AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Infrared Spectroscopic Determination of Aerosol Organic Mass using Partial Least Squares Regression
TRAVIS RUTHENBURG, Ann Dillner, University of California, Davis
Abstract Number: 184 Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods
Abstract The organic fraction of aerosols is known to affect visibility, climate and health. The Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE), established in 1985, operates a long term particulate matter monitoring network primarily in National Parks and Wilderness Areas. Laboratory standards comprising pure and mixed organic compounds with and without absorbing inorganic species are collected on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters. Individual compound masses are determined gravimetrically and used to calculate organic functional group masses. Standards are analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Functional group masses and infrared absorbance spectra are used to create a multivariate calibration for organic mass using partial least squares regression (PLSR). Validation of the calibration and its use in the analysis of IMPROVE samples is discussed.