Atmos. Meas. techniques

Syndicate content
Combined list of the recent articles of the journal Atmospheric Measurement Techniques and the recent discussion forum Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions
Updated: 1 day 12 hours ago

Novel use of an adapted ultraviolet double monochromator for measurements of global and direct irradiance, ozone, and aerosol

Wed, 01/31/2024 - 18:23
Novel use of an adapted ultraviolet double monochromator for measurements of global and direct irradiance, ozone, and aerosol
Alexander Geddes, Ben Liley, Richard McKenzie, Michael Kotkamp, and Richard Querel
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 827–838, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-827-2024, 2024
In this paper we describe a unique spectrometer that has been developed and tested over 10 years at Lauder, New Zealand. The spectrometer in question, UV2, makes alternating measurements of global UV and direct sun UV irradiance. After an assessment of the instrument performance, we compare the ozone and aerosol optical depth derived from UV2 to other independent measurements, finding excellent agreement suggesting that UV2 could supersede these measurements, particularly for ozone.

Single-blind test of nine methane-sensing satellite systems from three continents

Wed, 01/31/2024 - 18:23
Single-blind test of nine methane-sensing satellite systems from three continents
Evan D. Sherwin, Sahar H. El Abbadi, Philippine M. Burdeau, Zhan Zhang, Zhenlin Chen, Jeffrey S. Rutherford, Yuanlei Chen, and Adam R. Brandt
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 765–782, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-765-2024, 2024
Countries and companies increasingly rely on a growing fleet of satellites to find large emissions of climate-warming methane, particularly from oil and natural gas systems across the globe. We independently assessed the performance of nine such systems by releasing controlled, undisclosed amounts of methane as satellites passed overhead. The tested systems produced reliable detection and quantification results, including the smallest-ever emission detected from space in such a test.

Assessing atmospheric gravity wave spectra in the presence of observational gaps

Wed, 01/31/2024 - 18:23
Assessing atmospheric gravity wave spectra in the presence of observational gaps
Mohamed Mossad, Irina Strelnikova, Robin Wing, and Gerd Baumgarten
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 783–799, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-783-2024, 2024
This numerical study addresses observational gaps' impact on atmospheric gravity wave spectra. Three methods, fast Fourier transform (FFT), generalized Lomb–Scargle periodogram (GLS), and Haar structure function (HSF), were tested on synthetic data. HSF is best for spectra with negative slopes. GLS excels for flat and positive slopes and identifying dominant frequencies. Accurately estimating these aspects is crucial for understanding gravity wave dynamics and energy transfer in the atmosphere.

Identifying and correcting interferences to PTR-ToF-MS measurements of isoprene and other urban volatile organic compounds

Wed, 01/31/2024 - 18:23
Identifying and correcting interferences to PTR-ToF-MS measurements of isoprene and other urban volatile organic compounds
Matthew M. Coggon, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Megan S. Claflin, Eva Y. Pfannerstill, Lu Xu, Jessica B. Gilman, Julia Marcantonio, Cong Cao, Kelvin Bates, Georgios I. Gkatzelis, Aaron Lamplugh, Erin F. Katz, Caleb Arata, Eric C. Apel, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Felix Piel, Francesca Majluf, Donald R. Blake, Armin Wisthaler, Manjula Canagaratna, Brian M. Lerner, Allen H. Goldstein, John E. Mak, and Carsten Warneke
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 801–825, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-801-2024, 2024
Mass spectrometry is a tool commonly used to measure air pollutants. This study evaluates measurement artifacts produced in the proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer. We provide methods to correct these biases and better measure compounds that degrade air quality.

Wall loss of semi-volatile organic compounds in a Teflon bag chamber for the temperature range of 262–298 K: mechanistic insight on temperature dependence

Wed, 01/31/2024 - 18:23
Wall loss of semi-volatile organic compounds in a Teflon bag chamber for the temperature range of 262–298 K: mechanistic insight on temperature dependence
Longkun He, Wenli Liu, Yatai Li, Jixuan Wang, Mikinori Kuwata, and Yingjun Liu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 755–764, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-755-2024, 2024
We experimentally investigated vapor wall loss of n-alkanes in a Teflon chamber across a wide temperature range. Increased wall loss was observed at lower temperatures. Further analysis suggests that lower temperatures enhance partitioning of n-alkanes to the surface layer of a Teflon wall but slow their diffusion into the inner layer. The results are important for quantitative analysis of chamber experiments conducted at low temperatures, simulating wintertime or upper-tropospheric conditions.

The EarthCARE mission: science data processing chain overview

Wed, 01/31/2024 - 15:13
The EarthCARE mission: science data processing chain overview
Michael Eisinger, Fabien Marnas, Kotska Wallace, Takuji Kubota, Nobuhiro Tomiyama, Yuichi Ohno, Toshiyuki Tanaka, Eichi Tomita, Tobias Wehr, and Dirk Bernaerts
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 839–862, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-839-2024, 2024
The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) is an ESA–JAXA satellite mission to be launched in 2024. We presented an overview of the EarthCARE processors' development, with processors developed by teams in Europe, Japan, and Canada. EarthCARE will allow scientists to evaluate the representation of cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiative flux in weather forecast and climate models, with the objective to better understand cloud processes and improve weather and climate models.

Modular Multiplatform Compatible Air Measurement System (MoMuCAMS): a new modular platform for boundary layer aerosol and trace gas vertical measurements in extreme environments

Tue, 01/30/2024 - 15:13
Modular Multiplatform Compatible Air Measurement System (MoMuCAMS): a new modular platform for boundary layer aerosol and trace gas vertical measurements in extreme environments
Roman Pohorsky, Andrea Baccarini, Julie Tolu, Lenny H. E. Winkel, and Julia Schmale
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 731–754, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-731-2024, 2024
This manuscript presents a new tethered-balloon-based platform for in situ vertical measurements of aerosols and trace gases in the lower atmosphere of polar and alpine regions. The system can host various instrumental setups to target different research questions and features new instruments, in particular a miniaturized scanning electrical mobility spectrometer, deployed for the first time in a tethered balloon.

Uptake behavior of polycyclic aromatic compounds during field calibrations of the XAD-based passive air sampler across seasons and locations

Mon, 01/29/2024 - 17:46
Uptake behavior of polycyclic aromatic compounds during field calibrations of the XAD-based passive air sampler across seasons and locations
Yuening Li, Faqiang Zhan, Yushan Su, Ying Duan Lei, Chubashini Shunthirasingham, Zilin Zhou, Jonathan P. D. Abbatt, Hayley Hung, and Frank Wania
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 715–729, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-715-2024, 2024
A simple device for sampling gases from the atmosphere without the help of pumps was calibrated for an important group of hazardous air pollutants called polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). While the sampler appeared to perform well when used for relatively short periods of up to several months, some PACs were lost from the sampler during longer deployments. Sampling rates that can be used to quantitatively interpret the quantities of PACs taken up in the device have been derived.

Development of a continuous UAV-mounted air sampler and application to the quantification of CO2 and CH4 emissions from a major coking plant

Mon, 01/29/2024 - 15:13
Development of a continuous UAV-mounted air sampler and application to the quantification of CO2 and CH4 emissions from a major coking plant
Tianran Han, Conghui Xie, Yayong Liu, Yanrong Yang, Yuheng Zhang, Yufei Huang, Xiangyu Gao, Xiaohua Zhang, Fangmin Bao, and Shao-Meng Li
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 677–691, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-677-2024, 2024
This study reported an integrated UAV measurement platform for GHG monitoring and its application for emission quantification from a coking plant. The key element of this system is a newly designed air sampler, consisting of a 150 m long tube with remote-controlled time stamping. When comparing the top-down results to those derived from the bottom-up inventory method, the present findings indicate that the use of IPCC emission factors for emission calculations can lead to overestimation.

HETEAC-Flex: an optimal estimation method for aerosol typing based on lidar-derived intensive optical properties

Mon, 01/29/2024 - 15:13
HETEAC-Flex: an optimal estimation method for aerosol typing based on lidar-derived intensive optical properties
Athena Augusta Floutsi, Holger Baars, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 693–714, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-693-2024, 2024
We introduce an aerosol-typing scheme (HETEAC-Flex) based on lidar-derived intensive optical properties and applicable to ground-based and spaceborne lidars. HETEAC-Flex utilizes the optimal estimation method and enables the identification of up to four different aerosol components, as well as the determination of their contribution to the aerosol mixture in terms of relative volume. The aerosol components represent common aerosol types such as dust, sea salt, smoke and pollution.

Joint 1DVar retrievals of tropospheric temperature and water vapor from Global Navigation Satellite System radio occultation (GNSS-RO) and microwave radiometer observations

Fri, 01/26/2024 - 17:46
Joint 1DVar retrievals of tropospheric temperature and water vapor from Global Navigation Satellite System radio occultation (GNSS-RO) and microwave radiometer observations
Kuo-Nung Wang, Chi O. Ao, Mary G. Morris, George A. Hajj, Marcin J. Kurowski, Francis J. Turk, and Angelyn W. Moore
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 583–599, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-583-2024, 2024
In this article, we described a joint retrieval approach combining two techniques, RO and MWR, to obtain high vertical resolution and solve for temperature and moisture independently. The results show that the complicated structure in the lower troposphere can be better resolved with much smaller biases, and the RO+MWR combination is the most stable scenario in our sensitivity analysis. This approach is also applied to real data (COSMIC-2/Suomi-NPP) to show the promise of joint RO+MWR retrieval.

Merging TEMPEST Microwave and GOES-16 Geostationary IR soundings for improved water vapor profiles

Fri, 01/26/2024 - 17:21
Merging TEMPEST Microwave and GOES-16 Geostationary IR soundings for improved water vapor profiles
Chia-Pang Kuo and Christian Kummerow
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2023-228,2024
Preprint under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments)
A small satellite about the size of a shoe box, named TEMPEST, carries only a microwave sensor and is designed to measure the water cycle of the Earth from space in an economical way compared with traditional satellites, which have additional infrared sensors. To overcome the limitation, extra infrared signals from GOES-R ABI are combined with TEMPEST microwave measurements. Compared with ground observations, improved humidity information is extracted from the merged TEMPEST and ABI signals.

Sensitivity of thermodynamic profiles retrieved from ground-based microwave and infrared observations to additional input data from active remote sensing instruments and numerical weather prediction models

Fri, 01/26/2024 - 17:21
Sensitivity of thermodynamic profiles retrieved from ground-based microwave and infrared observations to additional input data from active remote sensing instruments and numerical weather prediction models
Laura Bianco, Bianca Adler, Ludovic Bariteau, Irina V. Djalalova, Timothy Myers, Sergio Pezoa, David D. Turner, and James M. Wilczak
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2023-263,2024
Preprint under review for AMT (discussion: open, 0 comments)
The Tropospheric Remotely Observed Profiling via Optimal Estimation physical retrieval is used to retrieve temperature and humidity profiles from various combinations of data collected by passive and active remote sensing instruments, surface platforms, and numerical weather prediction models. These retrieved profiles are assessed against collocated radiosonde profiles under non-cloudy conditions to assess the sensitivity of the TROPoe retrievals to different input combinations.

Validation of Aeolus L2B products over the tropical Atlantic using radiosondes

Fri, 01/26/2024 - 17:14
Validation of Aeolus L2B products over the tropical Atlantic using radiosondes
Maurus Borne, Peter Knippertz, Martin Weissmann, Benjamin Witschas, Cyrille Flamant, Rosimar Rios-Berrios, and Peter Veals
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 561–581, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-561-2024, 2024
This study assesses the quality of Aeolus wind measurements over the tropical Atlantic. The results identified the accuracy and precision of the Aeolus wind measurements and the potential source of errors. For instance, the study revealed atmospheric conditions that can deteriorate the measurement quality, such as weaker laser signal in cloudy or dusty conditions, and confirmed the presence of an orbital-dependant bias. These results can help to improve the Aeolus wind measurement algorithm.

Estimating the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate from one-dimensional velocity measurements in time

Fri, 01/26/2024 - 17:14
Estimating the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate from one-dimensional velocity measurements in time
Marcel Schröder, Tobias Bätge, Eberhard Bodenschatz, Michael Wilczek, and Gholamhossein Bagheri
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 627–657, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-627-2024, 2024
The rate at which energy is dissipated in a turbulent flow is an extremely important quantity. In the atmosphere, it is usually measured by recording a velocity time at a specific location. Our goal is to understand how best to estimate the dissipation rate from such data based on various available methods. Our reference for evaluating the performance of the different methods is data generated with direct numerical simulations and in highly controlled laboratory setups.

The Langley ratio method, a new approach for transferring photometer calibration from direct sun measurements

Fri, 01/26/2024 - 15:08
The Langley ratio method, a new approach for transferring photometer calibration from direct sun measurements
Antonio Fernando Almansa, África Barreto, Natalia Kouremeti, Ramiro González, Akriti Masoom, Carlos Toledano, Julian Gröbner, Rosa Delia García, Yenny González, Stelios Kazadzis, Stéphane Victori, Óscar Álvarez, Fabrice Maupin, Virgilio Carreño, Victoria Eugenia Cachorro, and Emilio Cuevas
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 659–675, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-659-2024, 2024
This paper applies sun photometer synergies to improve calibration transference between different sun photometers and also enhance their quality assurance and quality control. We have validated this technique using different instrumentation, the WMO-GAW and NASA-AERONET references, under different aerosol regimes using the standard Langley calibration method as a reference.

Water vapor measurements inside clouds and storms using a differential absorption radar

Fri, 01/26/2024 - 15:08
Water vapor measurements inside clouds and storms using a differential absorption radar
Luis F. Millán, Matthew D. Lebsock, Ken B. Cooper, Jose V. Siles, Robert Dengler, Raquel Rodriguez Monje, Amin Nehrir, Rory A. Barton-Grimley, James E. Collins, Claire E. Robinson, Kenneth L. Thornhill, and Holger Vömel
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 539–559, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-539-2024, 2024
In this study, we describe and validate a new technique in which three radar tones are used to estimate the water vapor inside clouds and precipitation. This instrument flew on board NASA's P-3 aircraft during the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) campaign and the Synergies Of Active optical and Active microwave Remote Sensing Experiment (SOA2RSE) campaign.

Two new multirotor uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) for glaciogenic cloud seeding and aerosol measurements within the CLOUDLAB project

Fri, 01/26/2024 - 15:08
Two new multirotor uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) for glaciogenic cloud seeding and aerosol measurements within the CLOUDLAB project
Anna J. Miller, Fabiola Ramelli, Christopher Fuchs, Nadja Omanovic, Robert Spirig, Huiying Zhang, Ulrike Lohmann, Zamin A. Kanji, and Jan Henneberger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 601–625, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-601-2024, 2024
We present a method for aerosol and cloud research using two uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). The UAVs have a propeller heating mechanism that allows flights in icing conditions, which has so far been a limitation for cloud research with UAVs. One UAV burns seeding flares, producing a plume of particles that causes ice formation in supercooled clouds. The second UAV measures aerosol size distributions and is used for measuring the seeding plume or for characterizing the boundary layer.

Mispointing characterization and Doppler velocity correction for the conically scanning WIVERN Doppler radar

Thu, 01/25/2024 - 17:21
Mispointing characterization and Doppler velocity correction for the conically scanning WIVERN Doppler radar
Filippo Emilio Scarsi, Alessandro Battaglia, Frederic Tridon, Paolo Martire, Ranvir Dhillon, and Anthony Illingworth
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 499–514, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-499-2024, 2024
The WIVERN mission, one of the two candidates to be the ESA's Earth Explorer 11 mission, aims at providing measurements of horizontal winds in cloud and precipitation systems through a conically scanning W-band Doppler radar. This work discusses four methods that can be used to characterize and correct the Doppler velocity error induced by the antenna mispointing. The proposed methodologies can be extended to other Doppler concepts featuring conically scanning or slant viewing Doppler systems.

GPROF V7 and beyond: assessment of current and potential future versions of the GPROF passive microwave precipitation retrievals against ground radar measurements over the continental US and the Pacific Ocean

Thu, 01/25/2024 - 17:21
GPROF V7 and beyond: assessment of current and potential future versions of the GPROF passive microwave precipitation retrievals against ground radar measurements over the continental US and the Pacific Ocean
Simon Pfreundschuh, Clément Guilloteau, Paula J. Brown, Christian D. Kummerow, and Patrick Eriksson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 515–538, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-515-2024, 2024
The latest version of the GPROF retrieval algorithm that produces global precipitation estimates using observations from the Global Precipitation Measurement mission is validated against ground-based radars. The validation shows that the algorithm accurately estimates precipitation on scales ranging from continental to regional. In addition, we validate candidates for the next version of the algorithm and identify principal challenges for further improving space-borne rain measurements.

Theme by Danetsoft and Danang Probo Sayekti inspired by Maksimer