Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Observations of Trace Gases in the Earth’s Lower Atmosphere: Instrumentation and Platform


Affiliations
1 Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380 009, India
2 Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar 382 355, India
3 Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune 411 008, India
 

The earth’s atmosphere is a complex mixture of many gases and their observations are incorporated in chemistry-climate models. Atmospheric observations have been the backbone of recent progress in atmospheric science, particularly about our understanding of the sun–atmosphere interaction causing chemical and radiative forcing linked to the environment and climate change. In terms of technology, there has been significant progress in both in situ and remote sensing measurements of several variables in the lower atmosphere. Among them, trace gases play an important role in climate change and several environmental problems. The recent progress in both in situ and remote sensing-based instrumentation has enabled researchers to study various atmospheric processes in great detail. For example, gas chromatography-based instrumentation provides detection from simple to complex species present in the atmosphere at very low concentrations. The laser-based spectroscopic instruments are emerging tools for fast response measurements of trace gases, which are important to understand rather short-term processes. The proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry is regarded as one of the best technologies for the detection of numerous but specific types of trace gases, namely volatile organic compounds. However, there are advantages and disadvantages of any instrument in terms of quality of data, comprehensiveness and cost. In this article, we discuss the recent progress in instrumentation used for the measurement of trace gases in the lower atmosphere utilizing space, aircraft and satellitebased platforms as well as some laboratory techniques. We also briefly highlight the progress made during the past couple of decades, present status and future scenarios of trace gas measurements in the South Asia region.

Keywords

Climate Change, Lower Atmosphere, Remote Sensing, Trace Gases.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Berger, A. and Tricot, C., The greenhouse effect. Surv. Geophys., 1992, 13, 523–549.

  • Kampa, M. and Castanas, E., Human health effects of air pollution. Environ. Pollut., 2008, 151(2), 362–367; doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2007.06.012.

  • Goldstein, A. H. and Galbally, I. E., Known and unexplored organic constituents in the earth’s atmosphere. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2007, 41, 1514–1521.

  • Holton, J. R., An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, Academic Press, New York, 1979, 2nd edn.

  • Emanuel, K. A., Atmospheric Convection, Oxford University Press, New York, 1994.

  • Finlayson-Pitts, B. J., Atmospheric chemistry. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2010, 107, 6566–6567.

  • Sahu, L. K., Pal, D., Yadav, R. and Munkhtur, J., Aromatic VOCs at major road junctions of a metropolis in India: measurements using TD-GC-FID and PTR-TOF-MS instruments. Aerosol Air Qual. Res., 2016, 16(10), 2405–2420.

  • Sahu, L. K., Yadav, R. and Pal, D., Source identification of VOCs at an urban site of western India: effect of marathon events and anthropogenic emissions. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 2016, 121, 2416–2433.

  • Sahu, L. K., Tripathi, N. and Yadav, R., Contribution of biogenic and photochemical sources to ambient VOCs during winter to summer transition at a semi-arid urban site in India. Environ. Pollut., 2017, 229, 595–606.

  • Lal, S., Naja, M. and Subbaraya, B. H., Seasonal variations in surface ozone and its precursors over an urban site in India. Atmos. Environ., 2000, 34, 2713–2724.

  • Sahu, L. K. and Lal, S., Distributions of C2–C5 NMHCs and related trace gases at a tropical urban site in India. Atmos. Environ., 2006, 40, 880–891.

  • Yadav, R. et al., Role of long-range transport and local meteorology in seasonal variation of surface ozone and its precursors at an urban site of India. Atmos. Res., 2016, 176–177, 96–107.

  • Yadav, R. et al., Investigation of emission characteristics of NMVOCs over urban site of Western India. Environ. Pollut., 2019, 252, 245–255.

  • Srivastava, A., Joseph, A. E., Patil, S., More, A., Dixit, R. C. and Prakash, M., Air toxics in ambient air of Delhi. Atmos. Environ., 2005, 39, 59–71.

  • Sarangi, T. et al., First simultaneous measurements of ozone, CO, and NOy at a high‐altitude regional representative site in the central Himalayas. J. Geophys. Res., 2013, 119, 1592–1611.

  • Beig, et al., Quantifying the effect of air quality control measures during the 2010 Commonwealth Games at Delhi, India. Atmos. Environ., 2013, 80, 455–463.

  • Khaiwal et al., Real-time monitoring of air pollutants in seven cities of North India during crop residue burning and their relationship with meteorology and trans-boundary movement of air. Sci. Total Environ., 2019, 690, 717–729.

  • Ojha, N. et al., Variabilities in ozone at a semi-urban site in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region: association with the meteorology and regional processes. J. Geophys. Res., 2012, 117, D20301.

  • Singla, V., Satsangi, A., Pachauri, T., Lakhani, A. and Kumari, K. M., Ozone formation and destruction at a sub-urban site in North Central region of India. Atmos. Res., 2011, 101, 373–385.

  • Gaur, A., Tripathi, S. N., Kanawade, V. P., Tare, V. and Shukla, S. P., Four-year measurements of trace gases (SO2, NOx, CO and O3) at an urban location, Kanpur, in Northern India. J. Atmos. Chem., 2014, 71, 283–301.

  • Nishanth, T. et al., Influence of ozone precursors and PM10 on the variation of surface O3 over Kannur, India. Atmos. Res., 2014, 138, 112–124; doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2013.10.022.

  • Renuka, K., Gadhavi, H., Jayaraman, A., Lal, S., Naja, M. and Rao, S. V. B., Study of ozone and NO2 over Gadanki – a rural site in South India. J. Atmos. Chem., 2014, 71, 95–112; doi:10.1007/s10874-014-9284-y.

  • Tyagi et al., Seasonal progression of surface ozone and NOx concentrations over three tropical stations in North-East India. Environ. Pollut., 2019, 113662.

  • Bhuyan, P. K., Bharali, C., Pathak, B. and Kalita, G., The role of precursor gases and meteorology on temporal evolution of O3 at a tropical location in northeast India. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 2014, 21, 6696–6713; doi:10.1007/s11356-014-2587-3.

  • Reddy, et al., Analysis of diurnal and seasonal behavior of surface ozone and its precursors (NOx) at a semi-arid rural site in southern India. Aerosol Air Qual. Res., 2012, 12, 1081–1094.

  • Lal, S. et al., Loss of crop yields in India due to surface ozone: an estimation based on a network of observations. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 2017, 24, 20972–20981.

  • IMD Publication, Surface ozone recorder; ISC No. 103, 1995.

  • Khedikar et al., Monitoring and study the effect of weather parameters on concentration of surface ozone in the atmosphere for its forecasting. Mausam, 2018, 69, 243–252.

  • Lundanes, E., Reubsaet, L. and Greibrokk, T., Chromatography: Basic Principles, Sample Preparations and Related Methods, Wiley-VCH Verlag, Weinheim, Germany, 2014, 1st edn.

  • Miller, R. B. et al., Medusa: a sample pre-concentration and GC/MS detector system for in situ measurements of atmospheric trace halocarbons, hydrocarbons and sulfur compounds. Anal. Chem., 2008, 80(5), 1536–1545.

  • Apel, E. C. et al., A fast‐GC/MS system to measure C2 to C4 carbonyls and methanol aboard aircraft. J. Geophys. Res., 2003, 108(D20), 8794.

  • Guo, H. et al., Source contributions to ambient VOCs and CO at a rural site in eastern China. Atmos. Environ., 2004, 38, 4551–4560.

  • Helmig, D., Pollock, W., Greenberg, J. and Zimmerman, P., Gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of volatile organic trace gases at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii. J. Geophys. Res., 1996, 101(D9), 14697–14710.

  • Colman, J. J., Swanson, A. L., Meinardi, S., Sive, B. C., Blake, D. R. and Rowland, F. S., Description of the analysis of a wide range of volatile organic compounds in whole air samples collected during PEM-Tropics A and B. Anal. Chem., 2001, 73, 3723–3731.

  • Simpson, I. J. et al., Characterization of trace gases measured over Alberta oil sands mining operations: 76 speciated C2–C10 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO2, CH4, CO, NO, NO2, NOy, O3 and SO2. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 2001, 10, 11931–11954.

  • Kaser, L. et al., Comparison of different real time VOC measurement techniques in a ponderosa pine forest. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 2013, 13, 2893–2906; https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-2893-2013.

  • Sahu, L. K. and Saxena, P., High time and mass resolved PTRTOFMS measurements of VOCs at an urban site of India during winter: role of anthropogenic, biomass burning, biogenic and photochemical sources. Atmos. Res., 2015, 164–165, 84–94.

  • Ren, X. et al., Airborne intercomparison of HOx measurements using laser-induced fluorescence and chemical ionization mass spectrometry during ARCTAS. Atmos. Meas. Technol., 2012, 5, 2025– 2037; https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-2025-2012.

  • Kim, S. et al., Measurement of HO2NO2 in the free troposphere during the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-North America 2004. J. Geophys. Res., 2007, 112, D12S01; doi:10.1029/2006JD007676.

  • Schiff, H. I., Hastie, D. R., Mackay, G. I., Iguchi, T. and Ridley, B. A., Tunable diode laser systems for measuring trace gases in tropospheric air. Environ. Sci. Technol., 1983, 17, 352A– 365A.

  • Harren, F. J. M., Cotti, G., Oomens, J. and Hekkert te Lintel, S., Photoacoustic spectroscopy in trace gas monitoring. In Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry (ed. Meyers, R. A.), John Wiley, Chichester, UK, 2000, pp. 2203–2226.

  • O’Keefe, A. and Deacon, D. A. G., Cavity ring-down optical spectrometer for absorption measurements using pulsed laser source. Rev. Sci. Instrum., 1988, 59, 2544–2551.

  • Schlosser, E. et al., Intercomparison of two hydroxyl radical measurement techniques at the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR. J. Atmos. Chem., 2007, 56, 187–205.

  • Jensen, J. R., Remote Sensing of the Environment: An Earth Resource Perspective, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2000.

  • Rayner, P. J. and O’Brien, D. M., The utility of remotely sensed CO2 concentration data in surface source inversions. Geophys. Res. Lett., 2001, 28, 175–178.

  • Palmer, P. I., Quantifying sources and sinks of trace gases using space-borne measurements: current and future science. Philosophical Trans. R. Soc. A, 2008, 366, 4509–4528.

  • Sahu, L. K. et al., Impact of tropical convection and ENSO variability in vertical distributions of CO and O3 over an urban site of India. Climate Dyn., 2017, 49, 1–2, 449–469; doi:10.1007/s00382016-3353-7.

  • Sahu L. K., Tripathi, N., Sheel, V., Kajino, M., Deushi, M., Yadav, R. and Nedelec, P., Impact of the tropical cyclone ‘Nilam’ on the vertical distribution of carbon monoxide over Chennai on the Indian peninsula. Qtly J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 2018, 144, 1091– 1105; https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3276.

  • Sheel, V., Sahu, L. K., Kajino, M., Deushi, M., Stein, O. and Nedelec, P., Seasonal and inter-annual variability of carbon monoxide based on MOZAIC observations, MACC reanalysis and model simulations over an urban site in India. J. Geophys. Res., 2014, 119, 9123–9141; doi:10.1002/2013JD021425.

  • Sahu, L. K., Lal, S., Thouret, V. and Smit, H. G., Climatology of tropospheric ozone and water vapour over Chennai: a study based on MOZAIC measurements over India. Int. J. Climatol., 2011, 31(6), 920–936; doi:10.1002/joc.2128.

  • Wagner, T. et al., Monitoring of atmospheric trace gases, clouds, aerosols and surface properties from UV/Vis/NIR satellite instruments. J. Opt. A Pure Appl. Opt., 2008, 10, 104019 (9 pp).

  • Palmer, P. I., Quantifying sources and sinks of trace gases using space-borne measurements: current and future science. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A, 2008, 366, 4509–4528.

  • Hönninger, G., von Friedeburg, C. and Platt, U., Multi axis differential absorption spectroscopy (MAX‐DOAS). Atmos. Chem. Phys., 2004, 4, 231–254.

  • Platt, U., Modern methods of the measurement of atmospheric trace gases. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 1999, 1, 5409–5415.

  • Griffiths, P. R. and de Haseth J. A., Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, John Wiley, New Jersey, 2007, 2nd edn.

  • Laj, P. et al., Measuring atmospheric composition change. Atmos. Environ., 2009, 43, 5351–5414.

  • Dave, J. V., Studies on Twilight and Atmospheric Ozone, Ph D thesis, Gujarat University at Ahmedabad, India, 1957, pp. III.1– III.29.

  • Ramanathan, K. R., Atmospheric ozone and the general circulation of the atmosphere. In Scientific Proceedings of International Association of Meteorology. IUGG 10th General Assembly, Rome, 1956, pp. 3–24.

  • Lal, S., Trace gases over the Indian region. Indian J. Radio Space Phys., 2007, 36, 556–570.

  • Kumar, R. et al., How will air quality change in South Asia by 2050? J. Geophys. Res.: Atmos., 2018, 123, 1840–1864; https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD027357.

  • Sahu, L. K., Volatile organic compounds and their measurements in the troposphere. Curr. Sci., 2012, 102(10), 1645–1649.

  • Sahu, L. K., Reactive halogens and their measurements in the troposphere. Indian J. Geo-Marine Sci., 2014, 43(9), 1615–1622.


Abstract Views: 425

PDF Views: 120




  • Observations of Trace Gases in the Earth’s Lower Atmosphere: Instrumentation and Platform

Abstract Views: 425  |  PDF Views: 120

Authors

L. K. Sahu
Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380 009, India
Nidhi Tripathi
Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar 382 355, India
Ravi Yadav
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune 411 008, India

Abstract


The earth’s atmosphere is a complex mixture of many gases and their observations are incorporated in chemistry-climate models. Atmospheric observations have been the backbone of recent progress in atmospheric science, particularly about our understanding of the sun–atmosphere interaction causing chemical and radiative forcing linked to the environment and climate change. In terms of technology, there has been significant progress in both in situ and remote sensing measurements of several variables in the lower atmosphere. Among them, trace gases play an important role in climate change and several environmental problems. The recent progress in both in situ and remote sensing-based instrumentation has enabled researchers to study various atmospheric processes in great detail. For example, gas chromatography-based instrumentation provides detection from simple to complex species present in the atmosphere at very low concentrations. The laser-based spectroscopic instruments are emerging tools for fast response measurements of trace gases, which are important to understand rather short-term processes. The proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry is regarded as one of the best technologies for the detection of numerous but specific types of trace gases, namely volatile organic compounds. However, there are advantages and disadvantages of any instrument in terms of quality of data, comprehensiveness and cost. In this article, we discuss the recent progress in instrumentation used for the measurement of trace gases in the lower atmosphere utilizing space, aircraft and satellitebased platforms as well as some laboratory techniques. We also briefly highlight the progress made during the past couple of decades, present status and future scenarios of trace gas measurements in the South Asia region.

Keywords


Climate Change, Lower Atmosphere, Remote Sensing, Trace Gases.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv118%2Fi12%2F1893-1902