Grantee Research Project Results

Development of Lightweight Instrumentation for Measurement of Long-Lived Trace Gases

EPA Grant Number: R825222
Title: Development of Lightweight Instrumentation for Measurement of Long-Lived Trace Gases
Investigators: Avallone, Linnea M.
Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: December 1, 1996 through November 30, 2001
Project Amount: $466,074
RFA: Exploratory Research - Early Career Awards (1996) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Early Career Awards

Description:

The ozone budget of the upper troposphere is highly uncertain with respect to both chemistry and dynamical effects. Extensive data in the 6 to 12 km region of the atmosphere is needed to constrain the relative roles of various dynamical processes, such as convection and intrusion from the stratosphere. One way to address this data deficit is to take advantage of the sampling capabilities of the fleet of commercial aircraft. To this end, it has been proposed to develop a suite of instruments designed to detect several trace gases that will provide unique signatures of transport phenomena. It is anticipated that the dataset created with this type of program will be useful in the continuing development and testing of global three-dimensional chemical transport models, models of ozone precursor emissions and ambient air quality, and the assessment of the effects of subsonic aviation on ozone distributions.

To accomplish the stated goal, four separate sensors will be combined into a single instrument package suitable for flying in the cargo area of a commercial airliner or other frequently flying plane (i.e., it must be small, lightweight, and autonomous for extended periods of time). Ozone will be measured with a dual-beam ultraviolet absorption instrument, a non-dispersive infrared sensor will be used to detect carbon dioxide, and measurement of water vapor will be accomplished with a tunable diode laser spectrometer. Funding under this grant will support development, testing, and deployment of a prototype, lightweight gas chromatograph system, based on micro-GC technology. A suite of five halocarbons, whose chemical lifetimes in the troposphere span a range from 5 days to 5 years, will be measured. Each of the species selected for this study provides by itself, or in combination with the others, information about the role of one of the dynamical processes controlling ozone distributions in the upper troposphere. Funding from the NASA Atmospheric Effects of Aviation program will support development of the ozone, carbon dioxide and water vapor sensors, packaging, and integration onto a suitable platform.

Publications and Presentations:

Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 17 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

air, NO, CO2, chlorocarbons, chemistry, measurement methods, troposphere., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, Environmental Chemistry, tropospheric ozone, Atmospheric Sciences, air toxics, climate change, Ecology and Ecosystems, trace gas measurement, convective boundary layer, gas chromatography, three dimensional model, measurement methods , chemical composition, climate variability, monitoring, atmospheric monitoring, lightweight instrumentation, ozone occurrence, chemical kinetics, field measurements, ambient ozone data, chemical transport model, carbon dioxide, atmospheric chemical cycles

Relevant Websites:

SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE)

Progress and Final Reports:

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.