Measurement of formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide at Whiteface Mountain using a dual tunable diode laser system

An application of a dual tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer (TDLAS) to ambient measurements of formaldehyde (HCHO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) is described. During the PM2.5 Technology Assessment and Characterization Study‐New York (PMTACS‐NY) 2002 intensive field campaign at Whiteface Mountain, New York, a dual TDLAS was deployed during a field instrument comparison study along with five other state‐of‐the‐art trace gas measurement techniques. Prior to the field study, a thorough laboratory characterization of the instrument was undertaken to establish the optimum operational conditions including the selection of absorption features and the implementation of continuous laser frequency locking and rapid background subtraction. The Allan variance method was used to determine the optimal background subtraction cycle and to evaluate instrument performance. During the field campaign, measurements of HCHO, NO2 and SO2 were made by the TDLAS with the measurement precisions (1‐min time interval, 1σ) of 80 ppt, 30 ppt and 40 ppt, respectively. The HCHO time series indicated a high variability of HCHO concentrations ranging from below the detection limit to 5 ppbv. The diurnal cycle of HCHO measurements showed higher concentrations during the late afternoon and early morning hours. The measured NO2 concentrations varied from less than the detection limit to the maximum of 25 ppbv. Broad NO2 plumes from long‐distance transport of air masses and as well as high spikes from local pollution sources were observed during the campaign. The measured SO2 results also show high variability with the average concentration of 0.75 ± 0.95 ppbv (1σ).