TY - GEN
T1 - Spectroscopic instruments for airborne measurements of atmospheric trace gases
AU - Fried, Alan
AU - Richter, Dirk
AU - Weibring, Petter
AU - Walega, James
AU - Spuler, Scott
AU - Taubman, Matthew
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Spectroscopic instruments based upon mid-IR absorption spectroscopy have been successfully employed by many groups around the world to measure and examine pollution generation, its transport, and chemical transformations, throughout the lower to upper atmosphere. Investigators at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have developed and deployed a state-of-the-art instrument based upon difference frequency generation absorption spectroscopy to carry out such investigations on various airborne platforms. The present talk will briefly summarize the fundamentals and potential of this technology and discuss recent applications for fast, sensitive, and accurate measurements of the important atmospheric pollutant formaldehyde. One example that will be discussed includes the first fast airborne measurements of this gas in petrochemical plumes over Houston, Texas during studies in 2000 and 2006. Formaldehyde is an important precursor of ozone and its measurement in such plumes revealed significant sources that were not included in ozone formation modeling estimates. This talk will conclude with a discussion of a new smaller and lighter advanced instrument that is being developed for measuring formaldehyde and other boundary layer pollutant gases transported to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere by deep convection. The potential of this new airborne technology for measuring many other pollutant gases by autonomously operated instruments will also be discussed.
AB - Spectroscopic instruments based upon mid-IR absorption spectroscopy have been successfully employed by many groups around the world to measure and examine pollution generation, its transport, and chemical transformations, throughout the lower to upper atmosphere. Investigators at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have developed and deployed a state-of-the-art instrument based upon difference frequency generation absorption spectroscopy to carry out such investigations on various airborne platforms. The present talk will briefly summarize the fundamentals and potential of this technology and discuss recent applications for fast, sensitive, and accurate measurements of the important atmospheric pollutant formaldehyde. One example that will be discussed includes the first fast airborne measurements of this gas in petrochemical plumes over Houston, Texas during studies in 2000 and 2006. Formaldehyde is an important precursor of ozone and its measurement in such plumes revealed significant sources that were not included in ozone formation modeling estimates. This talk will conclude with a discussion of a new smaller and lighter advanced instrument that is being developed for measuring formaldehyde and other boundary layer pollutant gases transported to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere by deep convection. The potential of this new airborne technology for measuring many other pollutant gases by autonomously operated instruments will also be discussed.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85086612520
U2 - 10.1364/e2.2011.ewc3
DO - 10.1364/e2.2011.ewc3
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85086612520
SN - 9781557529206
T3 - Optics InfoBase Conference Papers
BT - Optical Instrumentation for Energy and Environmental Applications, E2 2011
PB - Optical Society of America (OSA)
T2 - Optical Instrumentation for Energy and Environmental Applications, E2 2011
Y2 - 2 November 2011 through 3 November 2011
ER -