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Boundary-layer profiles of particulate matter size distributions using a balloon-borne lightweight aerosol spectrometer

University of British Columbia

A novel method in making cost-effective size-segregated vertical profiles of PM₁₀ up to one kilometre above the earth's surface is evaluated. The performance of a commercial miniature particle mass spectrometer, the GRIMM Particle Dust Monitor 1.108, is tested for sensitivity to varying wind speed in a wind tunnel with quasi-controlled environment. The instrument's ability to take accurate "measurements is further tested against two calibrated instruments. The results show that, with calibration, the instrument is suitable for obtaining vertical profiles. The instrument was also deployed on a 5 m³ tethered balloon at two sites in the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia during the summer of 2001. The results of the field study provide a complete diurnal evolution of PM₁₀ in the vertical, a day time and night time comparison of mass distributions with altitude, evaluation of an elevated pollution layer, and validation with Lidar.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-09-28

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/13267

Atmospheric Science

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace