Date Awarded
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Chemistry
Advisor
William McNamara
Committee Member
Rachel O'Brien
Committee Member
Nathan Kidwell
Committee Member
Luke Ziemba
Abstract
Biomass burning events continue to be an emission source for primary organic aerosols (POA). Classification of aerosols gives insight into the ageing process of POA as well as the formation of clouds utilizing these cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The Cloud, Aerosol and Monsoon Processes-Philippines Experiment (CAMP2Ex) is a collaborative field campaign between NASA and the Philippines research community that flew during the 2019 southwest monsoon season out of Clark Airforce Base in Luzon, Philippines. One of the primary goals of the campaign was to characterize aerosol and cloud microphysics in the study region utilizing the complex suite of instrumentation present on the NASA P-3B research aircraft.Here, we present a case study examining the flight conducted on 15 September 2019 (UTC) utilizing multiple instruments present on the P3-B. To examine the chemical composition of the aerosols in the study region, the on-line High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was operated for the duration of the mission. This specific flight targeted a study region over the Sulu Sea and sampled biomass burning aerosol originating from the Borneo region. The HR-ToF-AMS was able to sample off two different aircraft inlets to study both clouds and ambient aerosol. The Counterflow Virtual Impactor (CVI) inlet allowed for the sampling of cloud droplet residuals when transecting clouds while the forward-facing isokinetic inlet was utilized to sample the ambient aerosol. This unique inlet set-up allowed for the classification of aged biomass burning in clouds and examined the role that vertical and spatial variations play in the chemical composition. With a robust suite of other in-situ and remote sensing instrumentation, an in-depth classification of this airmass was completed. This work also set the framework for the analysis of other research flights, both for CAMP2Ex and other flight campaigns.
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-5p0b-9r21
Rights
© The Author
Recommended Citation
Robinson, Claire Elizabeth, "Compositional Analysis Of Cloud Droplet Residuals By High Resolution Time-Of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometry" (2023). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. William & Mary. Paper 1686662623.
https://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-5p0b-9r21
