In:
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Copernicus GmbH, Vol. 14, No. 10 ( 2021-10-21), p. 6795-6819
Abstract:
Abstract. UCATS (the UAS Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species) was
designed and built for observations of important atmospheric trace gases
from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the upper troposphere and lower
stratosphere (UTLS). Initially it measured major chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
and the stratospheric transport tracers nitrous oxide (N2O) and sulfur
hexafluoride (SF6), using gas chromatography with electron capture
detection. Compact commercial absorption spectrometers for ozone (O3)
and water vapor (H2O) were added to enhance its capabilities on
platforms with relatively small payloads. UCATS has since been reconfigured
to measure methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), and molecular hydrogen
(H2) instead of CFCs and has undergone numerous upgrades to its
subsystems. It has served as part of large payloads on stratospheric UAS
missions to probe the tropical tropopause region and transport of air into
the stratosphere; in piloted aircraft studies of greenhouse gases,
transport, and chemistry in the troposphere; and in 2021 is scheduled to
return to the study of stratospheric ozone and halogen compounds, one of its
original goals. Each deployment brought different challenges, which were
largely met or resolved. The design, capabilities, modifications, and some
results from UCATS are shown and described here, including changes for
future missions.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1867-8548
DOI:
10.5194/amt-14-6795-2021
Language:
English
Publisher:
Copernicus GmbH
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2505596-3
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