Rule-Based Expert System for Evaluating the Quality of Long-Term, In-situ, Gas Chromatographic Measurements of Atmospheric Methane

摘要

Methane is an important trace constituent of the earth's atmosphere because it is active both chemically and radiatively. The absorption of infrared radiation by atmospheric methane, and the rapid increase in the global atmospheric burden of methane over the past century combine to raise concerns that continued increases may contribute to global warming and climate change within the next century. The use of a rule-based expert system to assess the integrity of in situ gas chromatographic methane measurements made at the NOAA/CMDL Point Barrow, Alaska and Mauna Loa, Hawaii observatories is presented. The expert system flags ambient samples analyzed during chromatograph system instability and excludes them from further scientific analysis. The development and implementation of the expert system are described in detail. A comparison between data sets flagged by a human expert and by the expert system shows that the expert system can successfully reproduce the efforts of a human when evaluating gas chromatograph system stability. Advantages and limitations of the use of an expert system for the task are also discussed.