A21A-0016
Tethered Ozonesonde Measurements During FRAPPE July-August 2014
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Samuel J Oltmans1,2, Bryan Johnson3, Chance Wiley Sterling1,3, Patrick Cullis1, Emrys G Hall2, Allen F Jordan1, Jim Wendell2, Russell C Schnell4, Audra McClure-Begley5 and Anne M Thompson6, (1)Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)Global Monitoring Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO, United States, (3)NOAA/ESRL, Global Monitoring Division, Boulder, CO, United States, (4)NOAA Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (5)University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (6)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Abstract:
O3 and temperature profiles were measured from tethered ozonesondes from surface to 400 m above ground level on 9 days during the summer of 2014 Colorado Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (FRAPPE). The portable tethered ozonesonde system was set up at one of 3 sites located next to a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment surface monitoring station. The day and site chosen were based on the previous day O3 and weather forecast. Measurements typically began at 8:30 AM and ended at 4:30 PM, averaging 40 profiles in one day. The ozonesonde when sampling at the surface consistently read within 0-3 ppbv of the surface monitor at each of the sites with a typical daytime range of 20-90 ppbv. The hourly values were averaged at 50 meter intervals showing O3 production rates were consistently around 8 ppbv per hour from 50 to 300 meters above ground level. On sunny, light wind days the O3 mixing ratio reached a maximum of 80-90 ppbv between 14:00 and 15:00 local time. The generally constant mixing ratio with height and highest mixing ratios above the surface indicate that photochemical O3 production was taking place throughout the profile. Continuous O3 profiles from a tall tower (5 and 300 m) and daily ozonesondes tracked O3 variability through the experiment. High O3 at each site was associated with different local wind directions. At Ft. Collins winds were generally out of the southeast, at Chatfield from the northeast, and at City Park Golf Course more variable. The tether system was developed at NOAA/ESRL to provide a cost effective method to measure O3 profiles on a continuous basis. The tether system consisted of a deep sea fishing pole, electric motor driving the reel with light-weight fishing line attached to the balloon ozonesonde, a tether control box, and laptop. The in house software package monitored data and controlled the tether speed and turn-around point based on real time GPS altitude from the transmitting radiosonde.
