Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-33
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-33
21 Mar 2022
 | 21 Mar 2022

The realization of autonomous, aircraft-based, real-time aerosol mass spectrometry in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere

Antonis Dragoneas, Sergej Molleker, Oliver Appel, Andreas Hünig, Thomas Böttger, Markus Hermann, Frank Drewnick, Johannes Schneider, Ralf Weigel, and Stephan Borrmann

Abstract. We report on the developments that enabled the field deployment of a fully-automated aerosol mass spectrometer, specially designed for high-altitude measurements on unpressurised aircraft. The merits of the two main categories of real-time aerosol mass spectrometry, i.e. (a) single particle laser desorption and ionization, and (b) continuous thermal desorption / electron impact ionization of aerosols, have been integrated into one compact apparatus with the aim to perform in-situ real-time analysis of aerosol chemical composition. The demonstrated instrument, named ERICA (European Research council Instrument for the Chemical composition of Aerosols), operated successfully aboard the high-altitude research aircraft M-55 Geophysica at altitudes up to 20 km, while being exposed to ambient conditions of very low atmospheric pressure and temperature. A primary goal of those field deployments was the in-situ study of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL). During 11 research flights, the instrument operated for more than 49 hours and collected chemical composition information of more than 150,000 single particles combined with quantitative chemical composition analysis of aerosol particle ensembles. This paper presents in detail the technical characteristics of the main constituent parts of the instrument, as well as the design considerations for its integration into the aircraft and its autonomous operation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS). Additionally, system performance data from the first field deployments of the instrument are presented and discussed, together with exemplary mass spectrometry data collected during those flights.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

12 Oct 2022
The realization of autonomous, aircraft-based, real-time aerosol mass spectrometry in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere
Antonis Dragoneas, Sergej Molleker, Oliver Appel, Andreas Hünig, Thomas Böttger, Markus Hermann, Frank Drewnick, Johannes Schneider, Ralf Weigel, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5719–5742, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5719-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5719-2022, 2022
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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The ERICA is a specially designed aerosol particle mass spectrometer for in-situ, real-time...
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