Calibration of the passive cavity aerosol spectrometer probe for airborne determination of the size distribution

Abstract. This work describes calibration methods for the particle sizing and particle concentration systems of the passive cavity aerosol spectrometer probe (PCASP). Laboratory calibrations conducted over six years, in support of the deployment of a PCASP on a cloud physics research aircraft, are analyzed. Instead of using the many calibration sizes recommended by the PCASP manufacturer, a relationship between particle diameter and scattered light intensity is established using three sizes of mobility-selected polystyrene latex particles, one for each amplifier gain stage. In addition, studies of two factors influencing the PCASP's determination of the particle size distribution – amplifier baseline and particle shape – are conducted. It is shown that the PCASP-derived size distribution is sensitive to adjustments of the sizing system's baseline voltage, and that for aggregates of spheres, a PCASP-derived particle size and a sphere-equivalent particle size agree within uncertainty dictated by the PCASP's sizing resolution. Robust determinations of aerosol concentration, and size distribution, also require calibration of the PCASP's aerosol flowrate sensor. Sensor calibrations, calibration drift, and the sensor's non-linear response are documented.

• Publication year

  2013

• Venue

  Atmospheric Measurement Techniques

• Publication date

  2013-09-11

• Fields of study

  Materials Science, Physics, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.5194/AMT-6-2349-2013
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Single Aircraft Integration of Remote Sensing and In Situ Sampling for the Study of Cloud Microphysics and Dynamics

  2012cited by this paper
• Particle sizing calibration with refractive index correction for light scattering optical particle counters and impacts upon PCASP and CDP data collected during the Fennec campaign

  2012cited by this paper
• Aerosol concentration and size distribution measured below, in, and above cloud from the DOE G-1 during VOCALS-REx

  2011cited by this paper
• the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Atmospheric Chemistry

  2008cited by this paper
• Aircraft observations of aerosol composition and ageing in New England and Mid‐Atlantic States during the summer 2002 New England Air Quality Study field campaign

  2007cited by this paper
• Hygroscopicity of aerosol particles at low temperatures. 2. Theoretical and experimental hygroscopic properties of laboratory generated aerosols.

  2002cited by this paper
• Aerosol Measurement: Principles, Techniques, and Applications

  2001influential reference
• Aerosol Technology Properties, Behavior, and Measurement of Airborne Particles

  2000influential reference
• In situ aerosol-size distributions and clear-column radiative closure during ACE-2

  2000cited by this paper
• Particle Charging and Transmission Efficiencies of Aerosol Charge Neutralizes

  1997cited by this paper
• Modeling phase functions for dustlike tropospheric aerosols using a shape mixture of randomly oriented polydisperse spheroids

  1997cited by this paper
• Response of Particle Measuring Systems Airborne ASASP and PCASP to NaCl and Latex Particles

  1992influential reference
• Climate Forcing by Anthropogenic Aerosols

  1992cited by this paper
• Hydrated and Dried Aerosol-Size-Distribution Measurements from the Particle Measuring Systems FSSP-300 Probe and the Deiced PCASP-100X Probe

  1992cited by this paper
• Use of the Electrostatic Classification Method to Size 0.1 μm SRM Particles—A Feasibility Study

  1991influential reference
• Determination of particle size distribution of ultra-fine aerosols using a differential mobility analyzer

  1985influential reference
• Experimental determinations of Mueller scattering matrices for nonspherical particles.

  1978influential reference
• Statistical Treatment of Experimental Data

  1962cited by this paper

• Observed aerosol properties and aerosol forecast evaluation in the Arctic region during cold air outbreaks

  2026cites this paper
• Study on aerosols and BC cross-layer transport at the top of the planetary boundary layer based on aircraft observations in autumn over the North China Plain

  2025cites this paper
• Microphysical view of the development and ice production of mid-latitude stratiform clouds with embedded convection during an extratropical cyclone

  2024cites this paper
• A method to obtain scattering phase function based on particle size distribution and refractive index retrieved from Aurora 4000 multi-angle scattering measurements: A numerical study

  2023cites this paper
• Impact of monsoon on below cloud base aerosol hygroscopicity over a rain shadow region of India

  2023cites this paper
• In situ and satellite-based estimates of cloud properties and aerosol–cloud interactions over the southeast Atlantic Ocean

  2022influential citation
• The Secondary Production of Ice in Cumulus Experiment (SPICULE)

  2022cites this paper
• Observed and Bin Model Simulated Evolution of Drop Size Distributions in High‐Based Cumulus Congestus Over the United Arab Emirates

  2022cites this paper
• Analysis of aerosol-cloud interactions and their implications for precipitation formation using aircraft observations over the United Arab Emirates

  2021cites this paper
• Combined Cloud Microphysics Data Set for ORACLES

  2021cites this paper
• Precipitation Susceptibility of Marine Stratocumulus with Variable Above and Below-Cloud Aerosol Concentrations over the Southeast Atlantic

  2021influential citation
• Analysis of aerosol–cloud interactions and their implications for precipitation formation using aircraft observations over the United Arab Emirates

  2021cites this paper
• Impact of the variability in vertical separation between biomass burning aerosols and marine stratocumulus on cloud microphysical properties over the Southeast Atlantic

  2021cites this paper
• Spatial Distribution and Impacts of Aerosols on Clouds Under Meiyu Frontal Weather Background Over Central China Based on Aircraft Observations

  2020cites this paper
• Aerosol data assimilation in the chemical transport model MOCAGE during the TRAQA/ChArMEx campaign: Lidar observations

  2020cites this paper
• Impact of the Variability in Vertical Separation between Biomass-Burning Aerosols and Marine Stratocumulus on Cloud Microphysical Properties over the Southeast Atlantic

  2020cites this paper
• Performance Assessment of Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS)

  2020cites this paper
• Aerosol data assimilation in the MOCAGE chemical transport model during the TRAQA/ChArMEx campaign: lidar observations

  2020cites this paper
• Wintertime aerosol measurements during the Chilean Coastal Orographic Precipitation Experiment

  2019cites this paper
• The Universal Cloud and Aerosol Sounding System (UCASS): a low-cost miniature optical particle counter for use in dropsonde or balloon-borne sounding systems

  2019influential citation
• Comparison of aerosol measurement systems during the 2016 airborne ARISTO campaign

  2019cites this paper
• Small ice particles at slightly supercooled temperatures in tropical maritime convection

  2019influential citation
• Aircraft measurements of aerosol distribution, warm cloud microphysical properties, and their relationship over the Eastern Loess Plateau in China

  2019cites this paper
• New on-line mass spectrometric tools for studying urban organic aerosol sources

  2018cites this paper
• Exploring aerosol–cloud interaction using VOCALS-REx aircraft measurements

  2018influential citation
• Vertical and horizontal distribution of submicron aerosol chemical composition and physical characteristics across northern India during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons

  2018cites this paper
• Validation of LIRIC aerosol concentration retrievals using airborne measurements during a biomass burning episode over Athens

  2017influential citation
• The observed influence of local anthropogenic pollution on northern Alaskan cloud properties

  2017cites this paper
• Droplet Concentration and Spectral Broadening in Southeast Pacific Stratocumulus Clouds

  2017cites this paper
• On the parametrization of optical particle counter response including instrument-induced broadening of size spectra and a self-consistent evaluation of calibration measurements

  2017cites this paper
• An Atmospheric Hydraulic Jump in the Santa Barbara Channel

  2017cites this paper
• Vertical mass impact and features of Saharan dust intrusions derived from ground-based remote sensing in synergy with airborne in-situ measurements

  2016cites this paper
• A comparative study of aerosol microphysical properties retrieved from ground-based remote sensing and aircraft in situ measurements during a Saharan dust event

  2016cites this paper
• Aerosol data assimilation in the chemical transport model MOCAGE during the TRAQA/ChArMEx campaign: aerosol optical depth

  2016cites this paper
• Aerosol Impacts on Thermally Driven Orographic Convection

  2016influential citation
• Aircraft-borne measurements in IAGOS-CARIBIC

  2015cites this paper
• Processes Controlling Precipitation in Shallow, Orographic, Trade Wind Convection

  2015cites this paper
• An optical particle size spectrometer for aircraft-borne measurements in IAGOS-CARIBIC

  2015cites this paper
• Aircraft Observations and Numerical Simulations of the Developing Stage of a Southerly Surge near Southern California

  2015influential citation
• Ice crystal concentrations in wave clouds: dependencies on temperature, D>0.5 μm aerosol particle concentration and duration of cloud processing

  2014cites this paper
• Amélioration de la représentation des aérosols dans un modèle de chimie-transport : modélisation et assimilation de données

  2014influential citation
• Aircraft Observations of the Marine Boundary Layer Adjustment near Point Arguello, California

  2014influential citation
• Airborne Measurements of Coastal Jet Transition around Point Conception, California

  2013cites this paper