American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 36th Annual Conference
October 16 - October 20, 2017
Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

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Systematic Characterization and Fluorescence Threshold Strategies for the Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS) Using Size-Resolved Biological and Interfering Particles

NICOLE SAVAGE, Christine Krentz, Tobias Könemann, Taewon Han, Gediminas Mainelis, Christopher Pöhlker, J. Alex Huffman, University of Denver, CO

     Abstract Number: 780
     Working Group: Bioaerosols

Abstract
Atmospheric particles of biological origin, also referred to as bioaerosols or primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP), are important to various human health and environmental systems. There has been a recent steep increase in the frequency of published studies utilizing commercial instrumentation based on ultraviolet laser/light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF), such as the WIBS (wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor). Significant work over several decades supported the development of the general technologies, but efforts to systematically characterize the operation of new commercial sensors has remained lacking. Specifically, there have been gaps in the understanding of how different classes of biological and non-biological particles can influence the detection ability of LIF-instrumentation.

We present a systematic and comprehensive characterization of a commonly used commercial instrument (WIBS) for the real-time detection of fluorescent biological aerosols and suggest improved analysis and threshold strategies. Summaries of both biological and potential interfering, non-biological particles (69 aerosol types in total) are discussed in detail. We conclude that raising the fluorescence threshold from background + 3σ to background + 9σ causes minimal reduction in the ability to discriminate fluorescent particles considered biological in origin, but that it can significantly reduce the interference from non-biological particles. These recommendations can help users of similar instruments interpret ambient particle data more efficiently. The poster will be a summary of a manuscript currently in review: Savage et al., Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2017-170, in review, 2017.