to standards of known polysaccharide materials for quantification and potentially structural and/or compositional information.

Aerosol Radiative Forcing in Asian Continental Outflow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pueschel, R.; Kinne, S.; Redemann, J.; Gore, Warren J. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Aerosols in elevated layers were sampled with FSSP-probes and wire impactors over the Pacific ocean aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft. Analyses of particle size and morphology identifies two distinctly different aerosol types for cases when the mid-visible extinctions exceed 0.2/km. Smaller sizes (effective radii of 0.2 um) and moderate absorption (mid-visible single scattering albedo of.935) are typical for urban-industrial pollution. Larger sizes (effective radii of 0.7 um) and weak absorption (mid-visible single scattering albedo of 0.985) identify dust. This aerosol classification is in agreement with its origin as determined by airmass back trajectory analysis. Based on lidar vertical profiling, aerosol dominated by dust and urban-industrial pollution above 3km were assigned mid-visible optical depths of 0.50 and 0.27, respectively. Radiative transfer simulations, considering a 50% cloud-cover below the aerosol layers, suggest (on a daily tP C)C> basis) small reductions (-4W/m2) to the energy budget at the top of the atmosphere for both aerosol types. For c' 0 dust, more backscattering of sunlight (weaker solar absorption) is compensated by a stronger greenhouse effect due to larger sizes. Forced reductions to the energy budget at the surface are 12W/m2 for both aerosol types. In contrast, impacts on heating rates within the aerosol layers are quite different: While urban-industrial aerosol warms the layer (at +0.6K/day as solar heating dominates), dust cools (at -0.5K/day as infrared cooling dominates). Sensitivity tests show the dependence of the aerosol climatic impact on the optical depth, particle size, absorptivity, and altitude of the layers, as well as clouds and surface properties. Climatic cooling can be eliminated (1) for the urban-industrial aerosol if absorption is increased to yield a mid-visible single scattering albedo of 0.89, or if the ocean is replaced by a land surface; (2) for the dust aerosol if the effective radius is increased from 0.7 to 1

Development of a Qcl-Based Spectrometer for Spectroscopic Analysis of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iranpour, Michael Cyrus; Tran, Minh Nhat; Stewart, Jacob

2017-06-01

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are naturally occurring molecules that are emitted into the atmosphere by plants. BVOCs have an important role in atmospheric chemistry as they react readily with ozone, hydroxyl radicals, and nitric oxides to form aerosols and pollutants such as ozone in the troposphere. We are developing an IR spectrometer with the aim of measuring spectra of atmospheric samples of BVOCs to determine their concentrations. Using an external cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL), we have acquired IR spectra of isoprene (C_{5}H_{8}) near 993 cm^{-1}. Isoprene represents an ideal target, as it is the simplest and most abundant BVOC. IR spectra of standard samples of isoprene were acquired in order to determine the detection limit of the spectrometer. We have also been working to improve the capabilities of the spectrometer by implementing wavelength modulation spectroscopy and increasing the path length through our samples by using a multipass cell. In this talk, we will present data from our initial measurements of the standard isoprene samples using a simple direct absorption setup as well as measurements using the improved spectrometer.

Physico-chemical properties of aerosols in Sao Paulo, Brazil and mechanisms of secondary organic aerosol formation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artaxo, Paulo; Ferreira de Brito, Joel; Varanda Rizzo, Luciana; Luiza Godoy, Maria; Godoy, Jose Marcus

2013-04-01

Megacities emissions are increasingly becoming a global issue, where emissions from the transportation sector play an increasingly important role. Sao Paulo is a megacity with a population of about 18 million people, 7 million cars and large-scale industrial emissions. As a result of the vehicular and industrial emissions, the air quality in Sao Paulo is bellow WMO standards for aerosol particles and ozone. Many uncertainties are found on gas- and particulate matter vehicular emission factors and their following atmospheric processes, e.g. secondary organic aerosol formation. Due to the uniqueness of the vehicular fuel in Brazil, largely based on ethanol use, such characterization currently holds further uncertainties. To improve the understanding of the role of this unique emission characteristics, we are running a source apportionment study in Sao Paulo focused on the mechanisms of organic aerosol formation. One of the goals of this study is a quantitative aerosol source apportionment focused on vehicular emissions, including ethanol and gasohol (both fuels used by light-duty vehicles). This study comprises four sampling sites with continuous measurements for one year, where trace elements and organic aerosol are being measured for PM2.5 and PM10 along with real-time NOx, O3, PM10 and CO measurements. Aerosol optical properties and size distribution are being measured on a rotation basis between sampling stations. Furthermore, a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) and an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) are used to measure in real time VOCs and aerosol composition, respectively. Trace elements were measured using XRF and OC/EC analysis was determined with a Sunset OC/EC instrument. A TSI Nephelometer with 3 wavelengths measure light scattering and a MAAP measure black carbon. Results show aerosol number concentrations ranging between 10,000 and 35,000 cm-3, mostly concentrated in the nucleation and Aitken modes, with a peak in size at 80

Ground-based Network and Supersite Measurements for Studying Aerosol Properties and Aerosol-Cloud Interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsay, Si-Chee; Holben, Brent N.

2008-01-01

From radiometric principles, it is expected that the retrieved properties of extensive aerosols and clouds from reflected/emitted measurements by satellite (and/or aircraft) should be consistent with those retrieved from transmitted/emitted radiance observed at the surface. Although space-borne remote sensing observations contain large spatial domain, they are often plagued by contamination of surface signatures. Thus, ground-based in-situ and remote-sensing measurements, where signals come directly from atmospheric constituents, the sun, and the Earth-atmosphere interactions, provide additional information content for comparisons that confirm quantitatively the usefulness of the integrated surface, aircraft, and satellite datasets. The development and deployment of AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) sunphotometer network and SMART-COMMIT (Surface-sensing Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer - Chemical, Optical & Microphysical Measurements of In-situ Troposphere) mobile supersite are aimed for the optimal utilization of collocated ground-based observations as constraints to yield higher fidelity satellite retrievals and to determine any sampling bias due to target conditions. To characterize the regional natural and anthropogenic aerosols, AERONET is an internationally federated network of unique sunphotometry that contains more than 250 permanent sites worldwide. Since 1993, there are more than 480 million aerosol optical depth observations and about 15 sites have continuous records longer than 10 years for annual/seasonal trend analyses. To quantify the energetics of the surface-atmosphere system and the atmospheric processes, SMART-COMMIT instrument into three categories: flux radiometer, radiance sensor and in-situ probe. Through participation in many satellite remote-sensing/retrieval and validation projects over eight years, SMART-COMMIT have gradually refine( and been proven vital for field deployment. In this paper, we will demonstrate the

Aerosol Optical Properties of Smoke from the Las Conchas Wildfire, Los Alamos, NM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorkowski, K.; Dubey, M. K.; Flowers, B. A.; Aiken, A. C.; Klein, B. Z.; Mazzoleni, C.; Sharma, N.; China`, S.

2011-12-01

The Las Conchas wildfire in Northern New Mexico started on June, 26 2011 and spread rapidly, eventually burning an area of 634 km2 (245 mi2). Due to the close proximity to the fire, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was shut down and the town evacuated for several days. Immediately after LANL reopened (7/6/2011) the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division (EES-14) attained unique measurements of the smoke by sampling the ambient air. Three Integrated Photoacoustic/Nephelometer Spectrometers (DMT Inc.) were set up to measure aerosol light absorption and scattering coefficients. A University of Northwest Switzerland thermodenuder was used to remove compounds that are volatile at temperatures up to 200C. The aerosol's optical properties were measured before and after denuding the sample at 405nm (blue), 532nm (green), 781nm (red), and for non-denuded particles also at 375nm (ultraviolet). The aerosol size distributions were measured after the denuder with a Laser Aerosol Spectrometer (LAS, TSI Inc.) and black carbon was measured with a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2, DMT Inc.). Additionally, ambient measurements of Total Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10) were collected continuously at the LANL air monitoring stations. These measurements are used in conjunction with numerical simulations to determine the bulk optical properties of the aerosol. Aerosols in wildfire smoke are composed of organic and black carbon (soot) particles that are formed during wood combustion and pyrolysis. The optical properties of the smoke particles are complex and lead to large uncertainties in assessing the global climate. During the measurement period, the Las Conchas fire provided very high particle concentrations (up to 200 μg/m3) that were exploited to investigate their optical properties. By heating the particles to temperatures ranging from 75 to 200C in the denuder, volatile organics were removed and the optical properties of the remaining particles were measured

Aerosol detection efficiency in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, Joshua A.; Zigmond, Joseph A.

2016-05-01

An electrostatic size classification technique was used to segregate particles of known composition prior to being injected into an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Size-segregated particles were counted with a condensation nuclei counter as well as sampled with an ICP-MS. By injecting particles of known size, composition, and aerosol concentration into the ICP-MS, efficiencies of the order of magnitude aerosol detection were calculated, and the particle size dependencies for volatile and refractory species were quantified. Similar to laser ablation ICP-MS, aerosol detection efficiency was defined as the rate at which atoms were detected in the ICP-MS normalized by the rate at which atoms were injected in the form of particles. This method adds valuable insight into the development of technologies like laser ablation ICP-MS where aerosol particles (of relatively unknown size and gas concentration) are generated during ablation and then transported into the plasma of an ICP-MS. In this study, we characterized aerosol detection efficiencies of volatile species gold and silver along with refractory species aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, and yttrium oxide. Aerosols were generated with electrical mobility diameters ranging from 100 to 1000 nm. In general, it was observed that refractory species had lower aerosol detection efficiencies than volatile species, and there were strong dependencies on particle size and plasma torch residence time. Volatile species showed a distinct transition point at which aerosol detection efficiency began decreasing with increasing particle size. This critical diameter indicated the largest particle size for which complete particle detection should be expected and agreed with theories published in other works. Aerosol detection efficiencies also displayed power law dependencies on particle size. Aerosol detection efficiencies ranged from 10- 5 to 10- 11. Free molecular heat and mass transfer theory was applied, but

Aerosol detection efficiency in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

DOE PAGES

Hubbard, Joshua A.; Zigmond, Joseph A.

2016-03-02

We used an electrostatic size classification technique to segregate particles of known composition prior to being injected into an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Moreover, we counted size-segregated particles with a condensation nuclei counter as well as sampled with an ICP-MS. By injecting particles of known size, composition, and aerosol concentration into the ICP-MS, efficiencies of the order of magnitude aerosol detection were calculated, and the particle size dependencies for volatile and refractory species were quantified. Similar to laser ablation ICP-MS, aerosol detection efficiency was defined as the rate at which atoms were detected in the ICP-MS normalized bymore » the rate at which atoms were injected in the form of particles. This method adds valuable insight into the development of technologies like laser ablation ICP-MS where aerosol particles (of relatively unknown size and gas concentration) are generated during ablation and then transported into the plasma of an ICP-MS. In this study, we characterized aerosol detection efficiencies of volatile species gold and silver along with refractory species aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, and yttrium oxide. Aerosols were generated with electrical mobility diameters ranging from 100 to 1000 nm. In general, it was observed that refractory species had lower aerosol detection efficiencies than volatile species, and there were strong dependencies on particle size and plasma torch residence time. Volatile species showed a distinct transition point at which aerosol detection efficiency began decreasing with increasing particle size. This critical diameter indicated the largest particle size for which complete particle detection should be expected and agreed with theories published in other works. Aerosol detection efficiencies also displayed power law dependencies on particle size. Aerosol detection efficiencies ranged from 10 -5 to 10 -11. Free molecular heat and mass transfer theory was

Biological Particle Emissions From a South-East Asian Tropical Rainforest Using a Real- Time Dual Channel UV Fluorescence Bio-Aerosol Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabey, A.; Coe, H.; Gallagher, M.; McFiggans, G.; Kaye, P.; Stanley, W.; Foot, V.

2008-12-01

and net emission for all fungal spores is ~1 μ g m-3 and ~50 Tg yr-1. These calculations demonstrate the potential importance of PBA, and in particular fungal spores, for global budgets of organic aerosols, particularly in tropical regions, however uncertainties are extremely large, ranging from 50 - 1000 Tg yr- 1. In this study we use the WIBS-3: a low-cost portable single-particle dual-channel UV fluorescence spectrometer (Kaye et al., 2008) to investigate the dynamics of PBA in real-time within and above a tropical forest of 50 m height in Borneo, Malaysia, to estimate net PBA emissions. Different circadian cycles were observed for bio and non-bio aerosol sources and the factors controlling bioaerosol emissions will be discussed in detail.

Cloud condensation nuclei closure study on summer arctic aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, M.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Sierau, B.; Sjogren, S.; Swietlicki, E.; Abbatt, J. P. D.; Leck, C.; Lohmann, U.

2011-03-01

We present an aerosol - cloud condensation nuclei CCN) closure study on summer high Arctic aerosol based on measurements that were carried out in summer 2008 during the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) on board the Swedish ice breaker Oden. The data presented here were collected during a three-week time period in the pack ice (>85° N) when the icebreaker Oden was moored to an ice floe and drifted passively during the most biological active period into autumn freeze up conditions. CCN number concentrations were obtained using two CCN counters measuring at different supersaturations. The directly measured CCN number concentration is then compared with a CCN number concentration calculated using both bulk aerosol mass composition data from an aerosol mass spectrometer and aerosol number size distributions obtained from a differential mobility particle sizer, assuming κ-Köhler theory and an internally mixed aerosol. For the two highest measured supersaturations, 0.73 and 0.41%, closure could not be achieved with the investigated settings concerning hygroscopicity and density. The calculated CCN number concentration was always higher than the measured one. One possible explanation is that the smaller particles that activate at these supersaturations have a relative larger insoluble organic mass fraction and thus are less good CCN than the larger particles. At 0.20, 0.15 and 0.10% supersaturation, the measured CCN number can be represented with different parameters for the hygroscopicity and density of the particles. For the best agreement of the calculated CCNnumber concentration with the measured one the organic fraction of the aerosol needs to be nearly insoluble (қorg=0.02). However, this is not unambigious and қorg=0.2 is found as an upper limit at 0.1% supersaturation.

Broadband measurements of aerosol extinction in the ultraviolet spectral region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washenfelder, R. A.; Flores, J. M.; Brock, C. A.; Brown, S. S.; Rudich, Y.

2013-04-01

Aerosols influence the Earth's radiative budget by scattering and absorbing incoming solar radiation. The optical properties of aerosols vary as a function of wavelength, but few measurements have reported the wavelength dependence of aerosol extinction cross sections and complex refractive indices. We describe a new laboratory instrument to measure aerosol optical extinction as a function of wavelength, using cavity enhanced spectroscopy with a broadband light source. The instrument consists of two broadband channels which span the 360-390 and 385-420 nm spectral regions using two light emitting diodes (LED) and a grating spectrometer with charge-coupled device (CCD) detector. We determined aerosol extinction cross sections and directly observed Mie scattering resonances for aerosols that are purely scattering (polystyrene latex spheres and ammonium sulfate), slightly absorbing (Suwannee River fulvic acid), and strongly absorbing (nigrosin dye). We describe an approach for retrieving refractive indices as a function of wavelength from the measured extinction cross sections over the 360-420 nm wavelength region. The retrieved refractive indices for PSL and ammonium sulfate agree within uncertainty with the literature values for this spectral region. The refractive index determined for nigrosin is 1.78 (± 0.03) + 0.19 (± 0.08)i at 360 nm and 1.63 (± 0.03) + 0.21 (± 0.05)i at 420 nm. The refractive index determined for Suwannee River fulvic acid is 1.71 (± 0.02) + 0.07 (± 0.06)i at 360 nm and 1.66 (± 0.02) + 0.06 (± 0.04)i at 420 nm. These laboratory results support the potential for a field instrument capable of determining ambient aerosol optical extinction, average aerosol extinction cross section, and complex refractive index as a function of wavelength.