Tropospheric Chemistry: Instruments

Ammonia (NH3) CIMS

NH3 instrument in aircraft
NH3 instrument (right) mounted in NOAA WP-3D aircraft

Principle of the Measurement

Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry (CIMS) using protonated acetone dimer ((C3H6O)H+(C3H6O)) ion chemistry

Species Measured

NH3

Time Response

1-5s depending on field project

Detection Limit

Precision on 1s data: 35 - 80 pptv (1 sigma) depending on field project

Accuracy

±(25% + (70-500 pptv)) depending on field project

Field Projects / Platforms

Key Publications

Nowak, J. B., J. A. Neuman, R. Bahreini, A. M. Middlebrook, J. S. Holloway, S. A. McKeen, D. D. Parrish, T. B. Ryerson, and M. Trainer, Ammonia sources in the California South Coast Air Basin and their impact on ammonium nitrate formation, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2012GL051197, 2012.

Nowak, J. B., J. A. Neuman, R. Bahreini, C. A. Brock, A. M. Middlebrook, A. G. Wollny, J. S. Holloway, J. Peischl, T. B. Ryerson, and F. C. Fehsenfeld, Airborne observations of ammonia and ammonium nitrate formation over Houston, Texas, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2010JD014195, 2010.

Nowak, J. B., J. A. Neuman, K. Kozai, L. G. Huey, D. J. Tanner, J. S. Holloway, T. B. Ryerson, G. J. Frost, S. A. McKeen, and F. C. Fehsenfeld, A chemical ionization mass spectrometry technique for airborne measurements of ammonia, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2006JD007589, 2007.

Nowak, J. B., L. G. Huey, A. G. Russell, D. Tian, J. A. Neuman, D. Orsini, S. J. Sjostedt, A. P. Sullivan, D. J. Tanner, R. J. Weber, A. Nenes, E. Edgerton, F. C. Fehsenfeld, Analysis of urban gas phase ammonia measurements from the 2002 Atlanta Aerosol Nucleation and Real-Time Characterization Experiment (ANARChE), J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2006JD007113, 2006.

Neuman, J. A., T. B. Ryerson, L. G. Huey, R. Jakoubek, J. B. Nowak, C. Simons, and F. C. Fehsenfeld, Calibration and evaluation of nitric acid and ammonia permeation tubes by UV optical absorption, Environ. Sci. Technol., doi:10.1021/ES06422L, 2003.