Instrumentation

Below is a non-exhaustive list of instruments we use in the field.

Ionicon PTR-ToF-MS 4000

The PTR provides simultaneous measurements of hundreds of VOCs with high precision. Recent deployments of our instrument include:

  • Jan-March 2020: COALA, New South Wales, Australia (wildfire smoke composition)
  • Nov-Dec 2021: Chamber studies at CalTech (emissions and oxidation of volatile chemical products)
  • June-Aug 2020, 2021, 2022: Atlanta, Georgia (urban VOC speciation and trends)

Ionicon PTR-ToF-MS technical specifications: here.

Pandora 1S spectrometer systems

Measurements from Pandora spectrometers can be used to track total column and vertical profiles of key trace gasses such as NO2 and formaldehyde. We have three Pandora systems deployed in Atlanta. These systems are paired with ground-based observations to provide a complete picture of surface and total column trace gas levels. 

The large and growing Pandonia global network is a multi-institutional effort to build satellite validation infrastructure.

Picarro G2307

This cavity-ringdown instrument provides continuous observations of formaldehyde with high advertised precision and accuracy. The instrument is currently deployed in Atlanta at a Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Station (PAMS) site as part of a long-term effort to understand VOCs and their oxidation in the urban environment.

Picarro G2307 technical specifications: here.

Aeris Ultra and Pico formaldehyde analyzers

These small-footprint, portable instruments are part of our urban formaldehyde monitoring plan. Paired with our Pandora spectrometers, we use the Aeris Analyzers study spatial gradients in urban HCHO concentrations.

Aeris Ultra/Pico technical specifications: here.