Improved NO_x Monitor for Measurements in Tropospheric Clean Air Regions

Abstract

The sensitivity of the well known technique for the measurement of NO, in air by the chemiluminescence from the NO₂ produced in the reaction of NO with O₃ has been improved so that it is possible to measure routinely the sum of NO₂ and NO or NO at mixing ratios in the pptv range. Thus it will be possible to perform such measurements in rural continental and coastal maritime environments. The details of the instrumentation are discussed.

Field tests of the instrument were conducted at the station of the German Environmental Agency in Deuselbach (Hunsriick) and at the Loop Head peninsula at the west coast of Ireland.

Key Words:

• NO_x-Monitor
• measurement
• clean air