Investigation of the Aerosols Over the Los Angeles Basin during the ARCTAS-CARB 2008 Pilot Study
Abstract
In the summer of 2008 during preparation for the second phase of the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS), detailed measurements of atmospheric composition were made on-board the NASA DC-8 over the state of California on behalf of the California Air resources Board (CARB). Four flights were conducted between 18 July and 24 July, totaling 31 hours, over southern and central California to establish upwind chemical boundary conditions and gain a better understanding of the sources, chemical characteristics and spatial distribution of smog and greenhouse gases over the state. Serendipitously, from a science perspective, this time period was marked by numerous wildfires spread throughout the state. The DC-8 sensor suite included aerosol instruments capable of measuring the number concentrations, optical properties, and size distributions of aerosols between 0.003 and 20 um in diameter. In this presentation, we will characterize aerosols sampled during sorties over the Los Angeles basin, which included several missed approaches at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), traverses through the Long Beach and Santa Barbara ship channels, sampling in and out of the marine boundary layer, and encounters with outflow of forest fires mixed with urban smog. We will examine the evolution of the aerosols over the course of the day, as the smog accumulates within the basin and is then transported out of the basin into the surrounding atmosphere.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUFM.A11A0080T
- Keywords:
-
- 0300 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE;
- 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345;
- 4801;
- 4906);
- 0325 Evolution of the atmosphere (1610;
- 8125);
- 0345 Pollution: urban and regional (0305;
- 0478;
- 4251)