Articles | Volume 15, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5719-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5719-2022
Research article
 | 
12 Oct 2022
Research article |  | 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

Related authors

Chemical analysis of the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL) with emphasis on secondary aerosol particles using aircraft-based in situ aerosol mass spectrometry
Oliver Appel, Franziska Köllner, Antonis Dragoneas, Andreas Hünig, Sergej Molleker, Hans Schlager, Christoph Mahnke, Ralf Weigel, Max Port, Christiane Schulz, Frank Drewnick, Bärbel Vogel, Fred Stroh, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13607–13630, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13607-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13607-2022, 2022
Short summary
Design, characterization, and first field deployment of a novel aircraft-based aerosol mass spectrometer combining the laser ablation and flash vaporization techniques
Andreas Hünig, Oliver Appel, Antonis Dragoneas, Sergej Molleker, Hans-Christian Clemen, Frank Helleis, Thomas Klimach, Franziska Köllner, Thomas Böttger, Frank Drewnick, Johannes Schneider, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2889–2921, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2889-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2889-2022, 2022
Short summary
In situ observation of new particle formation (NPF) in the tropical tropopause layer of the 2017 Asian monsoon anticyclone – Part 1: Summary of StratoClim results
Ralf Weigel, Christoph Mahnke, Manuel Baumgartner, Antonis Dragoneas, Bärbel Vogel, Felix Ploeger, Silvia Viciani, Francesco D'Amato, Silvia Bucci, Bernard Legras, Beiping Luo, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11689–11722, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11689-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11689-2021, 2021
Short summary
Aircraft-based observation of meteoric material in lower-stratospheric aerosol particles between 15 and 68° N
Johannes Schneider, Ralf Weigel, Thomas Klimach, Antonis Dragoneas, Oliver Appel, Andreas Hünig, Sergej Molleker, Franziska Köllner, Hans-Christian Clemen, Oliver Eppers, Peter Hoppe, Peter Hoor, Christoph Mahnke, Martina Krämer, Christian Rolf, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Andreas Zahn, Florian Obersteiner, Fabrizio Ravegnani, Alexey Ulanovsky, Hans Schlager, Monika Scheibe, Glenn S. Diskin, Joshua P. DiGangi, John B. Nowak, Martin Zöger, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 989–1013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-989-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-989-2021, 2021
Short summary
Application of an O-ring pinch device as a constant-pressure inlet (CPI) for airborne sampling
Sergej Molleker, Frank Helleis, Thomas Klimach, Oliver Appel, Hans-Christian Clemen, Antonis Dragoneas, Christian Gurk, Andreas Hünig, Franziska Köllner, Florian Rubach, Christiane Schulz, Johannes Schneider, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 3651–3660, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3651-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3651-2020, 2020
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Technique: In Situ Measurement | Topic: Instruments and Platforms
Characterisation of particle single-scattering albedo with a modified airborne dual-wavelength CAPS monitor
Chenjie Yu, Edouard Pangui, Kevin Tu, Mathieu Cazaunau, Maxime Feingesicht, Landsheere Xavier, Thierry Bourrianne, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Timothy B. Onasch, Andrew Freedman, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3419–3437, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3419-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3419-2024, 2024
Short summary
Use of an uncrewed aerial system to investigate aerosol direct and indirect radiative forcing effects in the marine atmosphere
Patricia K. Quinn, Timothy S. Bates, Derek J. Coffman, James E. Johnson, and Lucia M. Upchurch
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3157–3170, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3157-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3157-2024, 2024
Short summary
Characterization of the airborne aerosol inlet and transport system used during the A-LIFE aircraft field experiment
Manuel Schöberl, Maximilian Dollner, Josef Gasteiger, Petra Seibert, Anne Tipka, and Bernadett Weinzierl
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2761–2776, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2761-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2761-2024, 2024
Short summary
Large-scale automated emission measurement of individual vehicles with point sampling
Markus Knoll, Martin Penz, Hannes Juchem, Christina Schmidt, Denis Pöhler, and Alexander Bergmann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2481–2505, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2481-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2481-2024, 2024
Short summary
Development of a cascade impactor optimized for size-fractionated analysis of aerosol metal content by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (TXRF)
Claudio Crazzolara and Andreas Held
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2183–2194, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2183-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2183-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

Allan, J. D., Jimenez, J. L., Williams, P. I., Alfarra, M. R., Bower, K. N., Jayne, J. T., Coe, H., and Worsnop, D. R.: Quantitative sampling using an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer 1. Techniques of data interpretation and error analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4090, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002358, 2003. 
Allen, J. O., Fergenson, D. P., Gard, E. E., Hughes, L. S., Morrical, B. D., Kleeman, M. J., Gross, D. S., Gälli, M. E., Prather, K. A., and Cass, G. R.: Particle Detection Efficiencies of Aerosol Time of Flight Mass Spectrometers under Ambient Sampling Conditions, Environ. Sci. Technol., 34, 211–217, https://doi.org/10.1021/es9904179, 2000. 
Appel, O., Köllner, F., Dragoneas, A., Hünig, A., Molleker, S., Schlager, H., Mahnke, C., Weigel, R., Port, M., Schulz, C., Drewnick, F., Vogel, B., Stroh, F., and Borrmann, S.: Chemical analysis of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) with emphasis on secondary aerosol particles using aircraft based in situ aerosol mass spectrometry, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-92, in review, 2022. 
Borrmann, S.: High altitude atmospheric observation, in: McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology 2005, McGraw-Hill, New York, 137–139, ISBN: 0071445048, ISSN: 0076-2016, 2005. 
Borrmann, S., Kunkel, D., Weigel, R., Minikin, A., Deshler, T., Wilson, J. C., Curtius, J., Volk, C. M., Homan, C. D., Ulanovsky, A., Ravegnani, F., Viciani, S., Shur, G. N., Belyaev, G. V., Law, K. S., and Cairo, F.: Aerosols in the tropical and subtropical UT/LS: in-situ measurements of submicron particle abundance and volatility, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 5573–5592, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-5573-2010, 2010. 
Short summary
The ERICA is a specially designed aerosol particle mass spectrometer for in situ, real-time chemical composition analysis of aerosols. It can operate completely autonomously, in the absence of an instrument operator. Its design has enabled its operation under harsh conditions, like those experienced in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, aboard unpressurized high-altitude research aircraft. The instrument has successfully participated in several aircraft operations around the world.