An intercomparison of airborne pan (peroxyacetyl nitrate) measurements

Journal Article · Wed Jun 20 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JD095iD07p10077· OSTI ID:5397611

Gregory, G L; Hoell, Jr, J M ^[1]; Ridley, B A; Gandrud, B; Shetter, J ^[2]; Singh, H B ^[3]; Salas, L J ^[4]

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1. NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (USA)
2. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (USA)
3. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (USA)
4. SRI International, Menlo Park, CA (USA)

The objectives of the second series of instrument tests, CITE 2, were to evaluate instrumentation for measuring NO{sub 2}, HNO{sub 3}, and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and to determine for various tropospheric environments the relative abundances and partitioning among the major nitrogen species. This paper summarizes the results from the PAN instrument intercomparisons. Other results are addressed in companion papers. Both PAN instruments use the same detection principle of electron capture gas chromatography of a cryogenically enriched sample of ambient air. NASA Ames Research Center and the National Center for Atmospheric Research were responsible for the respective instruments. The intercomparisons included three exchanges of standards and 13 intercomparison flights in which a variety of types of air masses were sampled. Nine flights were based from Ames Research Center, California, and the remaining four were ferry flights between Ames and Wallops Flight Center, Virginia (aircraft home base). Flight altitudes ranged from 150 to 5,000 m above ground level. All flights but one were during daylight hours. PAN mixing ratios during the flight intercomparison periods were generally <300 parts per trillion by volume (pptv), and about 40% of the results for mixing ratios were <100 pptv. At mixing ratios of <100 pptv the two instruments agreed on the average to about 17 pptv with a 95% confidence interval of {plus minus}9 pptv. Instrument agreement at PAN levels of 100-300 pptv was of the order of 25% with a confidence interval of {plus minus}6%. These levels of agreement are within expected limits based on the stated accuracy and precision of the two instruments. However, it is noted that for some of the individual intercomparison data periods, agreement was outside expected levels.

• OSTI ID: 5397611
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 95:D7; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring &amp; Transport-- (1990-)
ALTITUDE
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CALIFORNIA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
CHROMATOGRAPHY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ESTERS
EVALUATION
FEDERAL REGION III
FEDERAL REGION IX
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MIXING
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITRIC ACID ESTERS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PEROXYACETYL NITRATE
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TROPOSPHERE
USA
VIRGINIA