Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions
www.atmos-meas-tech-discuss.net
1867-8610
2
5
2009
10.5194/amtd-2-2377-2009
http://www.atmos-meas-tech-discuss.net/2/2377/2009/
http://www.atmos-meas-tech-discuss.net/2/2377/2009/amtd-2-2377-2009.html
http://www.atmos-meas-tech-discuss.net/2/2377/2009/amtd-2-2377-2009.pdf
2377
2401
2009-10-06
Analysis of non-methane hydrocarbons in air samples collected aboard the CARIBIC passenger aircraft
A. K. Baker
angela.baker@mpic.de
F. Slemr
C. A. M. Brenninkmeijer
Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie (MPI), Air Chemistry Division, Johannes-Joachim-Becher Weg 27, 55128 Mainz, Germany
The CARIBIC project (Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of
the atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container) is a long-term
monitoring program making regular atmospheric measurements from an
instrument container installed monthly aboard a passenger
aircraft. Typical cruising altitudes of the aircraft allow for the
study of the free troposphere and the extra-tropical upper troposphere
as well as the lowermost stratosphere. CARIBIC measurements include
a number of real time analyses as well as the collection of aerosol
and whole air samples. These whole air samples are analyzed
post-flight for a suite of trace gases, which includes non-methane
hydrocarbons (NMHC).
<br><br>
The NMHC measurement system and its analytical performance are
described here. Precision was found to vary slightly by compound, and
is less than 2% for the C<sub>2</sub>–C<sub>6</sub> alkanes and
ethyne, and between 1 and 6% for C<sub>7</sub>–C<sub>8</sub> alkanes
and aromatic compounds. Preliminary results from participation in
a Global Atmospheric Watch (WMO) VOC audit indicate accuracies within
the precision of the system. Limits of detection are 1 pptv
for most compounds, and up to 3 pptv for some aromatics. These
are sufficiently low to measure mixing ratios typically observed in
the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere for the longer-lived
NMHC, however, in air samples from these regions many of the compounds
with shorter lifetimes (<5 d) were frequently below the
detection limit. Observed NMHC concentrations span many orders of
magnitude, dependent on atmospheric region and air mass history, with
concentrations typically decreasing with shorter chemical lifetimes.
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