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| Titel |
An ICOS laser spectrometer for regular in-situ measurements of CH4 and CO2 aboard the CARIBIC passenger aircraft |
| VerfasserIn |
Lisa Kattner, Christoph Dyroff, Andreas Zahn |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2010
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 12 (2010) |
| Datensatznummer |
250040447
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The flying laboratory CARIBIC (Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the
Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container) has now successfully been running for more
than 10 years and has already delivered a vast and valuable variety of data concerning
atmospheric gases and aerosol particles. Passenger aircrafts operate at an altitude of 8-12 km
and thus in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere (UT/LMS), which is a
dynamically, chemically, and radiatively extremely complex and not well understood
region of the atmosphere. The monthly operation of CARIBIC inter alia enables to
study seasonal and interannual variations of the measured gases and particles and
results in a unique dataset for the validation of satellite observations and model
results.
The CARIBIC measurement container is currently undergoing a period of reconstruction with
the integration of both improved and new instruments. Here we present a new instrument for
simultaneous in-situ measurements of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Of these
important greenhouse gases, CH4 has - until now - only been measured by laboratory analysis
of 14 gas samples collected during each flight. However, our newly developed instrument -
which is based on off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) - provides a very
high temporal (-¥1s) and spatial (-¥250m) resolution. The OA-ICOS technique allows for
high sensitivity due to its long effective absorption path length, and its optical and mechanical
integrity. It is thus a highly suitable tool for measurements under harsh aircraft
conditions.
The instrument setup as well as the laboratory characterization with respect to precision and
accuracy will be described. Based on the first actual flight data, an outlook will be
given as to the contribution of our measurements to the current state of research. |
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