Abstract
Abstract. We report on the development, characterization, and field deployment of a fast-time-response sensor for measuring ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations utilizing chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CI-ToFMS) with oxygen anion (O2-) reagent ion chemistry. We demonstrate that the oxygen anion chemical ionization mass spectrometer (Ox-CIMS) is highly sensitive to both O3 (180 counts s−1 pptv−1) and NO2 (97 counts s−1 pptv−1), corresponding to detection limits (3σ, 1 s averages) of 13 and 9.9 pptv, respectively. In both cases, the detection threshold is limited by the magnitude and variability in the background determination. The short-term precision (1 s averages) is better than 0.3 % at 10 ppbv O3 and 4 % at 10 pptv NO2. We demonstrate that the sensitivity of the O3 measurement to fluctuations in ambient water vapor and carbon dioxide is negligible for typical conditions encountered in the troposphere. The application of the Ox-CIMS to the measurement of O3 vertical fluxes over the coastal ocean, via eddy covariance (EC), was tested during the summer of 2018 at Scripps Pier, La Jolla, CA. The observed mean ozone deposition velocity (vd(O3)) was 0.013 cm s−1 with a campaign ensemble limit of detection (LOD) of 0.0027 cm s−1 at the 95 % confidence level, from each 27 min sampling period LOD. The campaign mean and 1 standard deviation range of O3 mixing ratios was 41.2±10.1 ppbv. Several fast ozone titration events from local NO emissions were sampled where unit conversion of O3 to NO2 was observed, highlighting instrument utility as a total odd-oxygen (Ox=O3+NO2) sensor. The demonstrated precision, sensitivity, and time resolution of this instrument highlight its potential for direct measurements of O3 ocean–atmosphere and biosphere–atmosphere exchange from both stationary and mobile sampling platforms.
Highlights
The deposition of O3 to the ocean surface is a significant component of the tropospheric ozone budget
This study demonstrated the utility of oxygen anion chemical ionization mass spectrometry for the fast and sensitive detection of O3 and NO2
Field measurements of O3 dry deposition to the ocean surface from Scripps Pier, La Jolla CA demonstrate that this method has a suitable time response and suitable precision and stability for successful eddy covariance (EC) measurements
Summary
The deposition of O3 to the ocean surface is a significant component of the tropospheric ozone budget. Zahn et al (2012) reported the development of a commercial dry chemiluminescence ozone detector capable of fast (> 10 Hz) measurements with high sensitivity (∼9 counts s−1 pptv−1) suitable for EC or mobile platform sampling. They report issues of short- and long-term drift and variability between sensor discs. Surface NO emissions from both biogenic and anthropogenic sources are widespread, with ocean emissions on the order of 1×108 molecules cm−2 s−1 (Zafiriou and McFarland, 1981) and soil emissions ranging from 5 × 109 to 2 × 1011 molecules cm−2 s−1 (Yienger and Levy, 2004) These emissions correspond to a positive bias in the observed vd(O3) dry deposition rate on the order of 5 % in the marine atmosphere We demonstrate the suitability of the Ox-CIMS for EC flux measurements and provide detailed laboratory characterization of the instrument
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