A pilot study of the Radiello passive ammonia samplers at three Canadian (CAPMoN) sites with comparisons to continuous measurements and satellite retrievals

Edward Hare1, Robert Vet2, Jason O'Brien3, Richard Tanabe4, Mark Shephard5, Shailesh Kharol6 and Christopher M.B. Lehmann7

The Canadian Air and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CAPMoN) has increased its efforts in monitoring of ammonia by establishing three sites in central and eastern Canada to test the effectiveness of the AMoN Radiello passive ammonia samplers for potential inclusion into the mainstream CAPMoN suite of measurements.  Three evaluation sites, Kejimkujik, Nova Scotia and two Ontario sites at Bonner Lake and Longwoods all began sampling in October 2013.  The data presented in this poster examines the annual cycles, the application of a temperature adjustment to account for the extended temperature range of measurements and also establishing a method detection limit (MDL).   In addition, some of the challenges encountered with the application of travel and lab blanks to the data records will also be examined and presented.  In March 2017 the two Ontario sites were moved to Saskatchewan (Flat Valley and Pinehouse Lake) where the Radiello samplers are collocated with continuous ammonia monitoring instruments.  This move was facilitated to extend the study by adding the comparison of these bi-weekly aggregate values to the continuous measurements using a modified Thermo 42i-TL instrument and a Picarro G2103.  The two week integrated values from the Radiello are compared with an equivalent bi-weekly integrated record from the continuous measurements.  In turn, these records are compared to Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) satellite ammonia retrievals both as the integrated values and as discrete point-to-point comparisons during each satellite overpass.  Preliminary results will be presented.

 

1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), ed.hare@canada.ca
2Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), robert.vet@canada.ca
3Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), jason.o'brien2@canada.ca
4Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), richard.tanabe@canada.ca
5Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), mark.shephard@canada.ca
6Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), shailesh.kharol@canada.ca
7Univ. Illinois, Prairie Research Institute, ISWS, clehmann@illinois.edu