Articles | Volume 18, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6545-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6545-2025
Research article
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17 Nov 2025
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 17 Nov 2025

The TropoPause Composition TOwed Sensor Shuttle (TPC-TOSS): a new airborne dual platform approach for atmospheric composition measurements at the tropopause

Heiko Bozem, Philipp Joppe, Yun Li, Nicolas Emig, Armin Afchine, Anna Breuninger, Joachim Curtius, Stefan Hofmann, Sadath Ismayil, Konrad Kandler, Daniel Kunkel, Arthur Kutschka, Hans-Christoph Lachnitt, Andreas Petzold, Sarah Richter, Timo Röschenthaler, Christian Rolf, Lisa Schneider, Johannes Schneider, Alexander Vogel, and Peter Hoor

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Executive editor
The towed sensor shuttle is a unique platform for atmospheric composition measurements at the tropopause. This work demonstrates direct measurements of temperature, humidity, ozone, and aerosol particle concentration, with reduced uncertainties and the potential to improve our understanding of troposphere/stratosphere exchange processes.
Short summary
Deployed on a Learjet as a tandem measurement platform during the TPEx I (TropoPause composition gradients and mixing Experiment) campaign in June 2024, the new TPC-TOSS (TropoPause Composition Towed Sensor Shuttle) system delivers high-resolution in situ data on ozone, aerosol, and key meteorological parameters. Laboratory and in-flight tests confirmed its precision and stability. Observed gradients near the tropopause reveal active mixing and transport processes in the tropopause region.
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