Open AccessQuantitative sampling using an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer 1. Techniques of data interpretation and error analysis
Author(s) -
Allan James D.,
Jimenez Jose L.,
Williams Paul I.,
Alfarra M. Rami,
Bower Keith N.,
Jayne John T.,
Coe Hugh,
Worsnop Douglas R.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2002jd002358
Subject(s) - aerosol , mass spectrometry , calibration , spectrometer , environmental science , electron multiplier , remote sensing , quadrupole mass analyzer , mass spectrum , analytical chemistry (journal) , computational physics , chemistry , physics , optics , meteorology , detector , environmental chemistry , chromatography , geology , quantum mechanics
The aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), manufactured by Aerodyne Research, Inc., has been shown to be capable of delivering quantitative information on the chemical composition and size of volatile and semivolatile fine airborne particulate matter with high time resolution. Analytical and software tools for interpreting the data from this instrument and generating meaningful, quantitative results have been developed and are presented here with a brief description of the instrument. These include the conversion of detected ion rates from the quadrupole mass spectrometer during the mass spectrum (MS) mode of operation to atmospheric mass concentrations of chemical species (in μg m −3 ) by applying calibration data. It is also necessary to correct for variations in the electron multiplier performance, and a method involving the measurement of the instrument's response to gas phase signals is also presented. The techniques for applying particle velocity calibration data and transforming signals from time of flight (TOF) mode to chemical mass distributions in terms of aerodynamic diameter (d M /dlog( D a ) distributions) are also presented. It is also possible to quantify the uncertainties in both MS and TOF data by evaluating the ion counting statistics and variability of the background signal, respectively. This paper is accompanied by part 2 of this series, in which these methods are used to process and analyze AMS results on ambient aerosol from two U.K. cities at different times of the year.