Simultaneous, In-situ Measurement of NO3, N2O5 and NO2 via Cavity Ring-down Spectroscopy aboard an Aircraft

This contribution describes improvements to an existing instrument for aircraft measurements of NO3 and N2O5 in the troposphere via cavity ring-down spectroscopy [Brown, et al., 2002; Dubé, et al., 2006]. The instrument was specifically designed and constructed for operation on the NOAA WP-3. The improvements include the incorporation of two additional cavity ring-down channels, reduced residence time for more rapid sampling and reduced inlet losses; higher reflectivity mirrors to improve instrument sensitivity; and a calibration system based on the conversion of NO3 and N2O5 to NO2. The instrument now consists of a total of four measurement channels, three at 662 nm for measuring NO3, N2O5, and a reference channel to track background changes on a rapid time scale, and one at 532 nm for measurement of NO2 [Osthoff, et al., 2006]. This paper describes the specifics of these design changes, the resultant improvements in the measurement and the performance of the instrument during the TexAQS/GoMACCS campaign in Houston, TX in 2006. Brown, S. S., H. Stark, S. J. Ciciora, R. J. McLaughlin, and A. R. Ravishankara (2002), Simultaneous in-situ detection of atmospheric NO3 and N2O5 via cavity ring-down spectroscopy, Rev. Sci. Instr., 73, 3291-3301. Dube, W. P., S. S. Brown, H. D. Osthoff, M. R. Nunley, S. J. Ciciora, M. W. Paris, R. J. McLaughlin, and A. R. Ravishankara (2006), Aircraft instrument for simultaneous, in-situ measurements of NO3 and N2O5 via cavity ring-down spectroscopy, Rev. Sci. Instr., 77, 034101. Osthoff, H. D., S. S. Brown, T. B. Ryerson, T. J. Fortin, B. M. Lerner, E. J. Williams, A. Pettersson, T. Baynard, W. P. Dube, S. J. Ciciora, and A. R. Ravishankara (2006), Measurement of atmospheric NO2 by pulsed cavity ring-down spectroscopy, J. Geophys. Res., D12305, doi:10.1029/2005JD006942.