AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Continuous Measurements of Biological Particles with the Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS-4A)
GAVIN MCMEEKING, Greg Kok, Gary Granger, Darrel Baumgardner, Droplet Measurement Technologies, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Abstract Number: 420 Working Group: Bioaerosols: Characterization and Environmental Impact
Abstract The WIBS-4A measures five properties of sampled individual particles: a) optical size via light scattering, b) fluorescent emissions in the wavelength range 310-400 following excitation by 280 nm light, c) fluorescent emissions in the wavelength range 420-650 following excitation by 280 nm light, d) fluorescent emissions in the wavelength range 420-650 following excitation by 360 nm light, and e) particle asymmetry factor based on intensities of forward scattered light onto a 4-element detector. Together, these properties aid the classification of sampled particles that contain biofluorophores such as tryptophan or NADPH, which are found in biological particles. Here we present results from a series of field and laboratory measurements of biological particles using the WIBS-4A, which took place mostly in Colorado, USA. The experiments focused on both the characterization of the instrument response as well as demonstration of its suitability for performing ambient measurements. We also describe several modifications to the original WIBS design and explore different data collection and analysis methods that may be useful in future deployments. Finally, we discuss several on-going and planned measurement campaigns using the instrument.