Abstract View
Recommended Calibrations for Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometers to Reduce Uncertainty and to Improve Quantificaiton
BENJAMIN A. NAULT, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Douglas Day, Hongyu Guo, Melinda Schueneman, Weiwei Hu, Brett Palm, Jason Schroder, Jose-Luis Jimenez, CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder
Abstract Number: 458
Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods
Abstract
The Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometers (AMS and ACSM) are widely used to measure the chemical composition of submicron, non-refractory particulate matter (PM1) in real time. The AMS can produce quantifiable speciated mass concentrations and size distributions for numerous species. However, to achieve reliable quantification, to reduce the uncertainty in the measurements, and to properly interpret comparisons with other instruments, careful calibration of the AMS is necessary. Suggested calibrations have been highlighted during various AMS User’s Meetings; however, it could be daunting to find the proper resources to understand this topic. Here, we describe the calibrations typically performed for a high-performance aircraft AMS, and break down which calibrations are accessible for most AMS users versus those that can be more challenging. We discuss which calibrations are necessary versus optional, the recommended frequency for the calibrations, and the associated uncertainties when neglecting to perform one type of calibration. The suggested frequency of calibration, depending how the AMS is being used (e.g., flight AMS and therefore being turned on and off every day versus ground AMS that remains on for extended periods of time), will be discussed. These results will be placed into the context of comparisons with other measurements during recent studies.