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| UNIVERSITY EDUCATION : Faculty | Courses | Fellowships | Students | Graduates | Partners |
High Sensitivity Optical Instrumentation for Research into Tropospheric Trace Gases and Aerosol |
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Optical spectroscopy is an experimental technique that has been responsible for many advances in atmospheric science, from the discovery and quantification of the stratospheric ozone layer more than a century ago to satellite-based instruments that produce global maps of trace gases and aerosol today. Spectroscopic methods have undergone a revolution in recent years, based largely on the use of lasers with optical cavities, or a set of mirrors arranged such that light makes thousands of passes between them. Even more recently, the combination of simple, incoherent light sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), with optical cavities has raised the possibility of an extremely simple, low cost and versatile generation of such instruments, with numerous potential applications in air quality and climate research. This project will explore these applications for measurement and observation of atmospheric trace gases and aerosol. The project may involve field work at ground sites or on mobile platforms such as ships and aircraft, or laboratory work to support and augment field observations. |
NOAA ESRL Contact CIRES Contact |
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