Aethalometer - an Instrument for the Real-Time Measurement of Optical Absorption by Aerosol Particles

摘要

We describe an instrument that measures the concentration of optically absorbing aerosol particles in real time. This absorption is normally due to black carbon, which is a good tracer for combustion emission. The minimum resolving times range from seconds in urban environments to minutes in remote locations. We present results obtained during operation on an aircraft. Due to the time resolution capability, we can determine the spatial distributions of absorbing aerosol. From the Greek word for to blacken with soot, we have named this instrument the aethalometer. (ERA citation 08:057583)