An optical particle size spectrometer for aircraft-borne measurements in IAGOS-CARIBIC
Author:
Hermann M.ORCID, Weigelt A., Assmann D., Pfeifer S., Müller T., Conrath T., Voigtländer J., Heintzenberg J., Wiedensohler A., Martinsson B. G., Deshler T., Brenninkmeijer C. A. M., Zahn A.
Abstract
Abstract. The particle number size distribution is an important parameter to characterize the atmospheric aerosol and its influence on the Earth's climate. Here we describe a new Optical Particle Size Spectrometer (OPSS) for measurements of the accumulation mode particle number size distribution in the tropopause region onboard a passenger aircraft (IAGOS-CARIBIC observatory (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System – Civil Aircraft for Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container)). A modified "KS93 particle sensor" from RION Co., Ltd. together with a new airflow system and a dedicated data acquisition system are the key components of the CARIBIC OPSS. The instrument records individual particle pulses in the particle size range 130–1110 nm diameter (for a particle refractive index of 1.47-i0.006 for an upper tropospheric (UT) aerosol particle) and thus allows the post-flight choice of the time resolution and the size distribution bin width. The CARIBIC OPSS has a 50 % particle detection diameter of 152 nm and a maximum asymptotic counting efficiency of 98 %. The instruments measurement performance shows no pressure dependency and no coincidence for free tropospheric conditions. The size response function of the CARIBIC OPSS was obtained by a polystyrene latex calibration in combination with model calculations. Particle number size distributions measured with the new OPSS in the lowermost stratosphere agreed within a factor of two in concentration with balloon-borne measurements over western North America. Since June 2010 the CARIBIC OPSS is deployed once per month in the IAGOS-CARIBIC observatory.
Funder
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
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