ORAC UTLS Logo

University of Leeds..........Atmospheric Investigations - Aerospace Division

MRF Hercules, C-130

BLUE SKY CHROMATOGRAPHY

The Development of an Airborne Gas Chromatograph
On-board Whole Air Sampling and Analysis

Personnel Contents
New Aircraft for UK research Community - The UK Atmospheric Research Community is soon to start using the replacement to the C-130, the BAE 146 aircraft is currently being converted ready for action at Woodford. For more inof see the FAAM website.
UTLS Logo We have been funded under the first round of theUPPER TROPOSPHERE/LOWER STRATOSPHERE (UTLS) programme. UTLS is a NERC thematic program investigating atmospheric chemistry and dynamics in this relatively unknown area of the atmosphere with specific reference to the production/destruction rates of tropospheric ozone.
The first test flights for ORAC took place in early 1999 following aircraft integration/installation. We have since participated in a number of flying campaigns, earlier ones mainly used as instrument testing:
  • VTROC, Spring 2002 (Operational base: Leeds, UK).
    This was a CAATER funded project investigating the processes controlling the Vertical Transport of Reactive Organic Carbon.
    This made use of the DLR Falcon D-20 aircraft (D-CMET).
    CAATER is an EU funded program which is the follow-up to STAAARTE, designed to introduce young/new scientists to aircraft work.

  • POLEX, Spring 2001 (Operational base: Tromso, Norway).
    No-one from Leeds went to POLEX but whole air samples were collected for us by Ken Dewey and Dave Kindred of the Met Research Flight.

  • SHADE 2000 (Operational base: Sal, Cape Verde).

  • SAFARI 2000 (South African Regional Science Initiative, Operational base: Johannesburg/Windhoek, Africa).

  • EXPORT - (European eXport of Precursors and Ozone by Long-Range Transport, Operational base: Oberpfaffenhoffen, Germany).
    Investigating the export of atmospheric pollution from Eastern Europe, involving the usual UK suspects.

  • ACTO (Atmospheric Chemistry and Transport of Ozone, Operational base - Prestwick, Scotland).
    Another NERC/UTLS project, ACTO is a consortium lead by Prof. Stuart Penkett (UEA) it will make a wide range of chemical measurements in the upper troposphere onboard the UKMO C-130. The Campaign is due to take place in May 2000. Leeds will install ORAC onto the C-130 and also be involved in taking whole air canister samples which will be analysed at the operational airbase for NMHC (C2- C8) plus DMS using our automated PTV-GC-FID system. The canisters will also be analysed for halocarbons and alkyl nitrates by researchers from the University of East Anglia. Other members of the ACTO Consortium include: Leicester, Cambridge, Reading.

  • STAAARTE-READ - Another project funded under the EU STAAARTE scheme.
    The flight (November 1999) was designed to investigate the transport of pollutants across active dynamical areas, namely a warm front and lead by Dr Deb Fish from the University of Reading. A number of whole air canister samples were taken by the Leeds Group for subsequent analysis back in Leeds.

  • DCFZ (Dynamics and Chemistry around Frontal Zones, Operational base: Boscombe down, UK).
    A NERC/UTLS funded project probing the dynamics and chemistry that take place around frontal zones.

  • MAXOX (Maximum Oxidising Rates in the Atmosphere, Operational bases - Boscombe Down, Oberpfaffenhoffen, Germany)
    Investigating the maximun oxidising capacity of the Free Troposphere (EU Funded). MAXOX consisted of 2 campaigns the first in spring 1999 followed by summer 1999. Both campaigns included flying in many different atmospheric conditions mostly in polluted air transported from the UK and/or Mainland Europe. Back trajectories along the flight paths have been calculated the group from Cambridge.

  • STAAARTE-SUND - As part of the EU project STAAARTE (Scientific Training and Access to Aircraft for Atmospheric Research Throughout Europe.
    This was a short detachment of the C-130 to Shannon on the West coast of Ireland, primarily to investigate aerosol and particle formation around coastal areas.

An introduction article on this work has recently been published in "LC-GC International". Here for reference and other group publications.
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank the following organisations for their assistance in setting up and running this project:
  • EPSRC
  • NERC
  • Valco Instruments
  • Thames Restek
  • School of Chemistry, University of Leeds
  • Air Products

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    This page was originally constructed by Jude Davies
    Last modified by Jim McQuaid on Sat Nov 02 12:49:36 2002