Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (Feb 2021)
Airborne extractive electrospray mass spectrometry measurements of the chemical composition of organic aerosol
- D. Pagonis,
- D. Pagonis,
- P. Campuzano-Jost,
- P. Campuzano-Jost,
- H. Guo,
- H. Guo,
- D. A. Day,
- D. A. Day,
- M. K. Schueneman,
- M. K. Schueneman,
- W. L. Brown,
- W. L. Brown,
- B. A. Nault,
- B. A. Nault,
- B. A. Nault,
- H. Stark,
- H. Stark,
- H. Stark,
- K. Siemens,
- A. Laskin,
- F. Piel,
- F. Piel,
- L. Tomsche,
- L. Tomsche,
- A. Wisthaler,
- A. Wisthaler,
- M. M. Coggon,
- M. M. Coggon,
- G. I. Gkatzelis,
- G. I. Gkatzelis,
- G. I. Gkatzelis,
- H. S. Halliday,
- H. S. Halliday,
- J. E. Krechmer,
- R. H. Moore,
- D. S. Thomson,
- C. Warneke,
- C. Warneke,
- E. B. Wiggins,
- J. L. Jimenez,
- J. L. Jimenez
Affiliations
- D. Pagonis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- D. Pagonis
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- P. Campuzano-Jost
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- P. Campuzano-Jost
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- H. Guo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- H. Guo
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- D. A. Day
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- D. A. Day
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- M. K. Schueneman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- M. K. Schueneman
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- W. L. Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- W. L. Brown
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- B. A. Nault
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- B. A. Nault
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- B. A. Nault
- now at: Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, MA, USA
- H. Stark
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- H. Stark
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- H. Stark
- Aerodyne Research Inc., Billerica, MA, USA
- K. Siemens
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
- A. Laskin
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
- F. Piel
- IONICON Analytik GmbH, Innsbruck, Austria
- F. Piel
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- L. Tomsche
- Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, USA
- L. Tomsche
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
- A. Wisthaler
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- A. Wisthaler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- M. M. Coggon
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- M. M. Coggon
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA
- G. I. Gkatzelis
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- G. I. Gkatzelis
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA
- G. I. Gkatzelis
- now at: Institute of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-8: Troposphere, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- H. S. Halliday
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
- H. S. Halliday
- now at: Office of Research and Development, US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
- J. E. Krechmer
- Aerodyne Research Inc., Billerica, MA, USA
- R. H. Moore
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
- D. S. Thomson
- Original Code Consulting, Boulder, CO, USA
- C. Warneke
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- C. Warneke
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA
- E. B. Wiggins
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
- J. L. Jimenez
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- J. L. Jimenez
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1545-2021
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14
pp. 1545 – 1559
Abstract
We deployed an extractive electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (EESI-MS) for airborne measurements of biomass burning aerosol during the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) study onboard the NASA DC-8 research aircraft. Through optimization of the electrospray working solution, active control of the electrospray region pressure, and precise control of electrospray capillary position, we achieved 1 Hz quantitative measurements of aerosol nitrocatechol and levoglucosan concentrations up to pressure altitudes of 7 km. The EESI-MS response to levoglucosan and nitrocatechol was calibrated for each flight, with flight-to-flight calibration variability of 60 % (1σ). Laboratory measurements showed no aerosol size dependence in EESI-MS sensitivity below particle geometric diameters of 400 nm, covering 82 % of accumulation-mode aerosol mass during FIREX-AQ. We also present a first in-field intercomparison of EESI-MS with a chemical analysis of aerosol online proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (CHARON PTR-MS) and a high-resolution Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). EESI-MS and CHARON PTR-MS levoglucosan concentrations were well correlated, with a regression slope of 0.94 (R2=0.77). AMS levoglucosan-equivalent concentrations and EESI-MS levoglucosan showed a greater difference, with a regression slope of 1.36 (R2=0.96), likely indicating the contribution of other compounds to the AMS levoglucosan-equivalent measurement. The total EESI-MS signal showed correlation (R2=0.9) with total organic aerosol measured by AMS, and the EESI-MS bulk organic aerosol sensitivity was 60 % of the sensitivity to levoglucosan standards.
