Category
Mobile observing platforms
Capabilities
Three mobile laboratories are housed in a 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter Van, a Chill trailer and an 8ft sea container; all insulated and feature air-conditioning and electrical installations that can be connected to a local power supplies. The Van also has a 7500 watt on-board generator and a 19” instrument rack with fold-out table. They can be used to analyse and quantify: pollutants in gas and aerosol phase; pollution sources and apportionment; emission and deposition fluxes. On-board equipment includes:
- Gradient system for inorganic reactive gases and aerosols (MARGAFIA)
- Fast response gas analysers for flux measurements of VOCs (PTR-QiToFMS), O3 (ROFI), NH3, CH4, N2O, NO2, CO, CO2 (QCLs), CO2/H2O (LiCOR Infrared gas analysers)
- Fast response aerosol analysers for chemically speciated aerosol (HR-ToF-AMS) and (size-segregated) particle number measurement (TSI CPCs, TSI APS, DMT UHSAS)
- Slow-response gas analysers for O3, SO2, NOx and NH3
- Ultrasonic anemometers
- A range of sensors for auxiliary measurements of meteorological, plant and soil conditions.
Lifecycle
This facility combines mobile laboratories with a range of pollutant analysers suitable for concentration and flux measurements. This instrument pool is continuously evolving and being updated as instruments become available and pollutants emerge, with UKRI and UKCEH capital investments. It therefore includes instruments of various ages, from >15 years old to brand new. Each instrument in the facility has a serviceable life of 10 – 15 years
Uniqueness
Whilst some of the measurement capability is duplicated at some university departments for concentration measurements, this instrumentation pool is specifically designed to measure (emission and deposition) fluxes of air pollutants, either by performing high-frequency (typically 10 Hz) or vertical gradient measurements (at two or more height). For many of the pollutants this capability is unique and works in tandem with data processing tools developed at UKCEH to calculate fluxes from these measurements
Access
The Mobile AQM Labs can be used through collaboration with UKCEH and by loan agreements. Contact Dr. Eiko Nemitz at UKCEH Edinburgh
Location
The Mobile AQ Labs and equipment are based at UKCEH Edinburgh.
Funding sources
Use of the Mobile AQ Labs is funded by research projects grants and contracts.
Users
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Users of the Mobile AQ Labs are UKCEH scientists plus partner researchers in other organisations.
Last updated
28 April 2022 13:20
