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Title: Use of an airborne air sampling platform for regional air quality studies. Technical report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5197813

A Beechcraft King Air, owned and operated by the Office of Aircraft Operations, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was converted from a passenger airplane into an atmospheric air-quality sampling platform. The aircraft is equipped to measure atmospheric trace gases (SO{sub 2}, O{sub 3}, and NOx), aerosols, and meteorological parameters. The Western Atlantic Ocean Experiment project is used as an example to demonstrate the capabilities of the aircraft as a regional air-quality sampling platform. During this experiment, air samples were taken in the winter and spring seasons of 1985 and 1986 at two locations of the U.S. East Coast (Newport News, VA, and Boston, MA) and in the vicinity of Bermuda. Through the successful use of the aircraft, it was revealed that most of the pollutant transport within this region was being accomplished inside the boundary layer. Additionally, in several cases, contaminated air masses were observed in the free troposphere.

Research Organization:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO (USA). Air Resources Lab.
OSTI ID:
5197813
Report Number(s):
PB-90-107145/XAB; NOAA-TR-ERL-437
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English