Mobile laboratory with rapid response instruments for real-time measurements of urban and regional trace gas and particulate distributions and emission source characteristics

Environ Sci Technol. 2004 Nov 1;38(21):5694-703. doi: 10.1021/es030718p.

Abstract

Recent technological advances have allowed the development of robust, relatively compact, low power, rapid response (approximately 1 s) instruments with sufficient sensitivity and specificity to quantify many trace gases and aerosol particle components in the ambient atmosphere. Suites of such instruments can be deployed on mobile platforms to study atmospheric processes, map concentration distributions of atmospheric pollutants, and determine the composition and intensities of emission sources. A mobile laboratory containing innovative tunable infrared laser differential absorption spectroscopy (TILDAS) instruments to measure selected trace gas concentrations at sub parts-per-billion levels and an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) to measure size resolved distributions of the nonrefractory chemical components of fine airborne particles as well as selected commercial fast response instruments and position/velocity sensors is described. Examples of the range of measurement strategies that can be undertaken using this mobile laboratory are discussed, and samples of measurement data are presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants / analysis*
  • Carbon Dioxide / analysis
  • Cities
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques / instrumentation
  • Environmental Monitoring*
  • Gases / analysis*
  • Nitric Oxide / analysis
  • Nitrous Oxide / analysis
  • Spectrum Analysis
  • Vehicle Emissions / analysis

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Gases
  • Vehicle Emissions
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Nitric Oxide
  • Nitrous Oxide