1. Intercomparison and characterization of 23 Aethalometers under laboratory and ambient air conditions: procedures and unit-to-unit variabilities
- Author
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A. Cuesta-Mosquera, G. Močnik, L. Drinovec, T. Müller, S. Pfeifer, M. C. Minguillón, B. Briel, P. Buckley, V. Dudoitis, J. Fernández-García, M. Fernández-Amado, J. Ferreira De Brito, V. Riffault, H. Flentje, E. Heffernan, N. Kalivitis, A.-C. Kalogridis, H. Keernik, L. Marmureanu, K. Luoma, A. Marinoni, M. Pikridas, G. Schauer, N. Serfozo, H. Servomaa, G. Titos, J. Yus-Díez, N. Zioła, A. Wiedensohler, Minguillón, María Cruz, Minguillón, María Cruz [0000-0002-5464-0391], Department of Experimental Aerosol and Cloud Microphysics, Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Jozef Stefan Institute [Ljubljana] (IJS), Haze Instruments d.o.o., University of Nova Gorica, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Deutscher Wetterdienst [Offenbach] (DWD), University College Cork (UCC), Center for Physical Sciences and Technology [Vilnius] (FTMC), Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas Medioambientales y Tecnológicas [Madrid] (CIEMAT), Universidade da Coruña, Centre for Energy and Environment (CERI EE - IMT Nord Europe), Ecole nationale supérieure Mines-Télécom Lille Douai (IMT Nord Europe), Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris] (IMT)-Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris] (IMT), University of Crete [Heraklion] (UOC), Environmental Radioactivity laboratory (ERL), Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Sciences and Technology, Energy and Safety (INRASTES), National Center for Scientific Research 'Demokritos' (NCSR)-National Center for Scientific Research 'Demokritos' (NCSR), Estonian Environmental Research Centre (EKUK), Tallinn University of Technology (TTÜ), National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics (INOE), Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki, CNR Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC), National Research Council of Italy | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus, Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics [Vienna] (ZAMG), Global Change Research Centre (CzechGlobe), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Universidad de Granada = University of Granada (UGR), University of Barcelona, Department of Air Protection, Institute of Environmental Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PTA2017-13607-I), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project nos. CGL2016-81092-R, CGL2017-42 90884REDT, and RTI2018.101154.A.I00), Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación postdoctoral program (grant no. IJCI-2016-29838), Regional Council 'Hauts-de-France', European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), COST Action CA16109 COLOSSAL, CPER CLIMIBIO, CRISOL (MINECO/AEI/FEDER, UE, grant no. CGL2017-85344-R), TIGAS-CM (grant no. Y2018/EMT-5177), ANR-11-LABX-0005,Cappa,Physiques et Chimie de l'Environnement Atmosphérique(2011), European Project: 654109,H2020,H2020-INFRAIA-2014-2015,ACTRIS-2(2015), Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), Centre for Energy and Environment (CERI EE), Ecole nationale supérieure Mines-Télécom Lille Douai (IMT Lille Douai), University of Helsinki, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences [Prague] (CAS), and University of Granada [Granada]
- Subjects
Atmospheric Science ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Meteorology ,[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes ,Environmental engineering ,010501 environmental sciences ,medicine.disease_cause ,Aethalometer ,01 natural sciences ,ABSORPTION TECHNIQUE ,114 Physical sciences ,law.invention ,REAL-TIME MEASUREMENT ,ATTENUATION ,Earthwork. Foundations ,law ,11. Sustainability ,Calibration ,medicine ,Range (statistics) ,PARTICLES ,Air quality index ,Aerosolized black carbon ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,[PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-AO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics [physics.ao-ph] ,[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean, Atmosphere ,010401 analytical chemistry ,TA715-787 ,Photometer ,TA170-171 ,Soot ,0104 chemical sciences ,Aerosol ,Trace gas ,[CHIM.THEO]Chemical Sciences/Theoretical and/or physical chemistry ,Ambient air conditions ,13. Climate action ,OPTICAL-ABSORPTION ,BLACK CARBON - Abstract
Aerosolized black carbon is monitored worldwide to quantify its impact on air quality and climate. Given its importance, measurements of black carbon mass concentrations must be conducted with instruments operating in quality-checked and ensured conditions to generate data which are reliable and comparable temporally and geographically. In this study, we report the results from the largest characterization and intercomparison of filter-based absorption photometers, the Aethalometer model AE33, belonging to several European monitoring networks. Under controlled laboratory conditions, a total of 23 instruments measured mass concentrations of black carbon from three well-characterized aerosol sources: synthetic soot, nigrosin particles, and ambient air from the urban background of Leipzig, Germany. The objective was to investigate the individual performance of the instruments and their comparability; we analyzed the response of the instruments to the different aerosol sources and the impact caused by the use of obsolete filter materials and the application of maintenance activities. Differences in the instrument-to-instrument variabilities from equivalent black carbon (eBC) concentrations reported at 880 nm were determined before maintenance activities (for soot measurements, average deviation from total least square regression was −2.0 % and the range −16 % to 7 %; for nigrosin measurements, average deviation was 0.4 % and the range −15 % to 17 %), and after they were carried out (for soot measurements, average deviation was −1.0 % and the range −14 % to 8 %; for nigrosin measurements, the average deviation was 0.5 % and the range −12 % to 15 %). The deviations are in most of the cases explained by the type of filter material employed by the instruments, the total particle load on the filter, and the flow calibration. The results of this intercomparison activity show that relatively small unit-to-unit variability of AE33-based particle light absorbing measurements is possible with well-maintained instruments. It is crucial to follow the guidelines for maintenance activities and the use of the proper filter tape in the AE33 to ensure high quality and comparable black carbon (BC) measurements among international observational networks., ACTRIS and COLOSSAL provided financial support for the execution of the experiments. Instrument S04-00387 is operated and maintained thanks to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project nos. CGL2016-81092-R, CGL2017-42 90884REDT, and RTI2018.101154.A.I00). Gloria Titos is funded by the Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación postdoctoral program (grant no. IJCI-2016-29838). IMT Lille Douai (Joel Ferreira De Brito, Veronique Riffault) received financial support from the Labex CaPPA project, which is funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) through the PIA (Programme d'Investissement d'Avenir) (contract no. ANR-11-LABX-0005-01), and the CLIMIBIO project; both projects are financed by the Regional Council “Hauts-de-France” and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The operation of instruments S00-00055 and S02-00156 is funded by the projects CRISOL (MINECO/AEI/FEDER, UE; grant no. CGL2017-85344-R) and TIGAS-CM (grant no. Y2018/EMT-5177).
- Published
- 2021
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