Articles | Volume 15, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3827-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3827-2022
Research article
 | 
27 Jun 2022
Research article |  | 27 Jun 2022

Air quality observations onboard commercial and targeted Zeppelin flights in Germany – a platform for high-resolution trace-gas and aerosol measurements within the planetary boundary layer

Ralf Tillmann, Georgios I. Gkatzelis, Franz Rohrer, Benjamin Winter, Christian Wesolek, Tobias Schuldt, Anne C. Lange, Philipp Franke, Elmar Friese, Michael Decker, Robert Wegener, Morten Hundt, Oleg Aseev, and Astrid Kiendler-Scharr

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Cited articles

Baron, R. and Saffell, J.: Amperometric Gas Sensors as a Low-Cost Emerging Technology Platform for Air Quality Monitoring Applications: A Review, ACS Sensors, 2, 1553–1566, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.7b00620, 2017. 
Benedict, K. B., Zhou, Y., Sive, B. C., Prenni, A. J., Gebhart, K. A., Fischer, E. V., Evanoski-Cole, A., Sullivan, A. P., Callahan, S., Schichtel, B. A., Mao, H., Zhou, Y., and Collett Jr., J. L.: Volatile organic compounds and ozone in Rocky Mountain National Park during FRAPPÉ, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 499–521, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-499-2019, 2019. 
Boschetti, F., Chen, H., Thouret, V., Nedelec, P., Janssens-Maenhout, G., and Gerbig, C.: On the representation of IAGOS/MOZAIC vertical profiles in chemical transport models: contribution of different error sources in the example of carbon monoxide, Tellus B, 67, 28292, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v67.28292, 2015. 
Burger, B.: Öffentliche Nettostromerzeugung in Deutschland im Jahr 2020, Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE, https://www.energy-charts.info/downloads/Stromerzeugung_2020_1.pdf, (last access: 13 June 2022), 2021. 
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Short summary
We report in situ measurements of air pollutant concentrations within the planetary boundary layer on board a Zeppelin in Germany. The low costs of commercial flights provide an affordable and efficient method to improve our understanding of changes in emissions in space and time. The experimental setup expands the capabilities of this platform and provides insights into primary and secondary pollution observations and planetary boundary layer dynamics which determine air quality significantly.
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