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Laboratory and field based evaluation of chromatography related performance of the Monitor for Aerosols and Gases in Ambient Air (MARGA)
Citation:
Chen, X., Johnt Walker, AND Chris Geron. Laboratory and field based evaluation of chromatography related performance of the Monitor for Aerosols and Gases in Ambient Air (MARGA). Presented at National Atmospheric Deposition Program Fall Meeting, Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 31 - November 04, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
The new generation of on-line chromatography-based gas and particle measurement systems have many advantages, including simultaneous analysis of multiple pollutants. The Monitor for Aerosols and Gases in Ambient Air (MARGA) is such an instrument that is used in North America, Europe, and Asia for atmospheric process studies as well as routine monitoring. While the instrument has been evaluated against other techniques in field studies, chromatography related aspects of accuracy and precision have not been rigorously evaluated.
Description:
The Monitor for AeRosols and GAses in ambient air (MARGA) is an on-line ion-chromatography-based instrument designed for speciation of the inorganic gas and aerosol ammonium-nitrate-sulfate system. Previous work to characterize the performance of the MARGA has been primarily based on field comparison to other measurement methods to evaluate accuracy. While such studies are useful, the underlying reasons for disagreement among methods are not always clear. This study examines aspects of MARGA accuracy and precision specifically related to automated chromatography analysis. Using laboratory standards, analytical accuracy, precision, and method detection limits derived from the MARGA chromatography software are compared to an alternative software package (Chromeleon, Thermo Scientific Dionex). Field measurements are used to further evaluate instrument performance, including the MARGA’s use of an internal LiBr standard to control accuracy. Using gas/aerosol ratios and aerosol neutralization state as a case study, the impact of chromatography on measurement error is assessed.