Diploma student Lennard Herlyn and PhD student Stefan Schmitt from the Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg joined the 2^nd phase of the HEADS measurement campaign. They deployed several DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) instruments to investigate chemical processes involving reactive trace gas species (RHS) like bromine monoxide (BrO) and iodine monoxide (IO) and their interaction with aerosols.

Multi AXial (MAX) - DOAS instruments at the KITcube site, at Masada top measured vertical profiles of RHS and other trace gases like NO₂, H₂O, HCHO, HONO. To investigate the horizontal distribution of trace gases, additional car-borne MAX-DOAS measurements were performed along the the western coast of the Dead Sea.

For the first time, a prototype of a heated Cavity Enhanced (CE) - DOAS instrument was applied in the field to detect halogenated nitrate compounds (HNCs) like BrONO₂ and IONO₂. HNCs may be of significant importance for the understanding of heterogeneous processes involving aerosols and RHS.

By comparing the measured dynamics of trace gases with the meteorological monitoring of the KITcube, it will be possible to separate transport processes from chemical driven processes and thus get more details of the nature and the strength of RHS sources at the Dead Sea Valley.

 

 

 

Contact

Stefan Schmitt
Institut für Umweltphysik
Im Neuenheimer Feld 229
69120 Heidelberg
Germany
Tel. + 49 6221 54-63 50